I own both the Mel9 and the excellent Ravish Sitar and would like to suggest a similar idea for your consideration. Oriental instruments such as the Oud and Cimbalon (hammered dulcimer) to name just two would offer great inspiration for musicians today, just as they did for composers such as John Barry in the Sixties.(Ipcress file, The Persuaders themes)

There is nothing currently on the market that I am aware of that can do this without going down the MIDI pickup route.EHX seems the obvious choice to develop this and bring this to market