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Bhava Mini "Kirtan" Harmonium

$649.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• The Bhava Mini has set a new standard for "mini" harmoniums delivering full, robust sound, impressive sustain, and smooth play in a reasonably small package. While we'd still recommend a full-size box for the recording studio, this one gets close and hits a real sweet spot in terms of portability and sound quality. It is by far our best-selling harmonium.
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
  
  
  
  
• - Weight: 16 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 19 x 7 x 12 in. (closed), 19 x 13.5 x 12 (open)
  - Color: Natural
  - Finish: Lacquer
  - Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Box Type: Folding, Safari Style
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 32
  - Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: 2 (Bass, Male)
  - Drones: 2 (C#, G#)
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bhava Studio Mini Harmonium

$579.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• NOTE: This new model is quickly gaining popularity. Our next (small) batch and is expected the week of October 15. Pre-order is available now!
  
  The Bhava Studio Mini is a simplified, 27 key version of our full-sized Bhava Studio. It's super cute, just 12 lbs., and the exact response we were hoping we'd be able to have to uncountable requests for a "Shyamdas" style harmonium.
  
  The standard shell on this model gives it warmer tone than similarly stripped down dulcetinas and harinam harmoniums, and in terms of sustain, there's no comparison - the Studio Mini takes the prize. For a simple, lightweight harmonium that feels good and sounds great, this is our absolute top pick.
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
  
  
  
  
• - Weight: 12 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 15 x 11 x 9 in.
  - Color: Natural
  - Finish: Lacquer
  - Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Box Type: Standard
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 27
  - Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: none
  - Drones: none
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bhava Deluxe "Standard" Harmonium

$629.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• The Bhava Deluxe is a very simple, but solidly constructed standard Delhi style harmonium. In comparison to our Bhava Basic, side fold bellows and a larger air reserve give this one improved sustain and dynamic ability. Like all the Bhava harmoniums, it holds air incredibly well, has great key action, and is tuned with precision at our shop in Urbana, IL. 
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
  
  
• - Weight: 19 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 22 x 11 x 12 in.
  - Color: Espresso Stain
  - Finish: Lacquer
  - Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Box Type: Standard
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 39
  - Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: 3 (Bass, Male, Tremolo)
  - Drones: 3 (C#, D#, G#)
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bhava Mini Harmonium - Deep Red Finish

$699.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• PRE-ORDER NOTICE: After a long absence from our inventory, a limited quality of these are due to arrive the week of October 15. This will be our last shipment in 2018. Pre-order now!
  
  -----------
  
  The Bhava Mini has set a new standard for "mini" harmoniums delivering full, robust sound, impressive sustain, and smooth play in a reasonably small package. While we'd still recommend a full-size box for the recording studio, this one gets close and hits a real sweet spot in terms of portability and sound quality. It is by far our best-selling harmonium.
  
  This one is finished in a deep red stain and part of a limited run we have completed in this color.
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
  
  
  
  
• - Weight: 16 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 19 x 7 x 12 in. (closed), 19 x 13.5 x 12 (open)
  - Color: Deep Red Stain
  - Finish: Lacquer
  - Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Box Type: Folding, Safari Style
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 32
  - Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: 2 (Bass, Male)
  - Drones: 2 (C#, G#)
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bhava Mini Harmonium - Dark Espresso Finish

$679.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• The Bhava Mini has set a new standard for "mini" harmoniums delivering full, robust sound, impressive sustain, and smooth play in a reasonably small package. While we'd still recommend a full-size box for the recording studio, this one gets close and hits a real sweet spot in terms of portability and sound quality. It is by far our best-selling harmonium.
  
