Before I dive into the sitar buying guide let me share something real quick.
The first time I encountered the sitar instrument was while reading the seminal work by Ram Dass, Be Here Now.
In 1967, Ram Dass was vacationing in India with a friend when his whole world was flipped upside down after he met and decided to follow, ascetic Bhagwan Dass, through India on a whim.
Ram Dass recounts how his guide was highly revered among the Hindu worshippers they met at the temples and that Bhagwan Dass was an excellent musician.
Ram Dass recounted how Bhagwan Dass would play Bhajan holy music on the sitar “so high they would go out on it.”
That must be pretty high, right?
I was intrigued.
Reading that book, kindled my interest in the sitar.
Thats when I knew I wanted to pick one up for myself and learn tp play it.
I started to learn more about the sitar, I discovered the sound was immediately recognizable, and had a distinct flavor.
Through the course of my research I learned that Beatles own George Harrison traveled to India in the 60´s as did Ram Dass, and that’s where Harrison learned to play this beautiful instrument along side his teacher Ravi Shankar.
You can hear the sitar played on several Beatles songs including Norwegian Wood and Within You Without You.
Just so you know, Norwegian Wood was created before Harrison got any formal training on the sitar by Ravi Shankar.
Through my research and experience with buying a sitar I was able to create this guide and curate a list of high quality sitar instruments that are worth it.
I hope you find this short sitar buying guide useful and educational. The recommended sitar instrument for sale comes after the sitar buying guide near the bottom of the article.
Sitar Buying Guide
What are the three general types of sitar?
The three general types of sitar are the Ravi Shankar style, the Vilayat Khan Style and the Electric sitar.
Allow me to dive into the details briefly below.
What is the Difference Between The Ravi Shankar Style sitar and the Vilayat Khan Style Sitar?
Currently there are two styles of acoustic sitar, the Ravi Shankar style and the Vilayat Khan style.
These styles each go by several different names, but since I am not trying to write a novel, I will keep it simple.
The main differences between The Ravi Shankar style sitar and the Vilayat Style sitar:
- The Ravi Shankar style sitar has an additional bass octave, thanks to the two additional bass strings it has.
- The Ravi Shankar Sitar has 7 top layer strings. 4 are playing strings and the other 3 are drone strings. Drone strings on a sitar resonate to the vibration of the 4 main strings. Thats similar to how the sympathetic strings (lower strings) work, by resonating with those 4 main strings as well.
- Vilayat Khan Style sitar has 2 playing strings and 4 chikari (drone) strings as opposed to the Ravi Shankar style which has 4 main playing strings and 3 chikari (drone) strings.
- The Vilayat style generally has less decoration and usually does not have an upper tumba, which is the top gourd on the neck of the sitar that is used as a resonator and support. (See pics below under the section on parts of a sitar)
- The Ravi Shankar style sitar has a more familiar sound, probably due to its occasional use in popular western music and movies that I have mentioned previously, such as the Beatles, Slash and the Rolling Stones.
To quote directly from u/sitarjunkie on reddit:
“Ravi Shankar has an extra lower octave consisting of 2 bass strings. The Vilayat Khan style substitutes a chordal drone usually tuned to a third above root instead. Traditionally from a Western perspective the tone of RS style will be the more ‘open’ buzzy sound we’re accustomed to. VK style will be more ‘closed’ i.e. less buzzy and more of a lute-like tone where extended meend (bending) work can be done as the sustain is often increased by closing the jawari but a lot depends on how well made the structure is. VK style often less decorated and no top gourd.”
I think u/sitarjunkie explains it well. The Ravi Shankar sitar has a twangy waa waa kind of undertone, and I think its due to the drone strings and sympathetic strings and the sustain of the tone lasts just a bit longer.
The Vilayat Kahn style is more like a lute. The sitar actually is a type of bowl lute, so that makes sense it would have a somewhat similar sound.
Just for reference, the sitar used by the Beatles George Harrison in Love to You and the Rolling Stones Paint it Black, was a Ravi Shankar style sitar.
