MKS SB1 Concert 1 Octave Shruti Box (PRE-ORDER ONLY)

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:

- FREE Shipping
- Padded Gig Bag
- Learning offers from our friends at the Bhakti Breakfast Club (first month FREE access), KirtanLeader.com, and Sacred Sound Lab.
- 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 makes buying a quality harmonium, tabla set, sitar, or other Indian instruments easy. 

Our business has been family owned and operated since 2010. In the U.S., we are a small team of musicians dedicated to refinements and customer support. In India, we’ve built relationships with many of the country's best musical artisans and founded a workshop where our staff ensures quality.

We sell and ship the best Indian instruments available on earth throughout North America and globally.

For the complete back story, check out this video -

For more on our founder and origin story, this video was produced in 2014 for the PBS "Indie America" series -

OUR TUNING PROCESS:

Our standard harmonium tuning process begins at our shop in India and ends at our U.S. location where a member of our staff - all highly trained and deeply experienced musicians - will finalize the set-up and tuning on every harmonium we sell. You won't find a more thorough refinement process anywhere.

Bhava harmoniums are available with the following tuning options:

- Equal tuning - (Free): An Equal tuned instrument can be played with other instruments as long as they are tuned to match the shruti box. This is the typical approach taken in India. To complete this basic service, we determine roughly where the instrument is already settled out, and refine the instruments tuning as it sits. Ultimately, these instruments are nicely in tune to themselves, but not universally matched to any specific pitch reference. This service is recommended for anyone playing in traditional non-Western orientations or simply enjoying music independently and/or not playing in any groups.

- Concert Pitch (A440 tuning) - Add $30: A Concert Pitch tuned harmonium will match the default tuning for Western Instruments - piano, guitar, etc. - "equal tempered" with the middle A resonating at exactly 440 hz. For this service, all reeds are retuned up and down to scale to correspond with the Concert Pitch standard. This is the best choice for most musicians and students.

- Cosmic Pitch (A432 Tuning) - Add $60/Non-returnable: With this service, all reeds are drastically retuned nearly a quarter tone below standard Concert Pitch to match a middle A resonating at exactly 432 hz. For most customers, this service is neither practical or recommended, but for those who are experimenting in this direction, we do offer the service on select models from our store. While this service will not void any warranty with our store, it is not reversible. Therefore, any harmoniums or shruti boxes tuned to A432 will not be eligible for return or exchange.

An A432 hz. referenced instrument will sound very out of tune when played alongside any traditionally tuned instrument. This means if you are taking a harmonium course, you will not be able to play this instrument alongside your instructor or classmates. Similarly, if you are using this instrument in a recording or performing context, you will not be able to use this unless every other instrument is also tuned to this pitch reference.

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