Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 03:07 PM
hello friends. i have a question about electric sitars. i have searched for existing threads about sitars but i couldn´t find any. I have always been interested in having an electric sitar ever since i was a little kid watching my dads Ventures videos and watching them play Kyoto Doll and Paint It Black. I havent heard much sitar in surfmusic..only The Torquays, when i heard that i deicided i must get myself one of those. not do i only find the sound of them amazing but i always thought that they looked really beutiful..anyways the ones used by The Ventures..(call me crazy)...
just wanted to check out if there is anyone here at SG101 that have any experience with these instruments. i have found a couple of internetshops that sells el. sitars, there is a couple of pretty cheap ones and they looked like the ones the Ventures had. really dont know if they are good quality or not. should one take the chanses in ordering one and hope it is a good instrument?!
i just wanted to see if anyone could give me a good tip about electric sitars.
Cheers Johan
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
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Kawentzmann
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 1062
Berlin, Germany
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Posted on May 06 2008 03:21 PM
The original Coral Sitar was created by Vincent Bell, and he got the best sound out of it, for my money. That is the model the Ventures played in the sixties. Jerry Jones makes good copies. I have a cheap copy, but the sound is really close to the original. They need some TLC out of the box. They are more or less one trick ponies. If they dont deliver a killer melody or some nice hooks they are just a sound-effect.
I started out by shaping my own sitar bridge out of scrape ebony. I took a close look at an original and with some elbow grease and a third bridge post (for the buzz/intonation-angle) I had a 335 copy with a convincing sitar buzz. I didnt get the low e-string to buzz, so I got the Coral copy eventually.
Today you can just order a Gotoh Sitar bridge and put it on a Danelectro. You will need some kind of trapeze tail piece, though.
— The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann
You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy.
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tommyalvarado
Joined: Jan 03, 2008
Posts: 512
Delaware, USA
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Posted on May 06 2008 04:39 PM
I have an original Coral Sitar, the red and black crackle finshed one with the sympathetic drone strings. I've never used it for surf-style music, but have thought about it; not in a traditional sitar style sense, though- I've always thought it would be cool to record a trad surf song using it.
There was also a Rajah Zeetar that was made in the late '60's, but that was more of a traditional sitar with a pickup, so you couldn't really play it like a guitar.
I agree with Kawentzmann- the Coral copies are a decent alternative to trying to find a real vintage Coral, are much cheaper, and give you just about the same end result. The Jerry Jones version is very nice, but pretty pricey when you find them. The Rogue brand version is more economically assembled, and you can tell when you get it out of the box- fret edges are sharp, neck adjustments need to be made, satin-finished neck, etc. The Rogues sell for around $400.00 or so brand new. You should be able to pick a used one up on ebay in the neighborhood of $225.00 to $300.00. If you are patient and have experience setting up your own instruments, I'd go with a Rogue.
They're cool to screw around with, but limited- I got tired of mine pretty fast, took the drone strings off to replace them with new ones, and never did. It's been sitting in the case ever since, but it's cool to know I still have it sitting around in the event that I ever get motivated to record "Mr. Moto" on a sitar.
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IvanP
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 10331
southern Michigan
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Posted on May 06 2008 04:51 PM
Both Rick Mills of the Volcanos and 'Phantom' Frank Gerritsen are using electric sitars within a surf context. Rick is using it on a new, as-yet-unrecorded-and-unreleased song, and Frank used it on the Phantom Four debut album (maybe also on his solo album, I think so, but can't remember for sure now).
They can work really, really well within surf, though best to be very judicious when using them.
Ivan
— Ivan
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Ruhar
Joined: Jun 21, 2007
Posts: 3909
San Diego, CA
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Posted on May 06 2008 04:58 PM
IvanP
Frank used it on the Phantom Four debut album (maybe also on his solo album, I think so, but can't remember for sure now).
They can work really, really well within surf, though best to be very judicious when using them.
Ivan
Yes, I believe the track is called Sitara. Works really really well in that context. Phantom Frank is a genius.
— Ryan
The Secret Samurai Website
The Secret Samurai on Facebook
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DennistheMenace
Joined: Dec 29, 2007
Posts: 714
Southeast, Florida
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Posted on May 06 2008 06:09 PM
There's a VIDEO of Nokie from the Ventures plaing a Sitar?!?!?!?!?
Has anybody else seen this VIDEO??? 
— .......make the Mos' of it,
.....choose the 'rite stuff!
.........owner of 9 Mosrites
proud owner and documented:
1963 "The Ventures" Model s/n# 0038
http://www.vintagerock4.com
www.mosriteforum.com
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Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 06:16 PM
did i write that it was Nokie playing it?
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
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DennistheMenace
Joined: Dec 29, 2007
Posts: 714
Southeast, Florida
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Posted on May 06 2008 06:25 PM
Serpico
did i write that it was Nokie playing it?