Recently Slash, former Guns and Roses Guitarist, also used a sitar on his latest release Spirit Love. Slash is a pretty big fan of the late, great Ravi Shankar.
If you have the time, listen to these music videos above. They are badass. I am simply enchanted by the music of the sitar. Its got a vibe all its own.
How is the Electric Sitar or Sitar Guitar different from the Acoustic Ravi Shankar style or Vilayat Khan Style?
An acoustic sitar creates sound by vibration. The vibration of the strings enters the sound box, which is the gourd and the tumba or smaller top gourd, and that sound bounces off the walls of the instrument and travels to your ears and you hear the sitar music.
Pretty simple right?
Things are a little more complicated with an electric sitar.
The electric guitar translates the movement of your fingers interacting with the strings via a sound processor and digitally recreates, or simulates that sound electronically.
While an electric sitar can be played without the electronics, the electric sitar has no gourd resonator box and the sound has a different quality. I am not saying its bad, I think both acoustic and electric sitars are cool, and each has their time and place, IMO.
This dude tried playing a sitar for sale on Amazon without using the electronics (because he said they were not working.)
I personally prefer the sound of the acoustic sitar because the large resonator space produces a richer fuller sound IMO.
This is ESPECIALLY true when we are talking about sitars that cost less than $1000 dollars because truth be told, there are excellent sounding electric sitars out there in the $1000 + range.
Hear the difference:
Acoustic Sitar
Electric Sitar (amplified and unamplified)
What are the Parts of a Sitar?
A sitar is a magnificently complex instrument, and one article could not describe every single last detail of a sitar without being really long.
So…. Here are the sitar basics.
For the sake of saving you some time, I am just going to cover the fundamental features and explain in layman’s terms how the instrument works.
Because the sitar originated in India, the names of the different parts of the sitar are often not easy to translate. They are in Hindi, but for the sake of this audience I will name the parts of a sitar in English.
I just wanted to lay that out here, this is a fundamentals of Sitar Instrument for beginners type explanation.
1. The Gourd
2.Upper (large) Bridge & Lower (small) Bridge
3. The Two Sets of strings on a Sitar
A Sitar has two rows of strings, a top and a bottom set, each with their own bridge. The top row will have 6 (Vilayat Kahn style) or 7 strings (Ravi Shankar style). The bottom row will have between 11 to 14 strings. The bottom strings are called sympathetic strings and these strings are not commonly played, but instead the vibrate along with the main strings to create richness of sound.
4. Sitar Neck and Pegs
5. Tumba or Extra gourd resonator
The small pegs on a sitar attach the lower sympathetic strings. The large pegs attach the upper strings to the neck of the sitar.
Generally, and especially for beginner sitar players, only the upper strings are played, while the lower strings, which are sympathetic, vibrate because the upper strings cause them to vibrate, creating the distinct sitar sound.
Try this with your sitar: Play the upper string while blocking the lower strings with your finger. You will immediately notice the difference that those sympathetic strings make in the sitar sound.
More experienced players may use the lower strings to play as well.
The TUMBA
The tumba is a gourd that sits on the underside of the sitar neck. A sitar that has a tumba on the neck is sometimes called a “double tumba sitar” because the large main gourd is also considered a tumba. The gourds, or tumbas are the resonator boxes of the instrument. Ravi Shankar Sitars generally have this upper gourd tumba.
The good thing is that the sitar looks very complicated to play with all that’s going on but its actually not.
A beginner sitar player will really only going to be playing using 4 main strings (melody strings) from the upper bridge , so its not much harder to learn than a guitar. ( the other strings on the top bridge are called drones.
Drone strings act similar to the lower sympathetic strings in that they are just along for the ride. They vibrate and create sound because the melody strings near them are vibrating.
6. Sitar fine tuning beads
7. Mizrab or Sitar pick
The Sitar uses several fine tuning beads made of bone, plastic or smaller porcelain sitar beads that are used higher up on the neck of the sitar.
The Mizrab is also important to have if you plan to play the sitar. The mizrab is similar to a guitar pick in that it plucks the string. But unlike a guitar pick, the mizrab is worn on the index finger using a wire that wraps snugly around the finger joint knuckle.
