purchased this SOMNATH tabla 2 &1/2 years ago. The head looked used but it still sounded good. I Just found the head cracked in the case and when straps were removed, I discovered a huge crack in the wood that I hadn't noticed because it was under a strap. It has always been well protected in a hard case and the crack may have happened from wood being wet when shipped from India. It is a nice drum but it needed an expensive repair that I did not expect so soon after purchase. read more

Musician's Mall - Somnath tabla drum - Musical Instruments & Teachers Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

Wonderful people work here. I needed help with some of my tablas and these staff very friendly and accommodating. Highly recommend...

I've been a musician my entire life and worked in the music industry in Nashville for many years. I now live in UT. I play many instruments and I have always wanted to pick up the Sitar since childhood and obsession over George Harrison. For whatever reason I waited many years and moved through many other instruments but now the time has come to explore sitar. I made a trip out to Berkeley specifically to get guidance in choosing a sitar and perhaps even deciding if the instrument was right for me. Upon visiting MM we met Ben who was more than happy to make introductions to the instrument and even an impromptu first lesson with a student sitar. There are a handful of places where one could obtain a Sitar online but I knew this instrument demanded a bit more care. Ben and the other folks at MM provided exactly that. Once we knew we were bringing a sitar home Ben helped us make the better choice of shipping the sitar instead of driving back with it. We also decided we needed a set of Tablas and Ben sifted through a surplus of them until we found the ones that spoke to us. He tuned them up and once again provided a level of care and expertise that IMO is just required for sophisticated nuanced instruments like sitar and tabla. This morning two giant boxes showed up at my door back home. I blew off work and spent the day getting more acquainted with our new instruments. By the end of the day I was actually making some sounds that qualified as "musical". After 30ish years of guitar, bass, piano, cello, synth, etc. etc. and feeling a bit uninspired I have to say that the sitar has me pretty excited about creating some new things that are really unique. By end of day I was mustering my way through some obvious pop sitar tunes (Paint it Black, Lebonese Blonde, Norwegian Wood). There's clearly a great deal to learn about this esoteric instrument but I was actually quite surprised and relieved to find that it wasn't quite as intimidating as I expected. I attribute this once again to Ben for spending the time to teach me proper posture for the instrument. Holding the sitar in a way that your left hand is free to move about the fretboard is a bit tricky to the uninitiated. Thanks to Bens instruction, I had this figured out pretty quickly. I could imagine wrestling with the sitar for days trying to figure out how to handle it. In addition to Bens help, the various tutorials on the MM website were also super helpful. I'm really really excited to see where the sitar takes us both in our kirtan music and in western pop music. Such a cool texture. I knew that the sitar would be really special and I wanted to make informed decisions and make sure I was getting a quality instrument and the knowledge to do it right. I purchased a harmonium for my girlfriend a couple years ago through an Amazon store. I won't go into all the details but suffice it to say the experience was subpar, I received a damaged used instrument that was supposed to be new and the store was unresponsive to my questions. Harmoniums, like sitars and tablas are delicate, nuanced instruments. You might save a few dollars rolling the dice on Amazon or similar but if you're serious at all about your instruments, just reach out to MM and get the right instrument, the right setup, and the right information. MM surpassed my expectations and as best I can tell is likely the most reputable source within the US for these special types of instruments. Truly a very special and super cool business with a genuine passion for eastern instruments. I just wish I lived closer so I could drop in there more often and maybe take some individual lessons. I'm sure we'll be back soon for more toys and maybe even that beautiful black pro sitar once I'm worthy of it ;). I highly recommend MM to anyone in the market for Indian/Eastern instruments, supplies, and education. Many thanks! read more

My son got a Sitar lesson and absolutely loved it. Everyone is so attentive and helpful. Thanks

Bought a $800 table from these folks. Had my first tabla lesson with my guru ji who looked at the tabla (dayan) and immediately said it was used. The syahi was smeared. I had no idea what to look for when I first bought it. Reached out to get a replacement and was told that I damaged it from playing it despite having a picture from the day after purchasing showing the damaged syahi. I also previously bought a $1300 Vilayat Khan style sitar from this store which my other guru ji said was over priced. Will be telling my circle to avoid this store at all costs and recommend you do the same. read more

This is a great store mostly due to its people. They are knowledgeable, kind and trustworthy. The store does feel expensive, but they do pull the stops for quality. I have bought multiple drum sets here, get them tuned ("pulled" in the case of my tabla) multiple times. If you are looking for a beginner set or just looking try out a few North Indian instruments - this is place to go! You can rent instruments for $50-100 a month too. Thank you musicians mall, for all the work! read more

