Well, here I was looking for yet another sitar. Had 2 different ones in the past that were sold during periods of disuse. But, the urge to play came again stronger and I began my search using online resources that had not been available to me before.

My first sitar I bought in 1984. It was a Radha Krishna Sharma basic model with double tumba. Beautiful sound and very well made, the original maker was still alive back then and the quality was very good for a reasonable price. I had to sell it when I went into the Navy...

My second sitar was a Hemen. Much higher quality, very detailed and a nice sound although it was hard to get a stable pitch when moving up the frets. It ended up being sold in a music store because I was driving a truck cross country and had no case to carry it in, much less the time to play it.

Several years later, the urge hit me again only much stronger. I'm sure you sitar fans and Indian musical instrument lovers know what I mean... so many options now with web sites everywhere! However I did notice that many of the instruments were from the same place apparently. I checked the store from which I had purchased my other 2 over the years and was considering purchasing a concert model Hiren Roy. I had "heard" that this was the best sitar made and listening to a great many professional sitarists using them made me want one.
But, after a little more research, I also found out that most of the prominent players that owned Hiren Roys had much older ones that were made by the late Hiren Roy.

It was some time later when I came across Peter Cutchey's web site and my curiosity led me to call him. He had some Mangla Prasad Sharma sitars and I must have talked with him for over an hour the first time. He was out of the AAA teak model (which I wanted) at the time so I decided to buy a AA tun (Indian Mahogany) wood model with his assurance that I could trade it in when the teak ones arrived.

The AA (now upgraded to AAA, I understand and rightly deserved) came extremely well packed and in one piece even!! The sound is very mellow and lovely and it was surprisingly responsive, more so than the other sitars I had owned. We got along very well!

Being somewhat obsessive when it comes to my instruments, I couldn't bear the thought that there was this elusive AAA teak sitar yet to come to Buckingham Music, Inc.. I had to experience it!! So, I called Peter (he was used to me calling by now!) and we agreed that I would trade my AA in for the teak AAA when they arrived from India. I really loved the sound of my AA but knew if a sitar this nice had a "big brother" then there was no other choice.

The teak AAA's arrived and wouldn't you know it, I just couldn't let the tun sitar go!! Call me greedy but I knew I would regret it if I did part with it because the wood used to make these is becoming more scarce and that it would undoubtedly hold its value over the years. I had bonded with it, if you will.

My teak AAA arrived in its fiberglass case and what a sight!! By the way, I highly recommend the fiberglass cases over the regular ones as they fit these sitar very well and you don't need to every worry about it getting damaged if your 200 pound teenager "body slams" it after watching "Smack Down."!!
The color and the markings of the AAA teak sitar are a beautiful light color, lighter than any others I had seen. The decoration is very unique in comparison and that's just one of the things that make the Mangla stand out from the crowd.
The initial tuning was a chore as teak is more oily than tun but with a little carpenters chalk and some patience, the pegs set right in and it holds its tune even after sitting for days. The sound is absolutely beautiful!
Very bright and clear. The resonance of the sympathetic strings are just perfect!

The reasons I chose Mangla Prasad Sharma over the others are these:
1. Peter is very informative and always willing to take the time to give descriptions in detail and help you with any questions, and even recommend a book or two! It was obvious to me that he cared about the quality of the instruments he sells and at the same time he shares the reverence that I have for them.
2. Mangla sitars are not made by the boatload and the owner is present during the construction of the instrument (Mangla does most of the work himself with one helper - ed.). It's a small shop where quality is top priority.
3. The sitars (and other instruments) are inspected by Indrajit Banerjee who is a top notch player and that's something I could not find anywhere else!

I did come across one problem however. My wife, who's not very musically inclined, was feeling a little left out of the picture (that's after she got over me having to have 2 sitars). We decided to get a tanpura for her to play as I practice and play. Of course, it had to be, and is, a Mangla!