Indian Shahi Baaja Baja.Silver Fusion Of Dulcimer & Electric Guitar + Strings!

Professional Grade Electric Shahi Baaja with Swarmandal. Absolutely exotic customized Electric Mountain Dulcimer with built-in 12 string Swarmandal (the Indian drone harp tweaked and used extensively by John & Paul in Strawberry Fields Forever). The instrument is currently used in everything from semi-classical and popular Indian music to ambient techno, psychedelic rock and even Hebrew fusion music... (click to listen)

Double pick up, tone and volume control, 30-typewriter type keys, full size, solid wood body, traditional earth tones, over 37-inches (3 feet long!), 6.4 kgs (14 lbs) with strong custom-made ABS resin hardcase. The instrument comes with all required cords and accessories and is compatible with most guitar amplifiers. Professional-grade patented instrument. 

This great contemporary design shahi baaja combines the best of the Electric Bulbul Tarang, the Hawaiian Steel (Lap) Guitar and the Swarmandal (Indian harp). It belongs to the Tat Vadya family of plucked string instruments. The primary design of this instrument is inspired by the famous medieval Japanese Taishokoto. However this one has three instruments rolled into one and given an electric tweak. The keyboard dulcimer part of this instrument (remember this unit is several instruments rolled into one) is referred to as the bulbul tarang (literally translates to "waves of nightingales") or the Indian banjo but this has nothing to do with the Western bluegrass banjo - perhaps just a fuzzing of the words banjo with baajo (literally, "instrument") 

The metal strings are plucked or strummed with picks while depressing the keys to change the notes. This instrument comes with 8 main strings, 2 sympathetic resonating strings and a 12-string electric drone harp. There are two types of strings in the main instrument; there are the drone strings and the melody strings. The melody strings run directly under the key-plate and are fretted by the keys. The drone strings run beside the key plate and are not fretted.

This instrument is absolutely the hottest thing on the indy music and fusion scene with at least 40 major bands using this for lead or for vocal accompaniments.Twigs, Beck, Rapoon, Robin Storey and several indy bands looking for a new sound with the same instrument, 30 years after the Beatles! The flexibility of this baaja, both as a lead instrument and as an accompanying drone instrument, are breathtaking. Add to this the tuning flexibility afforded by most Indian instruments - it is understood here that the user may wish to replace certain strings with either higher or lower gauges.  Many times bronze or brass will be added, especially to the drone strings. This opens up a bass quality to the instrument. It is also possible to take some of the melody strings and change the gauge or material, to set them an octave apart. Do not feel afraid to experiment with different strings. This ability to customize and tweak the bulbul is one of the strengths of this open design.

Tuning & Restringing instructions available upon purchase.