grant wickland - Posted - 11/14/2024:  09:30:12

Just finished a travel size 19 string dobro veena with 4 melody strings(ADAD) and 5 drone strings (dDDAA) and 10 sitar strings ( dcdefgabcd) as sympathetics that sit on a sprung brass tipping bridge in a slot in the carbon plate dobro bridge. The spring loaded spider bridge/cone connection is from the back of the instrument. I used Gotoh 510 minis and the square neck is big leaf maple reinforced with heavy carbon fibre rod overlaid with Granadillo extension to carry the sitar string side tuners. I used a National spider bridge and cone that sits in a 12” drum shell body above the full length neck secured by a stainless threaded tail bolt and German silver tailpiece.. I will suspend a National asymmetric hum bucker between the upper playing and lower sitar strings. We are travelling in the Spring to the canals of France and I wanted a more compact veena that will fit in the overhead bin so I can continue to learn and forget new tunes at approximately the same rate. Ain’t getting older great?

Edited by - grant wickland on 11/14/2024 09:40:09

New dobro veena

New dobro veena

MarkinSonoma - Posted - 11/14/2024:  10:15:03

Now that is super cool! Some sound samples would be great.

grant wickland - Posted - 11/14/2024:  11:43:43

Thanks Mark
I love it. Its so compact. I will see about a recording. Cheers Grant

Bob Blair - Posted - 11/15/2024:  10:30:50

Very cool Grant!

grant wickland - Posted - 12/23/2024:  07:43:01

youtube.com/watch?v=m0RIFP6uezw

Dobrojan - Posted - 12/23/2024:  11:58:48

Awesome build!

grant wickland - Posted - 12/23/2024:  12:37:58

Thanks Jan Looking at the video I realize that I have become the old, overly focused, reso doofus. I can still build instruments that players love but my own playing is a challenge. So
My hope was that sounding the strings and hearing the sustain would be of interest.
Cheers
Grant

Terry Harris - Posted - 12/24/2024:  10:17:03

It's an amazing build and I thought it sounded really good. I'd love to play it but I would not like to tune it!
Well done.

grant wickland - Posted - 01/16/2025:  06:57:26

After a discussion of string choices and tunings with Harry Manx I decided to change the lowest playing string the way he has done on his Veena from A to D using an .056" Elixir. Now I have a real bass string and the three D's really sing. So the tuning is now D (.056"), D (.035"),a (018"), and d(.016").