Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

But it's this guitar:



a Lace Cybercaster which has a 10.8-degree helical neck. Ergonomic, like the slant-fret Rickenbackers. So far it does feel darn comfortable.

Interesting concept with a body that looks like a section of kitchen counter that was disassembled with a Sawzall.

Nothing personal, Dr Clauson!

So that is by design?

Yes, Steve, by design.

Paul, I agree that the shape looks a bit crude, but but I like it. I do wish they would have used a bit better wood on the body - the back makes it look like the wood was Home Depot scrap.

I like the twisted neck concept.

I'm currently restoring a sitar. The construction of these instruments--even concert-grade ones--is unbelievably odd. Everything is handmade, and the frets are of course handbent and float over the concave fretboard, etc.

There is no way that the fretting surfaces are accurate with regard to height, but it doesn't matter, as strings are bent and pressure is increased to change the notes by 1/8 and 1/4 tones, and average string clearance over the frets is about 8mm at the octave fret...a real labor to play requiring incredible motor control to play accurately and musically.

My point: Outside of the necks being very stout, these are the least ergonomic solo stringed instruments I've ever encountered...

Now back to out original thread.

Paul, have you seen the introductory "Indian music suite" on The Concert For Bangladesh DVD? Watching Ravi and the others play gives me great respect for those musicians!

Is the one you are restoring a double toomba model?

Or watch Anoushka Shankar's opening piece on The Concert For George.

I for one would like to see more about the sitar restoration; I've always been fascinated by them but have no clue how they're put together.

Oops, sorry about that, Gary.

In my youth, I attended a number of Ravi's concerts, beginning in 1967. A fantastic window into another culture and way of seeing things.

It is a double toombah indeed. It had a shattered lower toombah (dropped) but it will be whole soon. All it needs after that is a refinish (FG with checkered binding), a fret polish, and new strings and tweaking. It will use Ravi tuning and strings (C#, wound first and second melody strings).

I love the sound. It will have a double-transducer pickup for amplification. Have you ever heard an amped sitar? The amplifier brings out subtle overtones and harmonics that are lost in gentle playing, being almost inaudible.

Not a problem, Lindsay - what kind of thread would this be if it didn't cover a half-dozen other topics?

I was fortunate that while I was at the U of I (Illinois, that is), Ravi gave a performance at Krannert Center, which is just across the street from Roger Adams Lab (the chemistry building I was in), and I was able to attend.

Among my old albums back at my sister's house in Illinois, I have a Ravi album that I bought shortly after Revolver came out. I remember that one side has Raga: Risaya but I don't remember what is on the other side.

When was that, Gary? I was there between '77 and '84 (more or less); if I missed it because of something as trivial as school I'll be, um, upset.

I have a few of his albums but these days I get my raga fix at http://www.live365.com/stations/anupam2005

In a way it's a good thing that Indian classical music was given some exposure during the 60s, but when I listen to it at home I get the "hippie music" comment, which is a shame because the improvisational and technical abilities of some of the musicians are phenomenal.

Drat, I've exceeded my two cent limit again.

Ravi back then was on World Pacific records. I also have a bunch of his stuff on vinyl.

My favorite is his "Variations on the Theme of Pather Panchali", which was the classic movie "Apu Trilogy on Indian life directed by Satyajit Ray, back in the '50s, I believe. It was based upon a book by Bibhuti Banerjee.

Ravi Shankar was Ray's first choice to compose and record the soundtrack, and legend has it that he watched half the film, and due to time constraints and a heavy touring schedule, Ravi recorder the entire soundtrack in one extended eleven-hour session!

Ah, the good old days!

I was quite surprised to find out that Nora Jones is Shankar's daughter. Ravi has several daughters, and all of them have chosen music as their careers.

My apologies Gary I could not resist.

Meddys People circa 1966 c/w special guest. Mrs Singh, mother of the famous percussionist Satwant Singh of the Poppy Family.

She was an incredible musician. BTW that's me on the far right.

The picture quality is rather poor but..............

Cool pic, Brian, thanks for sharing that. I owned a few Nehru shirts back then, too!

Paul, IIRC, that album I have is on Capitol Records.

Lindsay, I was at the U of I from 1981 to 1987, and I think it was before the wife/ex-wife extinction event, so that would be prior to 1985; I can't remember exactly when it was, but I do know it was one of the "premium" shows even at the student rate. Also, when you say, "... the improvisational and technical abilities of some of the musicians are phenomenal ...", I whole-heartedly agree!

Aren't hijacked threads fun!!!

She was a very small lady, judging from that picture. A concert-sized sitar is only 48" long, but it dwarfs her...

One of my students spent her holiday this past month with her family in South India, and brought me back a churidar/sherwani.

This is an Indian male's embroidered long jacket (sherwani) with so-called "Nehru" collar, worn over a pair of silk drawstring trousers (churidar). For "auspicious occasions" (it says so on the box), it is topped with a three-meter-long silk scarf (dupatta). My sherwani is black, the trousers are white and the scarf is white also. Goes very well with the sitar. Comfortable, too.

Kind of messed with my new students' heads a bit when I wore it last Friday to the orientation meeting to give a speech...

Brian, the Nehru look is still alive!