8. Frets on a Sitar
A sitar is tuned for every piece that you play. The frets are curved and removable and adjustable. Each song may call for a change in the fret position, so if you plan to learn to play the sitar, one of the first things you will learn is how to tune a sitar.
Learn How to play the Sitar here.
Curated list of High Quality Indian Sitar Instruments for Students and Beginners
Here are the sitars I considered and my top pick. Enjoy!
GS Musicals Acoustic Sitar Carved Neck- Ravi Shankar Style
I considered several GS Musicals sitars, both acoustic and electric. Although these sitars for sale on Amazon do not have reviews, it is because they are new to that site, but GS Musicals has a lot of experience making instruments.
In fact, GS Musicals began in 1904 and has many years experience making musical instruments in Miraj, India. Its 4 generations of sitar makers behind this music instrument provider.
You can contact GS Musicals and learn more about the company or ask questions about the sitar on the GS Musicals Facebook page.
I was attracted to this brand because of the ornate carvings, and the craftsmanship of the sitar they make looks good up close.
The sitars are made from Tunna Cedara which is an infestation resistant wood that is highly resilient. The gourds used are carefully selected once per season and dried for 5 months, never touching the ground during the drying process.
I love that they use German made steel strings on their sitar as well. I also appreciate the hard shell fiberglass case they include with each instrument. Sitars are fragile and a hard case is a necessity.
If you want to learn more about GS Musicals and the intriguing process they go through to create sitars, they were interviewed in this article.
I also like that these are acoustic sitars but they do have a pegio pickup so the sound can be amplified if you choose.
Here is a video of the GS Musicals Vilayat Khan style Acoustic Guitar being played.
GS musicals is a direct from the manufacturer sitar and I believe with this company you are able to get a great sitar at a very fair price because you are buying direct.
Here is a sound sample of the GS Musicals Ravi Shankar Style acoustic sitar.
3 Additional GS Musicals Acoustic Sitars:
GS Musicals Acoustic Sitar Golden Leaf – Ravi Shankar Style
GS Musicals Acoustic Sitar Black – Vilayat Khan Style
GS Musicals Acoustic Sitar Tan – Ravi Shankar Style
GS Musicals Electric Sitar
As I said previously, I like the GS musicals brand. They are new Amazon sitar sellers, but they are not new in the business. They also sell extensively on eBay, their own website and their Facebook page.
The GS Musical Electric sitar is, IMO the best sitar for beginners if you want to go the electric sitar route.
Be aware, this sitar is not for the sitar purists. It has a unique vibe and sound, distinct fro an acoustic sitar.
Listen to this super short video of the electric fusion sitar and you can see what this guitar sounds like amplified and unamplified. This also demonstrates, to a small extent, how the tonal quality of the sitar changes from an acoustic guitar and an electric one where the sound is digitally translated.
This sitar has plenty of volume on its own, and the amplification raises that volume and changes the nuance of the sound a bit.
I also love that GS Musicals uses German made steel strings on all their sitars. I also appreciate the hard shell fiberglass case they include with each instrument. Sitars are fragile and a hard case is a necessity.
Like all GS musical instruments, this sitar is hand made from a company with the experience of over 4 generations of sitar makers in the hub of all sitar manufacturing, Miraj, India.
GS musicals is a direct from the manufacturer sitar and I believe with this company you are able to get a great sitar at a very fair price because you are buying direct.
GS Musicals is indeed my top pick of all sitar instruments for sale for both electric and acoustic models.
Other GS Musicals Electric Sitar models
GS Musicals Electric Sitar Wood & Pearl – Studio Fusion Style
GS Musicals Electric Sitar Blue – Studio Fusion Style
G. Rosul Acoustic Sitar
Style: Ravi Shankar Style
Voice: Acoustic
Sound Sample: This video demonstrates this G Rosul acoustic sitar.
Review
I entertained the idea of the G. Rosul sitar because it had good reviews and I liked what I heard from the sound sample. Even though the video was not great, the sitar has a nice sound.
