sitar (Indian long-necked fretted gourdlute)
~ String instrument
Description
Soundbox made of gourd, it has 18-21 (6-7 on frets and 11-15 sympathetic under the frets) metal strings, two bridges and a long wooden neck where the tuning pegs of the sympathetic strings are attached. Used in India since ancient times, it flourished during the 16-17th before arriving at it's current form in the 18th century. It became popular worldwide in the 1950-60.