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again two repair questions for Tony MELODIC INSTRUMENTS
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Senior Member 1,937 posts Sitarfixer Senior Member 1,937 posts
Sitarfixer
Hi. You will have to make this double post yourself. Even the sitar shops here in India don't understand what this item is all about. If deerhorn or a similar material is not available, you may have to cut up a bridge to get the piece you'll need. I made one emergency post years back from the broken handle of a plastic coffee mug. The color was correct and I didn't have time to go shopping.
The operation is not really difficult. With a flat medium file, start working on the piece of material until it looks like what you're after. If you mess up, just start on another one. This is all a learning process and you will learn. It is a lot easier to fit the post to the existing hole in the neck. Do not drill out the original hole unless you absolutely have to. The new post will be flared out a little to allow room for two strings above the neck surface. Keep the original posts shape as much as possible on this new one where it is going into the neck. Check frequently how it is fitting to make sure this post will not be in the way of other strings. Check the height so it will be correct for the strings as they reach the bridge. Check also that the fit in the hole is secure. Filing the tapered angle on the post will adjust this. A solid fit is essential to a good sound.
Just take you time. Watch what you're doing. Be careful. Don't be afraid to mess up. You're not being graded on this work. Enjoy the results.
http://www.karaseksound.com/
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barend Senior Member 1,426 posts
barend
Hi Tony,

Finally I did some repair work on my sitar, I removed the old chickari post and made a double string chickari post, works great!! They should make that on every Kharaj-pancham sitar!!!
The only problem I have now is the floppyness of the high Pa string....what gauge do you recommend??? I tried some guitar strings but they are too short.

I also made a tailpost for the first taraf wire....it took some time and patience to get it fit, but it is good now...I used some one-second glue too make it hold better.

And one more question...on my other sitar I also want to make this double chickari post, but it has a much smaller chickari post than the one I want to use for making the double one ...I mean the hole drilled in this sitar is much smaller...so I can do two things file that ckari post to fit in the small hole or drilling a bigger hole in my sitar.......I am a bit scary of drilling in my sitar....what is you suggestion??

Thank, Barend
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Sitarfixer Senior Member 1,937 posts
Sitarfixer
Hi, Barend.
Happy to hear the results are to your liking. The pancham string - wouldn't have thought floppiness would come up. Anyway, go with the next step thicker wire. ( .010 becomes .011 for example). What gauge wire is on there now for that note? I use .011 generally but that's just my preference.
Glueing the post into the neck - bad boy! BAD BOY !!! Should that post ever break, it will need to be drilled out for a replacement. Always go with a wedge fit on these posts. The wire tension will be more than sufficient to keep it in place if the post shape is at the correct taper.
On your other sitar, don't drill into the neck unless you absolutely have to. It is much easier to shape the post to fit the hole than the other way around.
Be sure also there is a slight taper to the slots for the wires on those posts. lower on the peg side. This gets a solid contact of wire to post surface. Much cleaner sound.
Keep us posted on the results.
Cheers!
http://www.karaseksound.com/
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barend Senior Member 1,426 posts
barend
ha ha....somehow I knew you were going to say that on the glueing!
But it holds much better now.

I use the same string for my high Pa as the main string...on the coils of the roslau strings is written gauge 0/30, but I think these gauge numbers are diffent in the USA, in India they called it number3, anyway its just the standard gauge for the main string.

And what do you mean by taper? I don't know this word.

Thanks for the tips.
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emanuele 10 posts
emanuele
Dear Barend,
this question is to ask to clarify the meaning of "double string chickari post". I know it might sound as a dumb question, but I am not too familiar with english therms and since I am really interested in your posts, I would like to understand it better.
To make it clearer: what do people intend when they say "post", which in italian has a real broad range of meanings?

thank you so much for your help.

By the way, do you think it would ever be possible to see pictures of your work on the sitar, since I am about changing strings?

That would be really really great.
thanks so much in any case!


e.
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barend Senior Member 1,426 posts
barend
a chikari post is the little white thing on the neck that holds the string...........normally you have one for the high Sa chikari and one for the lower Sa chikari...the high pa string doesn't have a post and runs throught the nut where all the other strings go......I made a post that holds both the low Sa and the high Pa chikari so the high Pa string doesn't get in the way of the Kharaj wire, so you have more freedom with you left hand to play this kharaj.
Also when I played the kharaj loud the low sa chikari felt in the post of the high chikari, which was really annoying...that problem is also solved now...

Hope this helps.

Oh yeah, for photos you have to ask Tony, I think on his website you can see detailed picture of this.
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Sitarfixer Senior Member 1,937 posts
Sitarfixer
That's right. There are a few instruments on my website that feature this double slotted chikari post "mast" "stem" "pole" "bit of bone sticking up from the neck". It's there to set the 5th string away from the bass string so the fingers can work that bass string without anything getting in the way. Check out karaseksound.com . These can be seen in the detail pics on the home page as well as in the detail pics on the custom shop page. Cheers!
http://www.karaseksound.com/
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emanuele 10 posts
emanuele
Now I get it. I have alway wondered what kind of trick could have helped. Now I understand it is called double post.
That sounds like a real great way to get around a few intonation problems as well....

I guess the consequential question at this point is: how hard of a work is this? Do you consider it doable by somebody who did not even know about it? I mean :
- where can you get these type of posts, and how do you start working them?
- How experienced do you need to be in order to do it on your own?

any hints?

hope not to sound too ambitious....
thanks everybody-cheers.
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