Dear friends, this year (06/2024) we sadly lost a very special and warm person, Dieter Zarnitz. He was a very talented and inventive musical instrument maker. Passionate about Indian musical instruments, he devoted his time to searching for alternatives to find a better construction and sound for the sitar & surbahar.

The most notable results are 7 sitars and 1 surbahar where he replaced the traditional gourd and tabli with a lute-style resonator and soundboard. He also explored other materials and used Elforyn, ebony, spruce and maple, among others. He experimented with leftovers of exotic hardwoods to make new bridges.

But his soul and work now lives on among us thanks to the magnificent work of Matyas Wolter. He has created a wonderful website on the work of our dear Dieter Zarnitz. It has become a beautiful tribute to his work, excellently documented and solidly provided with masterful sound clips and photos. A must see !!!

Visit the website here: https://matyasitar.de/dieter-zarnitz-instruments/