Sitar with tumba, acoustic pickup, and extra strings owned by Pete Cosey
date: label: Date
content: late 20th century
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
label: Manufactured by
content: Rowe Industries, American, 1940 - 1970
label: Used by
content: Pete Cosey, American, 1943 - 2012
notes: label: Description
content: .6abcd Sitar with tumba, transducer, and extra strings
label: Description
content: Sitar (.6a) with detachable lakadi ka tumba (.6b), mid-tone laquered wood with white, red, and black decorative motif in polymer inlay. Wood has decorative leaf motifs carved into body. Tuning pegs (kuntis) and lakadi ka tumba leaf motif are darker, either different wood or lacquer. Headstock of sitar has sticker, blue on silver, that reads [MADE IN INDIA]. Sitar body (kadu ka tumba) has duct tape on it, possibly for attaching acoustic transducer.
label: Description
content: DeArmond-brand acoustic transducer (.6c) is chromed with brass volume knob. Knob has a black plastic cover. Etched into chrome is [DeArmond / REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. / ROWE INDUSTRIES / TOLDEO, OHIO U.S.A.] Beneath the transducer, its bottom surfaces and edges are covered with a removable rubber padding, with a round hole containing a matching round section of cork glued directly to the transducer’s metal body. The plug end is a 1/4" TS plug that would feed into an amplifier.
label: Description
content: Additional metal strings (.6d) are included.
place: label: Place made
content: India, Asia
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Jazz (Music)
label: Topic
content: Music
label: Topic
content: Musicians
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Musical Instruments
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Karumah, Dunni, Ishmak, Aribania and Mariama Cosey in memory of Baba Pete Cosey
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.105.6.1a-d
objectType: label: Type
content: strings (chordophone components)
label: Type
content: sitars
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: wood and metal with cloth, lacquer, polymer and duct tape
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (sitar body): 47 5/8 × 12 3/16 × 12 in. (121 × 31 × 30.5 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (tumba): 5 7/8 × 5 7/8 × 6 3/8 in. (15 × 15 × 16.2 cm)