Tamburitzas that remember the wood
For more than thirty-five years we have hand-built tamburitza instruments that carry the voice of Pannonia.
Six sizes, one ensemble, infinite patience
In Varaždin — a town of baroque architecture and deep musical history — Mario Žmegač builds tamburitzas with hands that know how to converse with wood. Bisernica, brač, bugarija, čelo, berda and mandolin: every instrument leaves the workshop after weeks of patient work.
Our approach is not industrial. We select resonance spruce from Bosnia and the Alps, walnut and maple from Central Europe, ebony for the fingerboard. Mother-of-pearl rosettes and inlays are laid by hand. Every instrument is voiced individually.
A complete tamburitza ensemble
Six sizes from the family that together form a complete tamburitza orchestra.
Prim (E, D)
The lead melodic voice of the ensemble
Bisernica (G)
The high soprano voice in G tuning
Brač (A, G)
The lead voice of the tamburitza ensemble
Bugarija / Kontra (E, D)
The rhythmic chord foundation
Čelo (A, G)
The warm mid-bass register
Berda
The upright bass of the ensemble
Mario Žmegač — 35 years at the bench
He learned in the tradition of the old masters, opened his workshop in Varaždin in 1988, and has since built instruments for performers across Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Hungary, the United States and Canada.
Restoring antique tamburitzas
We return the voice to instruments that have survived a century. A careful process that respects the original maker.
“Wood remembers. Our task is only to listen to it.”