  This one is finished in a special dark espresso stain and part of a limited run we have completed in this color.
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, IL
  
  
  
  
• - Weight: 16 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 19 x 7 x 12 in. (closed), 19 x 13.5 x 12 (open)
  - Color: Dark Espresso Stain
  - Finish: Lacquer
  - Exterior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Interior Construction: SEL Grade Bhutan Pine / Kail Wood
  - Box Type: Folding, Safari Style
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 32
  - Reed type: Standard, Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: 2 (Bass, Male)
  - Drones: 2 (C#, G#)
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

DMS Studio Flatback Sitar

$599.00 $699.00

• Description
• Construction
• Shipping & Store Info
• Disclaimer

• This is a Miraj built, compact, electrified version of a traditional acoustic sitar in a beautiful dark rosewood finish. It's perfect for travel. The set up is 6-string Gandhar-Pancham (Khan style) with machine heads and a built-in electric pick-up. The neck on this instrument is full-size, and the body is built with a slimmer design. It sounds great acoustic or amplified.
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. from our Urbana, IL location
  
  
  
• Miraj made. Full-scale. Aged tun wood in wine red finish. Plain decoration. Measures 44.5 x 4.5 x 13 inches; 5.2 lbs.
  
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Internal Harmonium Microphone

$229.00

Tired of hanging clunky microphones over your harmonium? Check out the world's very first plug and play internal microphone array / pick up system for harmonium!How does it work? This...

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MKS SB1 Concert 1 Octave Shruti Box

$269.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• The quality of a shruti box is determined primarily by two traits - sustain and tuning. By the first measure, this box is phenomenal. It sustains long, even tones easily. And by the second measure, our tuning process ensures you'll get just what you need in terms of perfect tones and intervals calibrated however you choose.
  
  Whether you're buying it for musical accompaniment, meditation, sound healing, or any other use, the MKS Concert 1 Octave Shruti Box creates the beautiful, dynamic organ tones you're desiring across a standard 13 note chromatic scale (C3 to C4) - playable in any western key. Zipped up in it's carrying case, it's lightweight and a great, musical travel companion.
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, Illinois
  
  
• - Weight: 8.5 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 16 x 12 x 2.5 in.
  - Color: Medium Tone Natural Stain Finish
  - Finish: Matte
  - Exterior Construction: Teak
  - Interior Construction: Teak
  - Box Type: Shruti Box
  - Valve Construction: Wooden
  - Number of Notes: 13 notes (C3-C4)
  - Reed type: Palitana 
  - Reed orientation: Flat
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bina Model 3 Student Sitar

Sold Out

• Description
• Construction
• Shipping & Store Info
• Disclaimer

• While Bina isn't necessarily known for sitars, their basic Vilayat Khan or Gandhar/Pancham sitar is definitely our top choice for introductory players. As with all traditional Gandar/Pancham sitars, this has a single toomba /gourd design featuring a simple leaf design against a beautiful dark finish. It has 12 taraf pegs for sympathetic string tuning, and 7 swirl design pegs for main string tuning. The inlays are simulated mother of pearl and the bridges and nuts are synthetic with a brass langot (i.e. tailpiece). 
  
  Includes:
  - Hard Case
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. from our Urbana, IL location
  
  
• Full-scale. Aged tun wood in a wine red finish. Plain leaf decoration.
  
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Mukta Das Concert Tabla Set

$599.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Disclaimer

• Mukta Das was born into a lineage of 11 generations of exceptional tabla makers. From his shop in Kolkata, he faithfully supplies tablas to great tabla masters including Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Krishan Maharaj, and a long list of others. We have had the good fortune to spend time with him at that shop in Kolkata. It's a privilege to know the maker himself and supply his drums here in the U.S.
  
  
  
  This beautiful concert quality tabla set includes a heavy, etched copper bayan and gorgeous, clear tone mahogany dayan, matching the one shown in the photo above. Both drums are carefully fitted with traditional braided edge, Kolkata style heads. Every single one of these drums is checked by the master maker Mukta Das himself. This set is absolutely great tabla - beautifully handcrafted and appreciable for players at all levels.
  
  Includes:
  - Gig bag, hammer, dowels, and cushions
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S. from our Urbana, IL location
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- classes on tabla, harmonium, and more!
  
  
• BAYAN SPECS:
  - Size: 9 inch / 4 kg
  - Weight: 3.5 kg
  - Construction: Copper
  
  DAYAN / TABLA SPECS:
  - Size/tuning: 5.5 inch, best tuned B-D
  - Wood: Heavy Mahogany
  
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bina 17 Mini Concert Harmonium

$899.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• At Old Delhi Music, we are continuously working to source and deliver harmoniums that are of unparalleled quality. Recently, we have had the privilege of working with our friends at Bina in the development of these Concert Series harmoniums. We couldn't be happier with the results.
  
