Fake Sitar

[trashy]

How do all of those 60s songs get that fake sitar sound? It's so badassacle!

I figure it has some sort of buzzer on the string, and I can almost get the effect by placing on of the fingers my left hand close to the string that's ringing, but it doesn't really work for doing melodies, just one note (and even then it's sketchy.)

Anyway, I've poked around the internet and came up empty handed, anybody have any ideas about how they did it back then?

[E-Rock]

A music store up here in Seattle called the Trading Musician, does a mod, by putting a weird plastic thing just before the bridge. It makes your guitar sound like a sitar. They have done it to some cheap Dano guitars, but they can do it to anything I think.

[Rigsby]

Sounds cool, any links?

[jebjerome]

I have a guitar that I removed all the frets and put wood filler in, sanded the fretboard down and screwed with tunings until I came up with a middle eastern sounding open chord -- I forget what the tuning is offhand and that combined with a trble pickup and a little amp tweaking gives a decent sitar sound.

Though I think he ones on alot of the 60s records were recorded with electric sitars.

[mikeyc]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the 60's tunes were recorded with Coral Sitars. They were pretty much Danelectros w/ buzz bridges and sympathetic strings. Musicians Friend sells import copies (of course):
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid ... e_id/88591

[ubertar]

I think Mike is right. You can get a "poor man's" sitar sound by making a little device with a piece of paper elevated just enough below the strings, near the bridge, to make the strings buzz.

[stillafool]

You can hear one of the danelectro sitars in the song by Steely Dan, the one about gambling (the guitar player was a pretty big fan of the danelectros-- especially the lipstick tube pickups). You can get the buzz bridges by themselves and add it to any guitar. Fat Dog at Subway Guitars used to sell the bridges. I don't think it would sound as cool if it didn't have the lipstick tube pickups.

[toothpastefordinner]

Any of you guys tried the MF copy (rogue brand) "sitar guiar"? I'd be interested to hear what it sounds like, it's cheap enough that I could almost afford to just buy it unheard...

drew
www.toothpastefordinner.com

[TrumpsHair]

I have a sitar modeling preset on my Variax 700 acoustic. I sounds pretty cool and in the context of a mix, it's neat-o.

[djslayerissick]

I have a sitar modeling preset on my Variax 700 acoustic. I sounds pretty cool and in the context of a mix, it's neat-o.

you've got a Variax acoustic?!?!?

those things RULE! i went to Sam Ash one day a couple weeks ago and played on those things for about 2 hours in the store. eventually i'm gonna get me one - they sound so gorgeous and comfortable to play. i really like the upright bass tone too.

[djslayerissick]

double post

[Dan Phelps]

I bought a used Jerry Jones sitar. It doesn't have the sympathetic strings like the Coral model, but it still rocks. It's not a sound you'd want on everything, but it's great for splashes of color. The lower strings are cool for doubling bass lines, recorded direct even.

Peace,
Dan

[Rodgre]

I have the Rogue (Musician's Friend house brand) Electric Sitar, which is a copy of the Coral sitar. It's awesome for what it is.



All those 60's and 70's sitar parts that weren't REAL sitar (like George Harrison's stuff) were the Coral (which Danelectro sold)

Like other's said, the tone comes from the stringe buzzing against a plate under the strings at the bridge. You can experiment with thin sheet plastic, or paper, but it's probably easier to just buy the Rogue!

By the way, AVOID the Danelectro Sitar Swami pedal. it sounds NOTHING like a sitar. Nothing at all.

Roger

[Rigsby]

I have the Rogue (Musician's Friend house brand) Electric Sitar, which is a copy of the Coral sitar. It's awesome for what it is.



All those 60's and 70's sitar parts that weren't REAL sitar (like George Harrison's stuff) were the Coral (which Danelectro sold)

Like other's said, the tone comes from the stringe buzzing against a plate under the strings at the bridge. You can experiment with thin sheet plastic, or paper, but it's probably easier to just buy the Rogue!

By the way, AVOID the Danelectro Sitar Swami pedal. it sounds NOTHING like a sitar. Nothing at all.

Roger

That's pretty cool,a nd a good price too, do you have any MP3s of this?

I have a guitar that I removed all the frets and put wood filler in, sanded the fretboard down and screwed with tunings until I came up with a middle eastern sounding open chord -- I forget what the tuning is offhand and that combined with a trble pickup and a little amp tweaking gives a decent sitar sound.

Though I think he ones on alot of the 60s records were recorded with electric sitars.

For open tuning when playing alongside my friend's oud i often use DGDGGD (low to high). That's on acoustic usually.

[kayagum]

http://www.jerryjonesguitars.com/Master%20sitar.htm

I actually bought this earlier this year because I'm working on a play with an Indian American director. It sounds as good as it looks- especially when you run it through a pedal compressor (I have mine going through a Maxon).

The "sympathetic strings" don't really do anything for drones or sustain, but it sounds a lot like a hammer dulcimer, which does appear in a lot of traditional Indian music.

It's a lot of fun! And, when you think about it, there's a lot of popular music that has a sitar in it somewhere.