Balalaika

Body composed of seven ribs of sycamore divided by ebony stringing. The belly is made from a single piece of pine, edged with ebony and inlaid with a light wood stringing. The head and neck are of sycamore, the head and fingerboard veneered with ebony. Nineteen metal frets on the fingerboard, and four inlaid motifs of bone and mother-of-pearl. The bridge is of beech. Three steel strings, held by three steel wrest pins and tuned by bone pegs. Engraved steel plate on the back of the head, worked with stylised floral motif. Front of the head set with a silver Russian coin, a four-kopeck piece. Four small square sound-holes, forming the windows of the house-shaped ebony veneer on the belly.