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Novice changing Strings on Kanailal & Brother MELODIC INSTRUMENTS
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Junior Member 4 posts SanjayShuchi Junior Member 4 posts
SanjayShuchi
I got this Kanailal last Sept from india and took up on me to change all Strings. In the process though, I took out all Khuntis and now I am finding it difficult to match with the holes. My remote teacher told me, I should have carefully marked each Khunti with the Hole.
I am trying to match those up- Any Clue- how to make this process easier and error free?.. Many Thanks-- Sanjay
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GenXNoob Member 83 posts
GenXNoob
Have you looked closely to see if the maker cut the numbers into the pegs? I have a newer Kanai Lal as well and all the pegs have a number carved in them. The wood on the interior, unfinished part of the peg can be pretty rough and it may be hard to see the cuts. The person who assembled mine used Roman numerals for them, and on the large Khuntis they aren't really clear.
This is a tough lesson to learn. One of the things I've learned is that the pegs on most new sitars don't fit very well anyway, I have a consultation with Lars from raincitymusic.com who is a senior member here to help me fit and finish the pegs on my sitar. There are several experienced fitters here who can help.
I did this same thing once too, and it took some trial and error to get them all back in. Since then, I have only ever removed one at a time and placed it gently back in its matching hole without the string while I continued removing the strings, then I do the reverse when stringing. I hope to produce a youtube video about this and other topics after practicing the work myself.
Sorry I can't provide a more practical answer. I hope you can get everything back together without too much difficulty.
-Ethan
Best wishes 🙏
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GenXNoob Member 83 posts
GenXNoob
I just realized I may have misread your post. If this sitar is an older KL the pegs may have been replaced and may have no marks on them.
Best wishes 🙏
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SanjayShuchi Junior Member 4 posts
SanjayShuchi
Thank you for taking time to respond and explain.  This is indeed an older Kanailal and I looked closely and I am finding Marks on some. That was indeed helpful. Let me figure this out.
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GenXNoob Member 83 posts
GenXNoob
oh, what a stunning instrument. I bet it will sound incredible after set-up is complete.
congratulations on such a gorgeous find.
Best wishes 🙏
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SanjayShuchi Junior Member 4 posts
SanjayShuchi
Cant thank you enough GenXNoob. That numbering on the Pegs did wonders! I did trip once, as I counted 1 from Near Tabli. Seems, their 1 is towards top. Another friend suggested to try that and it worked. All matched up.. on to Stringing now!
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GenXNoob Member 83 posts
GenXNoob
Oof I keep hitting the wrong button on my phone. This is the 4th time I've had to restart typing this reply LOL.
Yeah, I forgot to mention the numbering convention. Funnily enough, my main pegs are numbered I II III IIII V I II. Of course there's no mistaking a chikari peg for a baaj or jori peg, so it makes sense.
I'm not sure if I'm seeing a reflection or if there's rust on the frets. I noticed a few interesting things about the instrument. 
First, it obviously has a mount for an upper toomba, I'm wondering if you're planning on stringing it with the Kharaj strings or in the GP style. 
Also the placing of the taraf peg holes is different than mine, I notice this gives you a bit more flexibility with the shruti adjustment for the 5th, 6th,  9th, and 10th frets. That's really cool. 
The grain in the wood is really striking. Do you have any idea when this sitar was made?
Just looking at the pictures makes me want to save up to go hunting for an older sitar that just needs some love. 
Best of luck with your beautiful new instrument.
-Ethan 
Best wishes 🙏
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