Getting a dilruba or taus of tun/dhun wood from India

[Singh559]

Does anyone know if I can get a quality taus or dilruba from India for cheaper than raj musicals or any of the other popular exporters ?

They charge 600 to 1200 usd which i believe is only because people buy them in dollars instead of in rupees.

[JasSinghKhalsa]

Try in Amritsar, there is a man near Darbar Sahib Galliara "Surjan Singh", near Mata Kaulan Gurudwara, he makes his own instruments - company "Surjan Musical Instruments". If he does not make Dilruba etc., might be able to guide ...

[Pehlvan]

Gurdial Singh and sons in Jallandhar. They are of the same quality as Raj Musicals but not as expensive. Search the forum, there was a poster who was going to India to get a dilruba from them through Dr Gurnam Singh.

[LudhianaLion]

Gurfateh

I visited the Punjab back in October and met Dr Gurnam Singh at his home. What a great guy! Intelligent, personable and charismatic. One of the few good guys I had the fortune to meet during my stay.

I asked Dr GS to order my dilruba through Gurdial Singh and Sons. They were recommended to me through this forum and indeed, it's where Dr Gurdial Singh purchases the instruments for his music department. Dr GS spoke with the shop direct and asked them to prepare an instrument for me. Basically, he put in a good word for me. He asked one of his University associates who was in Jallandhar at the time to collect it upon his return but try it out first.

The dilruba is of decent quality. The workmanship cannot be described as top-quality; Punjab (and indeed India) doesn't 'do' top-quality. Don't expect a Western quality of musical instrument. Perhaps I'm too fussy but I thought the carving of the wood and staining was a little slap-dash. However, for Rs 12500, that's what you get. Having Dr GS phone up on your behalf won't get you a discount, either!

In hindsight, I ought to have visited the workshop in person. I could have requested a few things to my liking and stressed the importance of quality. As I stayed in Ludhiana and had a few other things to do, I wasn't able to organise my schedule to allow for this visit. If you can, visit the shop/workshop yourself.

You won't get a fibre case; only a wooden one. The case I received has an internal lining reminiscent of a 1970's curtain pattern! However, this is not important in the grand scheme of things and the dilruba reached the UK safely, ready for my children to learn to play. The airline allowed me to place the case in the hold free of charge, which was a bonus!

Anyone know where I can purchase a fibre case for my dilruba, please?

[jpsingh2]

Good good work Dilruba is probably the best instrument ever !! Happy to see you in the loop Bhaaji

[HeatSikhingMissile]

I ordered mine from here -

http://rikhiram.in/

They're based in Delhi however i wasn't strictly looking for a deal, I was going for a quality product. I'll give them plus points because ordering from abroad I was afraid of the 'hayra-fayree' that a business in India could do once they had your paypal deposit, however they were honest, to their word, and the craftsmanship was absolutely amazing. You may pay more, however if you spend 600 now on a 'beginner' level dilruba, you'll probably want to upgrade to a standard more heavy one within a couple years, and overall you'll be spending more.

[rrss]

I know you are looking for an alternative to Raj Musicals, but they are indeed known amongst ustaad circles to offer some of the best quality instruments. I have been advised that if you are particularly keen on quality you want to visit them in person and drop names of ustaads. Next best is Gurdial Singh. Otherwise Sikhsaaj.com is meant to be good and apparently "exotic-hub" seller on ebay, recommended by this Oregon based music teacher:

/ http://www.michaelwheelerstudios.com