A 17-string sitar neck, attached to a custom made electric guitar style body. All regular and sympathetic strings are steel, so that the sound can be amplified by the magnetic pickup system. It is played like a standard sitar, as the design puts the instrument in the correct playing position while strapped on, allowing the player freedom of movement.
Modeled along the lines of a Rickenbacker 4001-V63 bass, it is built from an assortment of salvaged sitar parts. The body is cut from a piece of ash wood. The neck is dove-tail joined to the body leaving a slight elevation for string clearance. The pickup is by Seymour-Duncan and is their version of a Fender "Jazzmaster" design. This is the only pickup with magnetic poles shallow enough to fit in between the two string layers. It was necessary to angle the pickup position to allow for string placement along the raised frets. the "taraf" (bottom) bridge was then angled so it's string set would sit parallel to the under side of the pickup. Master Sitar and Tabla repairman Tony Karasek designed this hybrid in 2003. A disciple of sitar guru Ravi Shankar, Tony toured with Ravi from 1996-2000 as a Tanpura player and also works on Ravi's instruments. Tony has moved to India to set up a custom sitar business, to facilitate high-quality sitar production in India again, which has been mostly lacking. He merges the best aspects of the many sitars he has come across, along with the finest materials and craftsmen.

Visit Tony's website at karaseksound.com