Sarasvati vīnā

Sarasvati vīnā (vīnā of the goddess of wisdom), vīnā of S. India, about 300 years old. The body is a large bowl hollowed out of jack wood or blackwood. The hollow neck bears 24 fixed frets (12 for each of 2 octs.) and terminates in a carved animal head. A large, detachable gourd resonator with a hole cut in the bottom is affixed to the vīnā. The metal frets are adjustable. Four long strings are stretched from the pegbox over a metal-topped wooden bridge, and 3 shorter ones, lying off-board…