Electro-Harmonix Ravish Sitar

[whojamfan]

Yardbirds, Stones, Beatles-hey, could be cool for a lot of things.

[jimk]

Hmm.

"Within You Without You" and "Don't Come Around Here No More". Just ran out of tunes

Norwegian Wood.
JimK

[jfine]

"Hooked On A Feeling"? "Cry Like A Baby"? "Norwegian Wood"? "Paint It Black?" Any number of Philadephia International R&B records from the '70's? It beats having to carry a Coral or Jerry Jones electric sitar to your cover-band gig if you're doing those tunes. I heard a YouTube clip demoing the thing, and I think it's pretty cool! Kira--wouldn't your Rickenbacker mandolin sound cool through it? Just sayin'...

[rkbsound]

I really wanted to get one of these, but unfortunately I don't think that it really sounds anything like a sitar. Sitar-ish, maybe, and maybe some cool, interesting sounds, but I don't think it's a substitute for an actual sitar sound. I'd love to buy a baby sitar, but they are hard to find -- especially at a reasonable price.

[Tommy]

I got one for Christmas. What was that, 4 months ago? Have used it five or six times in all that time...and not as a sitar.

1. It does not sound like a real sitar.
So if you are trying to emulate "Norweigian Wood" or "Paint It Black," forget it.

2. It does not sound like a Coral sitar.
So if you are trying to emulate "Cry Like A Baby" or Pearl Jam's "Who We Are," forget it.

3. It does sound like it's own type of sitar. That is not a bad thing. Not a real sitar, not a Coral sitar, but you get a different kind of sitar tone which I suppose you can call your own in your own tunes.

4. The one thing that is exceptional about the pedal is the Drone strings. When I use my Ravish I kill the sitar strings and just strum chords while the drone setting is turned up. Wow. You get the most hypnotic, trippy, awesome sound.

If you want a Ravish Sitar pedal for sitar tones, you will be disappointed (like me).
If you want a pedal that creates the most wonderful chorusy-flangey-spacey-reverbery gorgeous wall of sound, then look into this. It really is a remarkable sound and one that I have never heard any other pedal deliver. Electro-Harmonix is selling this as a sitar pedal. They should be pushing the drone effect. It is really unique and wonderful.

[whojamfan]

Thanks for the great review Tommy, almost bought one the other day and really glad I didn't. I would want one for simple runs like "Paint it Black" and "Heart full of Soul". All the other hoo haw would be cool to mess around with, but not for the price and the real estate it takes up. I'm sure there's a place for it, but I was looking for just the simplest of applications where a well adjusted envelope filter could almost go.

[Tommy]

Thanks for the great review Tommy, almost bought one the other day and really glad I didn't.

Yeah, you should be glad you didn't buy one. I have one, never use it, but I am glad in one respect -- I didn't pay for it, it was a Christmas gift. Had I bought one myself (and they are rather expensive) I'd be real mad.

It's a goofy toy to fool around with, not much else. As I said the Drone setting is super cool if you are into that trippy shoegaze thing. The actual sitar part of the pedal I have found no use for. Doesn't sound like any sitar on any of the famous records we all know.