Shadow SH 900 NFX Sitar Pickup

My experience with sitars and their sound goes back 12 years.

THE SOUND
5/10
I was initially happy with the sound that came out of the pick-up, seemed clear and good bass response - however to bring out the bass strings and play on the lower register I had to adjust the 'blend' option mid-performance. Another downside was that the trebles came through very harsh. (might add this is quite a normal problem with contact mics) However I feel shadow's talk about having resolved issues regarding contact mics is unfounded.

I was even less impressed with the result of recording; too much emphasis on percussive elements of the pick/scratching and the piezo quack was apparent.

DESIGN
3/10
Integrated pre-amp with pickup is a nice feature. However attaching to the kaddu (main gourd) is not good. The position suggested is uncomfortable and insecure. I wonder if they even tested it?! When I tried to remove it to send for warranty, it took off the shellac and damaged my instrument.

RELIABILITY
1/10
The worst of all was during the middle of a concert the pickup started to emit popping and crackling sounds that were coming through at full volume. These horrible sounds disrupted the concert and I had to finish my concert acoustically. This was a disaster.

SUMMARY
Overall this pickup has personally cost me time, stress and resulted in the inability to follow through with performances. Whatever positives I encountered were heavily outweighed by negatives. I am severely disappointed.