When The Beatles' George Harrison and The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones first brought the sounds of the sitar to Western rock music with Norwegian Wood and Paint it Black, respectively, it had guitarists everywhere wondering how they could create similar sounds without having to learn the famously difficult sitar themselves.
In stepped Danelectro, who streamlined the instrument into a six-stringer guitarists wouldn't have trouble finding their way around – an instrument that has, more than half a century later, been rebooted as the Baby Sitar.
Now, thanks to Sweetwater, the already-affordable Baby Sitar can be had for a ridiculous $200 off – bringing its price crashing down from $599 to $399.
Though the Baby Sitar's gourd-shaped body, white decorated Curly Cue scratchplate and “thermometer-shape’” headstock might be intimidating to guitarists with more traditional tastes, its high gloss neck – with a super-playable, 21-fret rosewood fingerboard – will set any navigational fears at ease.
The instrument's Gotoh “buzz bridge” is responsible for bringing out its sitar tones, which it does – with the assistance of a single Danelectro lipstick pickup and single volume/tone controls – with great panache. The “buzz bridge” is adjustable to allow for the amount of required sitar effect, and also features scalloped grooves for each string.
Additionally, the Baby Sitar's vintage style chrome tuners and precision-cut aluminum nut prove how well-built and dependable it is, and that it's more than just a gimmick you might use for a song or two.
Time is fast running out on the discount on this stellar instrument though, so be sure to stop by Sweetwater and grab it while it's still available for cheap!
While you're at it, of course, be sure to also check out our guide to the best Sweetwater Black Friday deals for more 'should I get my eyes checked?' guitar gear sales.
