Have there ever been Alembics created with sympathetic strings for intentional drone affects?

That was nice.  I like the deeper tone of the bass sitar.  I had never really focused on the extent to which strings are bent and the degree of control with which several different notes are played on one bend.

That sounds cool. It also makes the guy look like he's like two feet tall against a normal sized sitar.  
 
Quite a few years ago, I saw a brochure for a bass guitar that had frets at irregularly shaped intervals, like a sitar, I guess. Anybody know what I'm talking about? I didn't catch the brand name.