Hi folks,

Wondering if anyone had any tips on how to get a good authentic sitar sound using a combination of effects.

I've got a Pod XT Live, and managed to get a patch using the synth/filters effects which sorta sounded okay at home, but doesn't really cut it in a live situation.

If anyone has got any tips or advice on how to get a sitar-ish sound then that would much appreciated.

Cheers,

Tom.

Don't know if its use but made me think about an acoustic guitar player in the fabulous band Horses Brawl who often use old credit cards (By the way, they don't have to be old but...) or busibes card threaded through/leaning against some of the strings and this had a similar effect to a sitar.

Not very high tech - but bit of card and little bit of gaffa....

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Matt
www.krcollective.org

I dont think you'll ever get a "good authentic" sitar sound from a guitar.
It will always be a caricature/ approximation so I reckon its better to go along with that and make the most of it. I get a nice sitar-ish sound using the EHX stereo electric mistress in its filter matrix mode. "Preparing" the guitar a la John Cage can give some nice droney sounds (more lika a tambura than a sitar) but it can be a nightmare to play, you have to find the right material to use and the right position for it.
For a more realistic sound, the Line 6 Variax has a pretty decent sitar emulation or you could use one of these.

Are you looking for an FX style solution you can turn on and off, or something more permanent for a specific guitar?

FX wise Danelectro used to make a sitar simulator, might be a cheap eBay find. Or approximate its sounds via the POD, as you have already done.

Permanent wise, a couple of companies used to sell replacement bridges for Telecaster style guitars which would be more authentic.

Or of course a Jerry Jones style sitar - great fun!

Hewesy

Burford Reefer? Not used one myself, but apparently they're OK.

mechanically- screw driver, pencils etc. a la. sonic youth. and also tune all the strings to the same note helps as sitars have a lot of multiple drone strings. gets various ethnic stringed instruments.

pedals- maybe some envelope/synth thing, with chorus or delay??

In an acronym, DADGAD with a dash of phase or flange to suit.

Just to re-iterate the question that has been asked so far...

Is this an effect you want to be able to switch on and off, or are you looking for a way of converting a guitar?

The distinction is very important because the classic sitar buzz is purely mechanical and comes from a ramped bridge. Something you would avoid like the plague in a guitar set-up. Essentially, if you want the real sitar buzz, you need a suitable bridge. But it's not quite that simple because the sitar also relies on it's drone and sympathetic strings for it's sound. Last November I visited Riki Ram's shop in Delhi, where the Beatles bought their sitars and where George Harrison remained a good friend until he died. Riki's grandfather established the shop, his father made the Beatle's sitars and Ravi Shanker's. And Riki is still evolving the sitar design with Ravi Shanker.

Interestingly, the dominance of the sitar in the Indian Classical Tradition is relatively recent. It goes back to the introduction of the Harmonium by Christian Missionaries. Prior to that the Sarod was far more dominant. As well as the Santoor (a relative of the hammer dulcimer), the bamboo flute and various others. And whether you are looking at classical raga's, folk music, Bollywood, or quawali devotional music, everything refers back to the human voice.

If you want the Sitar buzz at the stomp of a box... the Variax and the Roland modeller are your 1st choices. After that, I'd recommend looking for Roland GP16 rack FX, then the GP8.

Andy



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When the going gets weird, the Weird turn Pro.

There's always the Coral Sitar guitar....




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Website / Music Lab Machines / Blog

Cheers for all the info guys!

Ideally I would just want an effect that could be switched on and off. I've heard bad things about the Danelectro pedal, but have seen a pedal by Digitech called the Weapon which has a sitar simulator on it which actually seems pretty good - there's a demo clip on Youtube.

I have seen a German company (cannot remember the name just now) that produces special bridges that can be mounted on Les Pauls, Strats and Teles. This could be pretty cool on stage if the guitar was mounted on an Mbrace stand, so I could switch easily between guitars.

I have also just seen a couple of clips on youtune that shows how to temporarily modify the bridge using paperclips (!) that seems to work well, although it does look a bit fiddly.

Failing that, I will keep tweaking with the effects, particularly the filters and synth emulators on the Pod and hopefully get a decent enough result. If not, I may get hold of that Digitech pedal.

Thanks again!

Tom.

Burford do a sitar-effect pedal: scroll down this page to find it.

You need to amend your playing technique of course. Play nearer the end of the strings than you'd usually do for guitar, and avoid playing chords...

Buy a Variax. The sitar sound on that is right on the money for "Paint it black", and ingeniously you can even change the level of "sitarness" with the tone knob. And it's a bit cheaper than a Coral.

Actually the Variax is an OK bit of kit generally, especially if you play covers and need lots of different sounds available. Lots of good electric sounds available, although the acoustic models aren't up to much. It'll also play nicely with your PodXT, so you can change guitar and FX patches together from a single footswitch stomp. It might not be to your taste if you like the neck/body feel of a Les Paul, but if you're a Strat user then it's worth a try.