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Thread: srinivas/sahmax mandolin

  1. #1

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    I'm looking for one of those Srinivas Carnatic 5-string (6 peg!) electric mandolins. Sahmax?
    Some folks have mentioned owning one...where did you get it? Anyone selling? Any stores carry them?

    thanks

  2. #2
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    I found this on a quick search; haven't read it all or explored the links. I never heard of this before.
    http://www.carnatica.net/sangeet/mandolin2.htm
    Wye Knot

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    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    I owned one for about 48 hours, though they were the longest 48 hours of my life.* I'm not sure if it was a "real" Shamax, or a copy.. BTW I've seen pictures of Srinivas' mandolin both with and without the "Shamax" emblem affixed to the upper "rhino horn" - who knows if that's really the brand name?

    In any case, mine was a mahogany (?) solidbody, set neck, roughly mando-scaled. Horrible bridge (but it came intonated for Srinivas' tuning!). Pretty average to below-average quality, really. Mine had a humbucking pickup in it. I think I have pictures of it somewhere; I've been thinking about just making one that shape myself.

    Darrell

    *When the package arrived with the Shamax (via UPS) the headstock was snapped off. The seller (off eBay) was very understanding and gave me a full refund, but getting UPS to come back and pick up the damaged merchandise was a nightmare!!




  4. #4

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    Thanks for the info. I'd seen the Carnatica.net article before. Darrell, thanks for the info. I've heard these are really poorly made instruments, but Srinivas still plays one, although I'm sure it's tricked-out. Bet it doesn't have a truss rod though. You mention 'roughly mando scaled'-as in it was longer? Would explain how his low C stays in tune.

    FYI, there is one store in Chennai (formerly Madras), south India that sells them online:

    Saptaswara

    I've been in the store (2 years ago, before MAS syndrome struck), which is fairly nice, but I emailed them about the mandolin, and they took 3-weeks to get back to me.
    I shudder to imagine ordering from them...hence my question does anyone in North America carry them. Apparently, no one does.

    If i decide to get one, i'll be sure to review it, and send detailed pics. After I replace the pickup

    I hope you all find Mandolins under the tree. I hope mine is a bluestar mandoblaster.

    E

  5. #5
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Thanks for the link edmando, but there's NO WAY I'm sending my CC # to India! Did they say how much it would cost to import to the US? (I'm assuming you're in the US)

    Here's mine (eBay seller's photo, I couldn't find mine). You can see the carnatic-intonated bridge.. I forgot to mention the tailpiece was a really thin piece of potmetal.. You'd probably want to replace that too. Mine did not have a truss rod, and I got a good look - my peghead was completely severed! The fingerboard felt radiused, and it had HUGE frets.. Interesting how it had six tuners, a six polepiece pickup, but a fingerboard dot at the 10th fret..

    I seem to remember it being around 13" in scale, kind of short.. I took measurements, but again, can't find them at the moment. Maybe after the Holidays I'll try to scare them up. I took a tracing before sending it back.

    Darrell


    ps His brother also plays one; it's kind of cool to see the two of them play together - twin Shamax attack!



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  6. #6

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    Thanks Darrell,
    I decided not to buy one of these. Too many bad reports.

    >ps His brother also plays one; it's kind of cool to see the two of them play together - twin Shamax attack!

    I've seen Srinivas play many times, both in India and here (Toronto). Last time he played here (w. his bro), a friend was the presenter, and had us 'handling' them-taking them out to lunch etc. Very nice guys. Modest as anything (that drivel on Srinivas' website is definitely not from him). But they do love their cowboy boots. They'd just come from Texas and had bought all-out, country-music-star boots. Two sweet little Hindu guys in big bad boots. Hilarious!

    thanks for the info, and Merry Christmas

  7. #7
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Cowboy boots???

    Hope they weren't real leather! Hindu boys wearin' cowhide?



    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    I bought a couple of these in Chennai (formerly madras) when I was there last year. I actually love mine...my best souvenir from the trip. My buddy has the other, and he likes his too. We're both Srinivas fans, so it is a speacial thrill to have these.

    I asked in the store (Saptaswara) if they can ship to the US and they said "No", although the website makes it sound like they can.

    A few pics:
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  9. #9
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Another pic
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  10. #10
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    I have a lot of of Indian friends both here and in Chennai, and sometimes think it would be cool to set up a import business for these, but I don't think there's that much demand.

    Last pic:
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    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Note...I just realized how old the original post was. I wonder if the OP ever got his mando?

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    Quote Originally Posted by (larrydata @ July 10 2008, 18:56)
    Note...I just realized how old the original post was.
    Not your fault, Martin's the one that dug it up more than #40 months later.