G Rosul is a mass producer of sitars for beginners located in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. The company has been in business for over 25 years and 2 generations of sitar makers. The brand is popular in India.
This G Rosul sitar features double tumbas and is made in the Ravi Shankar style. The large rounded bottom gourd is the first tumba, and the smaller gourd on the neck of the sitar is the second tumba.
Being a Ravi Shankar style, this sitar has the additional bass strings. In fact this style has 7 top layer strings, 4 of which are playing strings, 3 are drone strings. It has 13 lower sympathetic strings.
The G Rosul sitar features more modern style tuning pegs that function similar to guitar tuning pegs so tuning is a bit easier.
This is a fully acoustic guitar so there are no electronics and no pickup. The sound of the sitar is naturally resounding and is plenty loud for the needs of a student or beginner.
Note, this sitar does not come tuned, no sitar does. In fact sitars must be tuned every time you play, and for each different raga you play. Its part of the instruments charm, IMO.
This sitar does come with a padded gig bag, but just so you know, I prefer a hard shell fiberglass case because sitars are fragile.
Is this one of the best sitar for beginners?
I would say its the best for the budget price, but I prefer the GS Musical sitars if you have a little more to spend. My opinion is they are the best sitar instrument for sale in the budget level price range.
Banjira Acoustic Sitar – Ravi Shankar Style
I saw the Banjira Sitars on Amazon and after doing some research found out that although they are cheap sitars for sale, they are not the best. I could not even find a website or any sample music to hear the sound, so I had to check them off my list pretty quickly, unfortunately.
Banjira sitars are not the greatest sitar instruments for sale. They are imported and sold by middle men, or third party amazon sitar sellers, not direct from the manufacturer.
They look nice but some fellow musicians advised me they will not stay it tune and the quality is just not there, even at the low price. For me this brand is a pass. I only include them here for your own research and information if you are also considering this brand.
Banjira Acoustic Sitar – Vilayat Khan style
Final Thoughts from the Sitar Buying Guide
Your Sitar Needs a Hard Case
Sitars are made from the calabash gourd, and a gourd shell is, as you can imagine, very fragile.
I highly recommend you get yourself a hard shell case, or find a sitar instrument for sale that comes with a hard shell case already included.
Sitar Strings, nylon vs Steel or Bronze
My sitar buying guide would not be complete without talking about strings for a minute.
Look for a sitar that has steel strings with bronze for the bass strings. I would personally pass on a cheap sitars for sale that come with nylon strings.
Preferably the sitar has European, German made sitar strings or Made in the USA sitar strings.
And when you replace the strings of your sitar, the good sitar string brands are Pyramid, made in Germany sitar strings, Mapes, who makes strings for all instruments custom cut for your sitar and finally Ellora Roselu made in Germany sitar strings is my personal favorite because the package includes both bronze and steel strings.
Hot Tip: My favorite sitar maker, GS Musicals, does indeed use German made steel string on their very reasonably priced sitars.
How much do sitars cost?
I have seen sitars which cost as low as $400 dollars and as high as $4000 dollars in the US.
Sitars are imported from India, so much of that price is for shipping the large, fragile instrument and case, and a large chunk also goes to the middleman reseller, leaving little for the poor guy who actually made it.
How much is a sitar worth for you? If I were a sitar student, and I am, I would not spend less than $1000 dollars on a sitar. And that is only if I can have the sitar shipped direct from a quality sitar maker.
As to where to buy a sitar, again I would say get one direct from the manufacturer. So if you do not plan to travel to Miraj, India to buy a sitar, I would look for one you can get direct from the maker.
Thats All folks, that’s all I have for today.
It is my sincere hole that you find the best sitar instrument for sale for your needs and that my sitar buying guide was useful for you.
All the best, in love!
Katie Lyn
PS, if you don’t know, I am a huge sound healing geek, I have articles about all kinds of sound healing instruments from the ethereal handpan, the booming gong, all styles of tuning forks, all the way to the melodic ocarina and pan flute. Check them out!
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