Tabli Info
Dear friends, please hereby find some info about different styles of tabli. Clicking on the pictures will show up a drawing presenting the thickness (in mm) on different locations of the tabli and a zoom showing details of the surface finishing on the backside. Notice the increased thickness at the jawaris section to prevent indent on the surface.
1. Kartar Chand RS style 1980 Tun wood
2. Naskar RS style Teak wood
3. Hari Chand RS style 2005 Tun wood
4. Rikhi Ram VK style 1970 Tun wood
Hi
Your website and info are awesome and thanks
a lot for the valuable share.
I am a senior disciple of Ustad Shahid parvez and a radio
and TV artist too settled presently in Sydney . In the quest
for the sitar voice I am after I have changed 18 sitars till now and have personal ly had them made by the best people in the trade!!!! Still not what I want out if the sitar.
I wanted to know if you have tried a slightly thinner tabli with guitar type bracing and adjustment for the best sound?
Some light on bracing for tabli and whether it would work
will be a great input from you. I am also an engineer and
have an awesome pro wood working work shop.
Willing to research for the perfect voicing.
Warm regards
Nagraj
+61481336780
Me too, I am looking for improvements in terms of sound and response. I am convinced that a thin tabli, supported by adequate bracing offers a lot of possibilities. I took a steelstring guitar building course at CMB, Puurs, Belgium and the techniques are not foreign to me.
I also own an old Sher Mohammad sitar that has a tabli made of spruce wood. That in itself is special and this sitar sounds very bright, light and with a very strong tarav response. I don’t know if this tabli has any bracing. I think not, because I assume that technique was not well enough known in Pakistan at that time. But I could be wrong…
In any case, there is still a lot to discover. My problem right now, however, is time. I currently have too much work with maintenance, repairs and restorations….
I note that the RR has a hole beneath the bridge. Not large enough to be a sound hole but it would definitely affect the air pressure inside. It might also be related to concerns about humidity.
Very interesting article. Very generous of you to share the info, many thanks!