    Thanks for the pics.

  13. #13
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    larrydata, I dunno, the import thing might be worth doing, depending on the costs and headache. I dug this thread up because I had a fella in Canada asking where he could get one of the instruments. PM me...
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    This is the first time I noticed this (including when I had one in my hands), so bear with me...

    The pickup on these things is aligned so its polepieces lie perfectly under the 5 strings. You know, the five strings that are centered on the fingerboard. So this thing was NEVER designed to be a six string instrument - there's NO WAY you could get six strings to line up with that pickup and still be over the fretboard.

    I guess the guys who repro'd it figured, Srinivas' has the spare tuner, better put one on there. Sorry if I'm slow, but I just caught that and find it amusing.

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    I was just noticing that myself, and being a bit surprised by the general level of detail on the instrument, compensated bridge for one. Good on them.

    If nothing else, it's another contribution to the mandolin universe that isn't still trying to be a 1919 Gibson F5, not that I have anything against them.

    Chrisian
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  16. #16
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    I don't know if you can see it in the pic of mine, but the bridge there has all kinds of different "compensation" - I thought it was specifically designed for Srinivas' tuning, but who knows? I never tuned it up to find out. The ones in larrydata's pics look much more refined. Did we ever discuss what the stock tuning/gauges were on these things? Larrydata, are you using Srinivas' tuning, or fifths?

  17. #17
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    I have mine in 5ths...C-G-D-A-E

    I wouldn't have the first idea of how to play in an Indian tuning, or how to even begin to try to get those sounds.

    BTW: They were tuned like this in the shop in Chennai...they were even in tune. That's more then I can say for some guitar stores around here.

    Larry

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    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    "I guess the guys who repro'd it figured, Srinivas' has the spare tuner, better put one on there. Sorry if I'm slow, but I just caught that and find it amusing."

    Well, no different than all the "tribute" guitars that are kicking around these days...
    Like this... #

    "I bought a couple of these in Chennai (formerly madras) when I was there last year."

    Did you get the impression that these things are fairly common in India, Larry?
    Or that you got very lucky??

    Also, do folks know who Srinivas is in India?
    For instance, in the States, if you asked 100 people on the street who Chris Thiele is, one-in-a-hundred might get it.... #

  19. #19
    Is there a "talent" knob? Christian McKee's Avatar
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    Slightly off topic, but related: Rasika, the organization which most recently brought Srinivas to the US will apparently be doing so again in the spring of next year. Their website says that much, and little else at the moment. Srinivas' own website contains no mention that I can find. He really is a gifted musician, keep an eye out for performances in your area.

    Christian
    Christian McKee

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  20. #20
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (Spruce @ July 18 2008, 12:07)
    Did you get the impression that these things are fairly common in India, Larry?
    Or that you got very lucky??

    Also, do folks know who Srinivas is in India?
    For instance, in the States, if you asked 100 people on the street who Chris Thiele is, one-in-a-hundred might get it.... #
    I went to three different music stores before finding the right ones. I went in one where some guy in dark shades was heavy-metal shredding on a japanese guitar like you'd expect in the US.

    They carried Srinivas CDs, and did carry an a-style mando with a weird pickup in it but no Sahmax mandos.

    The store where I found them was in the Mylapore area next to an amazing temple. I had done some research so I knew what I was doing, but either way I feel like I was lucky.

    When I mention Srinivas to my Indian friends most have heard of him, although most don't really listen to "classical" music...they all prefer movie music.

    Larry

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    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Thanks for that, Larry....

    i really need to get over there someday...

  22. #22
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: srinivas/sahmax mandolin

    Check out the Web site for Tulsi Guitars (Madras Musicals), also in Chennai. Proof that there are more choices for Carnatic mando players than the Srinivas clones:

    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

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  23. #23
    Brentrup Evangelist Larry S Sherman's Avatar
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    Default Re: srinivas/sahmax mandolin

    Hey, very interesting. I like the blue Les Paul style.



    Maybe I can get one of my Indian friends to to buy me one next time they visit home?

    Larry

  24. #24
    wood butcher Spruce's Avatar
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    Default Re: srinivas/sahmax mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    Check out the Web site for Tulsi Guitars (Madras Musicals), also in Chennai. Proof that there are more choices for Carnatic mando players than the Srinivas clones:

    Wow...

    Anyone contacted them about sending a few instruments over here??

    Group buy, anyone??

  25. #25
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: srinivas/sahmax mandolin

    Buried somewhere in my "shop" are dimensions and tracings taken from the Srinivator I once had... I had thought about making a small production run as my final project for the MI Guitar Craft Course. Those plans have subsequently been shelved... Would there have been a market for such a thing?

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