Hi, and welcome to The SazCo.

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The SazCo was started by myself Sal Ormandji,  I was born in London, England in 1972 and I have been playing the traditional Turkish instrument the “saz” since I was 10 years old.  After decades of experience playing this beautiful instrument, I’ve decided to launch my own brand of electric saz guitars so guitar players from all over the world can enjoy playing and bringing new light to this ancient instrument.

 

“Saz” refers to a family of long-necked lutes, also means a musical instrument in Arabic. These plucked instruments date back to the Ottoman Empire, and the music they create is steeped in Turkish history and tradition. If you ever travel to Turkey, you’ll find people playing the saz in coffee houses, in their homes, at weddings and other gatherings.

 

The SazCo Electric Guitar has taken me over 4 years to research, design & develop a product that is truly a unique piece of art. I wanted to create an Electric Saz Guitar that is very different in not only the look of the Saz Guitar but also I wanted to eliminate a few of the components that were on a traditional Electric Saz.

After years of research and a few visits to Istanbul – Turkey to get some inspiration I started to design the SazCo SN_X1.

 

I first started to design the main headstock of the guitar which took 3 months to perfect the shape and also to make sure that it functions well with the 6 strings and the mechanical tuners that I wanted to use on the SazCo SN_X1.

 

I then started to work on the neck and the fretboard. The fretboard consists of 23 inlaid frets, this was a major change for an Electric Saz, as traditionally the frets are basically fish wire but I wanted to use inlaid frets as like on a guitar so I used specially made inlaid frets to be used on the SazCo SN_X1 so it was comfortable to play as like on a standard fretboard on a Saz. The notes on a Sazco SN_X1 fretboard are unique as there is also quarter notes so the player will be able to bring some new tones and sounds to their solo’s, riffs and melodies that they play.

 

Finally, I started to design the Body of the SazCo SN_X1, this was a true challenge as I wanted to eliminate a few elements such as a built-in EQ, fine tuners and tone switches. After many months of research and experimentation with our luthier, we designed the body and chose the correct components that will work well and compliment the instrument.

 

I wanted to create a unique Electric Saz guitar that any guitarist in the world of all cultures and musical backgrounds can play and enjoy the sound and feel of a SazCo Electric Saz Guitar.

 

TheSazCo is a great instrument to pick up no matter what your skill level is, also remember most great saz players are self-taught and if you have some experience playing the guitar or another stringed instrument, you’ll be able to pick up the art of playing a SazCo Electric Saz in no time.

 

I hope you enjoy playing this unique Electric Saz Guitar as much as I enjoyed making them!