The incomplete tambura sound box
Osijek, the 2nd half of the 19th century
wood
cutting, trimming, carving, gouging

 

length = 63,5 cm
sound box = 10,1 x 15,8 x 6,5 cm
length of the neck = 48 cm

 

POH-448/1920
The Collection of Musical instruments by Franjo Ksaver Kuhač

Description

The incomplete tambura sound box, without the top plate is a specimen which demonstrates how tambura was made, i.e. how the neck was inserted into the sound box. The inscription on the sound box says - this is how the neck is attached to the sound box (written by Kuhač).

Note

The sound box (zvekalo) and the neck (ručica) are cut from one piece of wood. The tambura built in such way is higher quality than the one whose neck was glued to the sound box because it was made using one piece of wood. That requires specific skills and knowledge. The selected piece of wood is carved out using a chisel to the right, desired size after which the wood is smoothened by using a file. The tambura is usually made of ash, plum or linden wood.