Serpico,
No you didn't. You had mentioned your Dad's Videos of the Ventures, and the discussion was about Sitars. Well, when you had mentioned "Paint It Black," I naturally thought that the Ventures were using the Sitar and most probably, Nokie was playing it for the Melody of the tune......just a guess.... 
p.s. I got all excited thinking there might of been a VID of the Ventures playing the Sitar, that I had never seen before.... 
— .......make the Mos' of it,
.....choose the 'rite stuff!
.........owner of 9 Mosrites
proud owner and documented:
1963 "The Ventures" Model s/n# 0038
http://www.vintagerock4.com
www.mosriteforum.com
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Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 06:44 PM
sry i try that again..well i cant remember if it was Nokie but i think it was Gerry, it was a long time i watched those videos. perhaps i will try to talk me dad into lending me all of those videotapes..and a VCR..
by the way..do You guys know a Johnny Legend? he stayed at our house while he was doing a tour here in Sweden and he and my dad sat up all night long into early morning watching videos with The Ventures...to bad i was to young then to stay up...ok now im off topic here..just got to think about that when we started talking about videotapes..
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
Last edited: May 06, 2008 18:48:19
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Tuck
Joined: Sep 02, 2006
Posts: 3166
Denver, CO
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Posted on May 06 2008 06:44 PM
Interesting thread, Serpico! What did the Woodies use in "The Swami" on Swimmin' in the Reverb? I seem to recall that the liner notes saying it was an effect.
Woodies
If this is not some kind of an Inrternet fossil page, you can actually still get this CD from Frerenc. If not, mug somebody for it. Well worth it. And you can download the Swami.
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Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 06:51 PM
oh man i did forget about this one..yes it sounds like an sitar..i really love this tune..i cant tell if it is a real sitar or an effect..
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
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zak
Joined: Sep 24, 2007
Posts: 2728
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Posted on May 06 2008 07:15 PM
This post has been removed by the author.
Last edited: Sep 23, 2009 17:14:32
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Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 07:22 PM
yes that is the guy! actually i have never heard any music by him but he was a real nice person...i think my dad told me that he was also in some movies.like Children of the corn..and i have also seen him in a Ramones musicvideo of Substitute i think it was..Oh and I saw him in Man on the moon..he was only in it for a couple of seconds..my dad also said something about that Johnnys sister was married to Andy Kaufman...
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
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tommyalvarado
Joined: Jan 03, 2008
Posts: 512
Delaware, USA
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Posted on May 06 2008 07:44 PM
Interesting thread, Serpico! What did the Woodies use in "The Swami" on Swimmin' in the Reverb? I seem to recall that the liner notes saying it was an effect.
There was a Danelectro effect a few years ago called the Sitar Swami. It was supposed to have produced a sitar-like sound. I don't know if that was what was used on The Woodies recording, though, because all of the reviews I ever read about the pedal said it did not replicate the sound of a sitar very well. Go with the Rogue Coral sitar copy if you can swing it.
That was a great Woodies song.
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Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 07:49 PM
i want to thank You tommyalvarado and Kawentzmann. that was some great input and info. I am really wanting to buy a sitar and i know a little better now what i should look for. i will start to save some money now and hopefully soon i will be able to buy one. i hope it is ok when the time is right and i find a sitar i can check first with you guys before i buy it..just to see what You guys think?
Thanks! Johan
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
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tommyalvarado
Joined: Jan 03, 2008
Posts: 512
Delaware, USA
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Posted on May 06 2008 07:58 PM
Feel free to contact me any time!
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Serpico
Joined: Dec 30, 2007
Posts: 443
Falun Sweden
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Posted on May 06 2008 08:28 PM
 thanks man! =)
— The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry - it just gets dirtier.
www.myspace.com/tumbleweedofsurf
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wooza
Joined: Apr 24, 2006
Posts: 1618
Ithaca, NY
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Posted on May 06 2008 09:35 PM
Haven't the Surf Coasters used electric sitar on a couple occasions? Right now I can only think of their acoustic version of Misirlou. That's got a sitar, right?
 A handful of weeks ago I scored a ticket to see the Anoushka Shankar Project perform here in Davis. I've never really had any experience with sitar music or Indian ragas, didn't know what to expect or how much I would like it. Holy God it was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. They completely rocked the place (that is, the whole giant concert hall). Check them out if you get the chance. So highly recommended.
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RobbieReverb
Joined: Feb 28, 2006
Posts: 2361
San Jose, Ca.
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Posted on May 06 2008 11:43 PM
For a while, Jim Thomas of the Mermen was using an electric sitar
during live shows. I saw him play a killer Latin'a on it at Moe's
Alley last year or the year before. Sadly, he had to sell it and a
bunch of his gear to pay for some major medical bills.
Bob
— Bob
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JeffLeites
Joined: Mar 27, 2006
Posts: 343
North Hollywood, California
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Posted on May 07 2008 10:59 AM
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