VINTAGE Moroccan Sintir (Guembri, Gimbri or Hejhouj) 3-String Bass of Gnawa

Description

VINTAGE Moroccan Sintir (aka Guembri), Traditional 3-String Bass of the Gnawa Culture
5 OBO. Local Pick-up Preferred.
Cash STRONGLY Preferred to save on PayPal Fees.
This gorgeous handmade acoustic Moroccan Sintir was purchased from Atlanta's Earthshaking Music in the mid '90s, and has primarily served as decoration in a climate-controlled home for the last 25 years. It was rarely played, and has never been taken outside the home.
The Sintir (a.k.a. Guembri, Gimbri or Hejhouj) is a three-stringed, skin-covered bass lute used by the Gnawa people of Morocco. It is approximately the same size as a guitar, with a wooden body traditionally carved from a single log and covered on the playing side with camel skin. The skin functions acoustically like the membrane on a banjo, while the neck is a simple stick with a brass accent at the top.
Made by hand in Morocco, this Sintir is a thing of beauty, with loads of artistic embellishments. The skin is hand dyed with a flower and other decorative designs, and brass tacks and other brass elements on the front and back of the stave-wood body. The skin is surrounded with a beautiful, fringe-lined Moroccan fabric, and I've tied a simple strip of African Kente cloth around the neck and base as a makeshift strap.
The Sintir measures approx 39 inches long, with the resonant body measuring 19 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches. It uses one short and two long strings (traditionally made from goat gut, a.k.a. catgut) that produce a percussive sound similar to a pizzicato cello or double bass. The original strings on this Sintir have disintegrated over time, but you can purchase new strings (we recommend the Klip Legend line) online.