Description
The Professional Setar by Hamid is a handcrafted Persian long-necked lute, built for the quiet, singing voice at the heart of Persian classical music. Its name comes from the Persian se-tar, “three strings,” though the modern setar carries four fine metal strings — the fourth, a resonating drone, was added roughly a century and a half ago by the mystic Moshtaq Ali Shah. This is an instrument shaped for tonal clarity and expression rather than volume.
Bowl, soundboard and neck
The rounded bowl is carved from seasoned mulberry wood and finished with elegant mother-of-pearl inlay, the traditional decorative signature of a fine setar. Mulberry is the wood Persian makers prize for its warm, resonant response, and the aged stock used here gives a focused tone with genuine depth. The soundboard is cut from aged mulberry as well — the thin, resonant face that shapes the setar’s clear highs and rich, nuanced mids.
The long neck is made from aged walnut, a dense and stable wood that keeps its shape season after season and offers a smooth surface for the left hand. Along it run the setar’s movable gut frets — a Persian setar usually carries twenty-five to twenty-eight — each one tied around the neck so it can be slid into place to tune the quarter-tone koron and sori intervals that the Persian dastgah system depends on.
How the setar is played
The setar is never struck with a plectrum. It is plucked with the nail of the right index finger, an intimate technique that gives the player fine control over dynamics, tremolo and tone colour. That soft, speech-like attack is exactly why the setar is the favoured solo voice of the Persian radif. Other long-necked Persian instruments such as the tar share the same microtonal language, but the setar’s fingertip touch gives it a uniquely delicate character.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Instrument | Persian setar (long-necked lute) |
| Maker | Hamid |
| Bowl | Aged mulberry with mother-of-pearl inlay |
| Soundboard | Aged mulberry |
| Neck | Aged walnut |
| Strings | 4 metal strings |
| Frets | Movable tied gut frets (quarter-tone) |
| Playing technique | Plucked with the right index fingernail |
| Tradition | Persian classical (radif / dastgah) |
| Includes | Professional hard case |
Who it is for
This is a professional-level instrument suited to dedicated players and advancing students of Persian classical music, as well as collectors drawn to the setar’s craftsmanship and cultural depth. Its balanced, articulate response rewards careful, expressive playing across the full dastgah repertoire. Browse the full Persian setar collection, or compare this instrument with the Persian Setar by Diba.
Case, care and delivery
The setar ships with a professional hard case for full protection in transit and storage — essential for an instrument this light and finely built. Keep it away from direct heat and sudden humidity changes, loosen the strings before long-term storage, and check that the tied frets stay seated on the neck. Every setar is selected by our string specialist Sertan Sarioglu and inspected at our Brisighella, Italy showroom before shipping. Learn more about the setar tradition. Worldwide shipping & 15-day return.