  The Bina 17 Mini Concert Series harmonium is a beautifully refined and compacted version of Bina's traditional collapsing harmonium. Constructed to uncommonly high standards, this harmonium delivers deep, resonant, earthy tones with ease.
  
  Upon first touch, you'll notice the fluid motion of the bellows, which are uniquely routed to match the arch of your hand. This is complimented perfectly by the incredibly smooth action felt across all 34 keys. As you play, warm organ tones resonate beautifully across the softwood shell and interior case. A full sized wind chest produces long, even sustain through Bina "special" reeds, which are custom tuned in our shop. 
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, Illinois
  
  
• - Weight: 20 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 20 x 8.25 x 14 in. (closed), 20 x 12 x 14 (open)
  - Color: Natural
  - Finish: Shellac
  - Exterior Construction: Pine
  - Interior Construction: Pine
  - Box Type: Traditional Collapsing
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 34
  - Reed type: Bina "special" reeds; Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: 3 (M, B, Tremolo)
  - Drones: 2 (C, G)
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

View full product details

Bina 17 Concert Harmonium

$1,029.00

• Description
• Product Specs
• Shipping & Store Info
• Custom Options & Value Adds
• Disclaimer

• At Old Delhi Music, we are continuously working to source and deliver harmoniums that are of unparalleled quality. Recently, we have had the privilege of working with our friends at Bina in the development of these Concert Series harmoniums. We couldn't be happier with the results.
  
  The Bina 17 Concert Series harmonium is a beautifully refined version of Bina's traditional collapsing design. Constructed to uncommonly high standards, this harmonium delivers deep, resonant, earthy tones with ease.
  
  Upon first touch, you'll notice the fluid motion of the bellows, which are uniquely routed to match the arch of your hand. This is complimented perfectly by the incredibly smooth action felt across all 42 keys. As you play, warm organ tones resonate beautifully across the softwood shell and interior case. An oversized wind chest produces long, even sustain through Bina "special" reeds, which are custom tuned in our shop. 
  
  Includes:
  - Padded Gig Bag
  - FREE SHIPPING within continental U.S.
  - One month FREE access at Bhakti Breakfast Club -- hundreds of harmonium classes to explore!
  - Expert tuning and refinement services completed at our shop in our Urbana, Illinois
  
  
• - Weight: 24 lbs.
  - Dimensions: 24 x 8.25 x 14 in. (closed), 24 x 12 x 14 (open)
  - Color: Natural
  - Finish: Shellac
  - Exterior Construction: Pine
  - Interior Construction: Pine
  - Box Type: Traditional Collapsing
  - Key Construction: One-piece
  - Number of Keys: 42
  - Reed type: Bina "special" reeds; Punjabi
  - Reed banks: 2 sets (Bass, Male)
  - Reed orientation: Horizontal
  - Stops: 5 
  - Drones: 4
  - Coupler: none
  - Scale changer: none
  
  
• SHIPPING: Your instrument will arrive safely, and if it doesn't, we'll take care of it. Our packing methods have ensured that over 99% of the instruments we ship arrive undamaged. Should things not go perfectly, we will get you a replacement, refund, part or whatever is necessary. No problem.
  
  STORE: Old Delhi Music carefully curates a selection of only fine quality ethnic musical instruments. Our business is family owned and operated in Urbana, IL since 2010. For the back story, check out this video:
  
  
• 
  
  

  It's a shame when we receive harmoniums purchased elsewhere and have to bill someone a couple hundred dollars for the work we would have included for free...

  
  
  
  
  Q: How long have you been doing this?
  
  A: Since 2010.
  
  Q: How'd you get started?
  
  A: Our first "factory checked" shipment of harmoniums arrived needing some serious attention. Rather than selling bad products, we went to work learning how to make them to sound great and we've been improving at that ever since.
  
