This Professional Kora differs from our Standard Kora in that it has 22 strings and
includes a built-
It has 22 chrome machine heads, 5 bass and 17 trebles, black tail strings with a dark red pad. Alternatives colours can be chosen at no extra charge.
Fluorocarbon strings are used on the professional kora, giving a brighter tone, increased resonance and more volume.
We reserve the largest and best kora bodies for these koras,
The kora body is treated on the inside of the calabash to harden and strengthen it. This also increases the resonance and brightens the tone. All of our kora bodies are made with a metal ring inside the rim of the calabash to prevent the calabash becoming mishapen.
The neck is made either from Beech or Bubinga (keno) the African hardwood traditionally used for kora necks, handles, cross bar, and bridge. Other woods can be used on request, eg. Maple.
The skin’s on all our koras are characteristically pale and taut, thanks to the skills of master craftsman and kora player Aliou Gassama who prepares our kora bodies in Senegal.
We often refer to this kora as the Cassamance Kora as it is in the southern region
of Senegal -
Listen to Josh playing one of our Professional Koras
