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So I'm in this 60s sounding band and have sort of become the designated multi instrumentalist. Ever since I started playing with them I know there's some songs where a sitar would feel right. I was about ready to buy a dano u2 and just convert it with the Gotoh bridge that most electric sitars are equipped with, but shadow and jcyphe talked me out of it, noting that the lack of sympathetic strings will make it not have the drony sound I want. My other idea is to get a double neck danelectro (since I play 12 string guitar a lot of the time) and replace the 6 string's bridge with the sitar bridge but I'm not sure the 12 string's strings are enough to act sympathetically with the sitar, and when they're selling for over $500 it's an expensive gamble. The Italia's too expensive for an instrument I'm going to use very sparingly, so that leaves me with 2 basic options, agile and rogue.

Does anyone have any experience with the Rogue sitar mf sells? It gets both very good and very bad reviews on musicians friend most by people who didn't know the first thing about playing sitars or electric sitars before buying it. But the main things I'm worried about are intonation, since many claim that it's almost a half step out of tune at the 12th fret. I know this thing has been out there for years now, so has anyone owned one or tried one that could verify this?

Of course there's the part of me that just wants to man up and do it right and buy a real ass Sitar like Brian Jones/George Harrison for authenticity's sake, there's some sitars that sell for around what I'm looking to spend on an electric (under $400) but who knows if they're good or not, and even if I ended up getting a good one and learning how to play, it'd be much harder using it live than an electric sitar...

Also a question for Sublimedo or anyone else who owns an electric sitar: If you turn off the pickup under the sympathetic strings does it really sound that much different?

Either way I need to make up my mind about this before we go in to record the next album, so if anyone with experience on the subject has any advice let me know.

this guy's demo might help you a little...
[youtube][/youtube]

The sitar bridge is slope shaped and adjustable for height and angle. I think a lot of people throw them out of adjustment without realizing it. If the angle is wrong, it throws off the intonation quickly.

I was looking at the Rogue and Agile sitars for a while as well - I don't see why they wouldn't work great. Never tried one, though.

DuoSonicBoy wrote:The sitar bridge is slope shaped and adjustable for height and angle. I think a lot of people throw them out of adjustment without realizing it. If the angle is wrong, it throws off the intonation quickly.

I was looking at the Rogue and Agile sitars for a while as well - I don't see why they wouldn't work great. Never tried one, though.

Yeah, I think the big question for me right now is Agile or Rogue. I definitely think the Rogue looks cooler, and the guy in that video Dude posted didn't seem to have any trouble intonating it.... plus it's $50 cheaper after shipping.

I read reviews that scare me a bit about the construction, not having much support in the hollow chamber and all with so many .10 strings up to tension, and Rogue being a musicians friend brand I'm a bit worried it'll feel like an affinity dano if there were such a thing. There's really not that many reviews out for the Agile so I'd be going into that even more blind.

They're probably made by the same company.

edit: buy this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Danelectro-Coral-Si ... rms=66%3A2|

I think I'm just going to buy the rogue and use the money I saved on the agile towards an autoharp.

God damn that Vincent Bell is nice, believe me I've already seen it while searching for guitars 10 times less expensive on ebay.

http://www.earthshakingmusic.com/MSITR-BKCR.html

or

http://www.rondomusic.com/sitar.html

As mentioned I can't justify spending over $400 on a sitar, otherwise I'd just go with the Italia.

that agile has a really cool body shape.

i really like in that video when he sort of "takes off" and hits that low note in regular time, sort of pulses hypnotically.


that rogue sounds fine in the video, id go with that. if you get serious and wanna upgrade, itd also be a good excuse to try out one of those GFS lipsticks.



when i worked at the pawn shop, i think we sold a jerry jones sitar for ridiculously cheap, like 500 or something.

Nick wrote:
Also a question for Sublimedo or anyone else who owns an electric sitar: If you turn off the pickup under the sympathetic strings does it really sound that much different?

VERY little. Its more noticeable when you cut the sustain immediately while you are playing on the main strings, but the sympathetic adds little to your playing unless of course you actually pluck them.

A non electric sitar sounds much more genuine, but they are difficult to mic up and cut through.

Electric sitar remember me that.

Live
[youtube][/youtube]
Studio
[youtube][/youtube]


Get Stunned.

I just ordered a Rogue Sitar on musicians friend tonight....pics in a few days

You can make a Les Paul sound like that

[youtube][/youtube]

He's obviously not really playing that les paul....The les paul would sound as much like the electric sitar as the real sitar the lemon pipers pretended to play in television "performances" of green tambourine....

Yeah there's tricks you can do with paperclips on the bridge but I'm not fussing with that, plus I think I'd like to experiment with the sympathetic strings in different tunings and all. Really looking forward to this one
\

Nick wrote:He's obviously not really playing that les paul....The les paul would sound as much like the electric sitar as the real sitar the lemon pipers pretended to play in television "performances" of green tambourine....

I keed, I keed!

That should have been way more obvious to me.