  Q: So you know what you're doing?
  
  A: Yup. We know how to bring just about any harmonium to it's full potential.
  
  Q: Shouldn't that be the builders job?
  
  A: The builders put the instruments together, and we mostly work with people who do that well. Our job is refinement - we coax the good sounds and feels out by manipulating this and that - scraping here, turning there. On a Kolkata-style box, that process can consume an entire day. On a standard twin reed, 3-4 hours is pretty typical. It's a process, but when you've drawn out all the goodness, it's totally worthwhile.
  
  Q: But is it really practical to do this with each one?
  
  A: Well, "The Harmonium Handbook" does say that fully retuning "an entire harmonium" (even a two reed) is impractical. But we do it anyway...every single day.
  
  Q: Is it tedious?
  
  A: Sure. But it's also fairly meditative, and the days go pretty fast.
  
  Q: So it's worthwhile?
  
  A: Absolutely. Taking an instrument that's "decent" to awesome in a few hours is good work. No question.
  
  Q: I've shopped around, and your prices are pretty competitive. Given the level of service you're talking about, how do you do it?
  
  A: We do pretty good volume, and we don't have a storefront, so we keep our expenses low.
  
  Q: Any other competitive advantages to note?
  
  A: Definitely. We are THE ONLY shop anywhere that offers custom, hand tuning services for ANY new two, three or four reed harmonium. Only one competitor offers a similar service, and that's only for a couple of their two reed models.
  
  Q: But don't all the others claim to have A440 tuned harmoniums?
  
  A: Many competitors advertise harmoniums that are "~A440" or "A440+/-...", but for true precision and accuracy, every single reed must be touched, allowed to settle, and refined until the tuning is stable. The process takes time, and it can't be rushed or sit too long in a warehouse waiting for eventual fulfillment. Quality, custom set up and tuning can ONLY be completed on a per-order basis, which means you'll have to wait a few extra days. It's NOT a service you can offer via Amazon Prime.
  
  Q: Tell me about your tuning options?
  
  A: We can do anything. But in general, we offer these three options:
  
  - Equal tuning (Free): An Equal or Indian tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the harmonium. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, which is typically higher than A440 and generally out of tune up and down the scale. Once we know about how it is generally pitched, we check and adjust each reed individually as needed and then match octaves along with common intervals. Altogether, it's a lot of small to medium adjustments and in the end, we have generally touched 75-100% of the reeds to get everything in tune. This is our standard approach.
  
  - Concert Pitch / A440 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments, meaning this is a very versatile tuning choice. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with Concert Pitch standard tuning where the middle A note resonates at 440hz. This service requires additional wait time since we have to first tune everything once, allow it to settle out for a day or so, and then go back through it again to make finer adjustments similar to what we do when Equal tuning. Only in this case, we are Equal tuning so that everything is pitched to correspond right with A440.
  
  - Cosmic Pitch / A432 tuning (Optional; fee varies): A Cosmic A432 harmonium will work only in conjunction with other A432 tuned instruments. This is a newer service, and we offer this for only select harmoniums that handle this tuning well. With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at 432hz., which is said to be a frequency that resonates in true harmony with the universe. This service takes a week+ to complete.
  
  Q: Do you believe the hype about A432?
  
  A: It does sound pretty deep and beautiful when it's done, but who knows...
  
  Q: What aren't you guys good at?
  
  A: We focus on the instruments, which means we often times lag on website updates. And social media is definitely a priority...
  
  Q: So what's the best way to contact you if I have additional questions.
  
  A: Give us a call or send an email.
  
  
• While much of India is rapidly advancing, the Indian instrument manufacturing process remains very old school. From touch ups to tuning, much of what we do at Old Delhi Music is add a layer of quality control to an otherwise non-standardized production process.
  
  We wrote THIS ARTICLE to ensure customers understand and might appreciate this vintage production style, the unique products we carry, and how we're working to ensure genuine quality, despite the odds. It's a quick read, and definitely worthwhile for anyone considering the purchase of a traditional Indian instrument.
  
  Thank you,
  Old Delhi Music
  
  

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