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Danelectro Sitar - Red Crackle

6-string Electric Sitar with Drone Strings, 3 Single-coil Lipstick Pickups, and Gotoh Sitar Bridge
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The Legendary Dano Electric Sitar Returns!

Plug in, turn up, zone out. It’s the return of the legendary Danelectro Coral electric sitar — that’s right: the iconic 1960s design, complete with drone strings and red crackle finish! Now it’s back, a meticulous reissue in all its vintage glory, with the sound heard on countless hits. While the Danelectro Sitar serves up exotic sounds, it has a familiar feel that won’t interfere with your playing style. Sure, if you want it to sound more authentic you’ll need to learn some new scales and find the best way to deploy the extra “mini-harp” course of drone strings, but this 6-string instrument is tuned to standard guitar tuning, making it easy and fun to play. This is your chance to own a legend. Spice your music with the one, the only Danelectro Sitar!

The One, the Only

It was a time of experimentation, and in the era before synthesizers became widely available, musicians such as George Harrison were looking to the East for different sounds. But traditional sitars were expensive, bulky, and difficult to master. Danelectro, in partnership with New York session guitarist Vinnie Bell, designed an affordable, portable sitar that played like a 6-string guitar. The instrument hit the market in 1967 and found its way onto countless rock, soul, R&B, jazz, and fusion records over the ensuing decades, leaving an indelible mark on popular music.

An Iconic American Brand

Founded in 1947, Danelectro produced guitar amps throughout the 1940s before expanding into guitars in the ’50s. With their beloved quirky hollowbody designs, hardboard/plywood construction, and Lipstick pickups, the iconic Danelectro designs are instantly recognizable. Among other innovations, Danelectro introduced the baritone guitar in 1956, and the electric sitar in 1967. From guitar gods Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck to Who bassist John Entwhistle (check out the bass solo on "My Generation") to country superstar Glen Campbell, Tom Petty lead guitarist Mike Campbell, and the ever-eclectic Wilco guitarist and solo artist Nels Cline, Danos have become staples in the guitar and bass arsenals of top artists in all genres. Now Danelectro is back again and better than ever; Sweetwater is proud to offer you this formidable lineup of iconic vintage-inspired instruments.

Danelectro Sitar Features:

  • Reissue of the famous Danelectro big Sitar of the 1960s
  • 3 single-coil lipstick pickups (bridge, neck and mini-harp) with individual volume and tone controls
  • Pickup Blend control
  • Master Volume and Tone controls
  • Gotoh Sitar bridge
  • Bolt-on maple neck with comfortable C profile
  • Pau ferro fingerboard with 21 frets
  • Standard 24.75-inch scale length
  • Die-cast tuners
  • Dual-action truss rod

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Electric Baby Sitar
  • String Type: Steel
  • Number of Strings: 6 + 13
  • Body Shape: Sitar
  • Body Style: Hollowbody
  • Color: Red Crackle
  • Finish: Polyester
  • Body Material: Hardboard/Plywood
  • Neck Material: Maple
  • Neck Shape: C
  • Fingerboard Material: Pau Ferro
  • Fingerboard Inlay: White Dots
  • Number of Frets: 21
  • Scale Length: 24.75"
  • Nut Material: Graphite
  • Nut Width: 1.692"
  • Bridge Material: Gotoh Sitar
  • Tuners: Die-cast
  • Hardware: Chrome
  • Electronics: 3 x Lipstick Single-coil pickups, 3 x volume, 3 x tone
  • Strings: D'Addario 10s, 13 Sitar strings
  • Case Included: Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: SW SITAR RDC

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Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

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Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

Audio Effects

Gorgeous. Anybody know what audio effects being used in that video demonstration of the instrument?
Music background: Pro guitarist.
Rated 5/5

Danelectro Sitar

A specialized tool to be sure, will spend most of its time in the rack, but when you need that magic sound, this unit delivers. Fit and finish are excellent. Very light weight. Super smooth and fast UNVARNISHED neck. Entirely playable right out of the box. There was a slight amount of fret sprout, easily taken care of. The action was a little high to suit my style, so I shimmed the neck. Very reasonably priced.
Music background: Sixty years classic rocker.
Rated 2/5

Not happy

Ordered the red sitar with crackle, looked great. Thats where my happiness ended with this purchase. Glad Sweetwater has a great return policy.
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