| Questions: |
Who
makes your instruments?
What kind of
strings are used on your instruments?
What
is a string taper length?
What's
the difference in sound between the Coral sitar and the Baby sitar?
How are
the 13 sympathetic strings tuned on the Coral sitar?
What
kinds of strings will fit Bass4
instruments?
Where do I
find my serial number? |
| |
| Q. Who
makes your instruments? |
| A. We do. We
use the most modern manufacturing techniques in our
Nashville factory to produce wood, metal,
and electronic parts and we make all necks, bodies,
pick-ups and other components. |
| Q. What
kind of strings are used on your instruments? |
| A. All
12string guitars are strung with gauges: 10/10 - 13/13 - 8/17 12/26 - 18/36 -
24/46. Shorty octave 12string guitars are strung with gauges: 9/9 - 11/11 - 16/16 - 10/24
- 15/32 - 22/42. Baritones are strung with gauges 13 - 18p - 30w - 44 - 56 - 68.
Four-string basses are strung with gauges 45 - 65 - 80 - 100. Baritone sets are available
from us and 4-string bass sets are D'Addario set #170s. |
| Q.
What
is a string taper length? |
| A. Large
diameter strings often have 2 layers of wraps around the core. This makes it difficult to
insert these large diameter strings through a guitar-type tuning key post. By design the
outermost wrap does not travel the full length of the string and ends somewhere
between the nut and the tuning key post. This is called the "taper length"
and is measured from the string ball to the end of the outer wind. The taper length on the
relevant large diameter string in our sets (gauge 84) is 31.5". |
| Q.
What's
the difference in sound between the Coral sitar and the Baby sitar? |
| A. The Coral
type sitar is hollow and therefore has a percussive tone when the strings are picked. The
Baby sitar is a solid body instrument and has an enhanced whirring sound after a string is
picked |
| Q.
How are
the 13 sympathetic strings tuned on the Coral sitar? |
| A. The gauges
of the sympathetic strings are all .010. and a harp wrench is used for the tuning process.
The longest and lowest string is tuned an octave above the high E of a standard tuned
guitar. From there the strings are tuned in half steps. This is just a starting point and
experimentation can yield some great sounds.
More recently we have tuned the instrument with a "drop D" tuning and the
sympathetic strings to a D7sus chord which is as follows - longest string to shortest
string.
- D - same note as 1st string of the
guitar neck fretted at the 10th fret
- F# - ascending
- G - ascending
- A - ascending
- C - ascending
- A - descending
- G - descending
- F# - descending
- G - ascending
- A - ascending
- C - ascending
- D - ascending
- D - same as previous note
|
|
Q. What
kinds of strings will fit Bass4
instruments? |
| A.
D'Addario EXL 170S ~ Nickel (Factory standard)
D'Addario
ECB81S ~ Flats
D'Addario
ENR71S ~ Half Round
D'Addario EPS 170S ~ Steel
RotoSound RS
77S ~ Jazz Flats
RotoSound RS
66S ~ Swing Bass Stainless
RotoSound RS
88S ~ Tru-Bass Nylon Tape
Are there others?...let us know. |
| Q. Where
do I find my serial number? |
A.
Mid 1988~to~mid
1990. Serial numbers hand
lettered in black ink at lower back of headstock.
Black or dark colored instruments may be numbered inside control cavity or
backside of white pickguards. Some in neck cavity.
Mid
1990~to~mid 1993.
Silver and black serial number labels
applied to top back of headstock.
Mid
1992~to~late 1998.
Serial number engraved on metal jack plate. Models without jackplates
have s/n engraved on lower edge of bridge. Sitars engraved number is located
on metal string guide at rear of bridge.
Jan 1998~to~current.
Printed white label inside control cavity…all instruments.
First two digits indicate year of production. |
| |