I recently submitted a review on this product after a r/t to Hawaii to work with practitioners of the Philippino arts of Kali and Eskrima, which musicians mall failed to post on thier site. I resubmitted the review again, that time around I was logged into my account. Musicians Mall failed to post it again, hence this review. It was the first voyage for this case. The hardware on this case was a total joke, brass latches on top and bottom failed as well as the chrome plated locking latches on the front of the case, the pull-up handle and the handle on top of the case broke-off. I was forced to use plastic zip ties on the latches and bungee chord to prevent my Somnath Kakade set from being destroyed.This case is poorly designed, it is top heavy, unbalanced and unwieldy which undoubtedly contributed to the pull-up handle and the top handle failing. It was only the first trip for this case, and I had a lot riding on it. Conclusion- Buyer beware it is a lousy excuse for a case that you can't trust. read more

An incredible store and resource for Indian instruments and music. Truly one of a kind and the best on the West Coast. I bought my harmonium (MM house brand! a sweet sounding instrument!) last year and came by today to get it tuned up before we move out of the area. Michael was simply wonderful in getting my harmonium into perfect shape and taking care of slightly buzzing reeds in a couple of spots. I am deeply thankful! Very knowledgeable, kind, and quality service! If you are into Indian music and instruments, MM is a must-visit. read more

Great instruments, compassionate owners, nice selection. Instrument arrived on time and perfect quality as promised.

This is an interesting place. As it's the musical instrument store of the Ali Akbar College of (Indian Classical)l Music, you will find, not surprisingly, Indian classical musical instruments: sitars, various types of drums, harmoniums, mizrabs (the fretless drone instrument), and bansuris (flutes). The folks are generally quite friendly. I was there with my toddler and one of the staff brought out a little toy gun to occupy him while I tried out a couple flutes. (No, just kidding- it wasna little drum toy.) One of which I ended up buying after a 2nd visit sans said child, during which I blew into a number of them making a racket. But they were cool about it, answered some basic questions. At check-out the some of the staff seemed unaware of their sale, per their website, but that was all handled nicely. I don't know prices for such instruments well, but they seem reasonable compared to some I'd seen. In this day and age, a local musical instrument store is critically endangered species, not to mention Indian music; so this is a resource we should try to help flourish. read more

Fantastic awesome place! I just received my harmonium. It took two days to ship to me and Rishab did an excellent job with the packing and double boxing for shipment. It arrived in excellent working order and is beautiful to both play and look at. They are professional, courteous and even during the covid19 and subsequent riots, always returned my calls and emails as I was shopping and purchasing the instrument. I will buy a mini harmonium from them later on once I learn better read more

Best service and best prices. Just go. Don't ask questions. Don't doubt yourself. This place is the bomb. The owner is legit. One of my strings to my guitar broke, it was a brand new guitar. I came here to buy a set of strings and they ended up replacing my 1 string at no charge. Saved me time from my busy schedule of having to restring it myself. Thank you! read more

I bought a set of tables from Musician's Mall. I have been to India many times, and the great thing about this store is they stock instruments from many different manufacturers so you can actually compare the sound, side by side. I don't know of another store like it in the U.S. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. I ended up purchasing a set of Somnath Tablas. Somnath is making a real name for himself in India as one of the up and coming tabla makers. Great sound and very fair price I thought. Of course you can purchase Indian instruments for less in India, but good luck getting them back to the U.S. Would absolutely recommend this shop. read more

This place is a gem -- One of the best sources for Indian instruments outside of India. Knowledgeable and honest staff, excellent repair services, and a huge range of different types of instruments at all price points. read more

I first encountered MM at Bhakti/Shakti Festivals and they have always been professional, patient, kind and helpful. I purchased the harmonium handbook a few years ago and recently purchased my first harmonium from them. The instrument is beautiful and it was tuned and shipped with excellent care. Thank you to all of y'all at MM who have guided me over the years. Namaste and sat nam. read more

I came to pick up a few mizrabs and wound up hanging out of 2 1/2 hours. The owner was incredibly friendly and we probably played every sitar in the store. Needless to say I am hopelessly torn between two amazing instruments. The prices are very fair and the people there are incredibly knowledgeable. No egos, just friendly musicians and great prices. Even though I live on the opposite side of the country I know I will return and will define the be purchasing much more from them. read more

My wife and I came here to shop for a harmonium. Michael was very helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable, and gave us all the time and space we needed to play around with the different options for sale and make a decision. I feel confident that if we ever need to bring our harmonium in for service, it'll be a smooth experience as well. read more