Building a Shamisen

Building/Repair
#41

Wow! Thanks everyone you comments are great. I really appreciate them.

Sid, My bachi case and shamisen case are both lined with the same material.

Its a high density padding that’s used for furniture upholstery. I got it from a local craft store. It real easy to work with I just traced the size of the bachi, koma box, and a space for the yubikake. Then used a razor knife to cut out the shapes. The last step was gluing on the fabric to the cushion then the cushion to the box. I like using this cushioning because it is sturdy but still has a little bit of give to it unlike a Styrofoam like material.

I’d love to see a picture once you finish.

Florian, I carved out the tenjin with a standard chisel, gouge, farrier rasp (which has saved so much time and been very important on multiple occasions) , and a drill. Most of the work was done with the chisel and rasp. the gouge was just get scooped out section on the back of the tenjin right.

#42

wow! you people are just amazing. I hadn`t visited this thread in ages, and it was great to keep binging on the progress.

“and then you did what? …and it looked like that? …whoaaa?!” kind of feeling as im reading it (anyone who`s binged on TV series knows what im talking about).

As for some of the heat things people were talking about, this is something Ive been thinking about doing for a while but because I have an artificial skin, it hasnt been that important:

In Japan in the hundred yen stores there are cheap cooler bags. Just general silvery slightly insulated material. Originally my plan was, since they are roughly the right size, to just keep the Taiko (forgot the real term, dou?) in them. Basically putting on the Washi cover, and then the cooler bag over it.

But perhaps a cheap alternative for some of your big cases (i have a soft case) is to get some of these cooler bags. Cut them flat, sow them together, and use them as the first inside liner before the felt, OR alternatively an outside liner (ive definitely seen insulating outside s for big cases right?) for your case. If its on the inside it`s not going to be AMazing insulation, but it should provide a decent amount. especially if you use multiple layers. And also they are pretty cheap.

#43

Ooh! I’ve missed some of these!!

It looks so great Gwyn. Almost surreal. Because it’s made from the same wood I used, I think I’m looking at my construction pictures when I see yours… but it’s not!

Carving the tenjin is the most intense part of the whole build, although getting the 45’s on dou right is no picnic.

Personally, I always dread the 45 degree angle adventure when starting a new shamisen. :wink: You can spend many hours and make such unnoticeable progress on the angles, yet in the same amount of time, you can make a block into the shape a tenjin. :slight_smile: I always enjoy that part the most. :wink:

But I could not be happier how it turned out. The constant fear of chipping the tip our gouging out the curves makes you slow down and be deliberate or else be punished.

Good stuff, good stuff!! I feel the same thing when making shamisen, especially recently. After the time is spent and you look at it, boy do the results feel good! :smiley:

As a suggestion, making the edge of the hatomune and hakamagoshi adds a major layer of legitness. :slight_smile:

Congratulations, man. I know I didn’t make it… perhaps I just have a big ego, but I’m proud of it as well! :slight_smile:

#44

Hi all Bachido members!
This is first time for me to write here as I just became a member of Bachido. I live in Helsinki in Finland.

I have made three shamisens, first of them more than 20 years ago. Then I used Burma Padauk lumber (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) which I bought in Tokyo. Now I use African Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii) for the DO and Indian rosewood (Dahlbergia latifolia) for the SAO.

My shamisen is nagauta.

Best regards!
Nick Kari

#45

Hey Nick!

Welcome to Bachido! :slight_smile:

Wow, very very interesting. Were you living in Tokyo at that time? How much was the Burma Padauk wood? More or less expensive than African padauk?

If you feel like showing some pictures of your homemade shamisen, We’d love to see! :slight_smile:

You are probably expecting this to be asked, but have you met up with Ortjo yet? He lives in Finland as well.

Great to have you on board!
Kyle

#46

Alright everyone I’m back. Sorry for my lack of updates but I hit a snag when gluing together the sao and the nakago. I tried to rush it and it turned out terrible. It was crooked and would have been a huge mistake to continue with out fixing it. So I’ve been carefully dissolving the glue holding the joint together and slowly filing down the joint. And the result was well worth the effort the joint is very tight and much more importantly it is straight.

I’ve also started working on the dou. most of my time was spent working on the joints. For now its acceptable at lest until I finish the shaping.

And for my final update I got several pieces of Ebony to shape into itomaki. I have extra in case of mistake but also because i wnt to experiment with them.

Nick welcome to Bachido. I’m honored that my tread is where you chose to introduce your self. I would really like to see pics of your shamisen when you get a chance.

Alright everyone I promise my next update will be soon. Ive been in the mood to play my uke alot lately so hopefully I dont get to distracted. :wink:

#47

Gwyn Harris, you ROCK! This is the kind of thing that makes Bachido exciting to be a part of. Watching progress happen and sharing in the experience even if it is from other parts of the earth. Definately thanks and keep up the sharing !
Nick,
Welcome to bachido. It is great to have you here! Of course we all would love to see some pictures of your Shamisen or even a video/audio clip but either way it is great to have you join us! Hope you will enjoy meeting other Shamisen builders and players here!

#48

Man that looks legit!!

most of my time was spent working on the joints.

Hahahaha!! I feel for you. It seems like such a small task ('cause it really only requires millimeters/microns of wood removed), yet takes soooo long and seems unbelievable until it just happens.

Great stuff, Gwyn! Nothing wrong with a little break. :slight_smile: You might get inspiration as you play uke. (My dad’s been really getting into the uke recently as well)

#49

Hi Nick, Wecome to Bachido!

Gwyn - Damn, its looking soooooo good now! Keep posting!

#50

wo wo wo WOOO!! this is an amazing work!! I like the way you are doing your dou, when I make me my own I will use the same technique, thanks for sharing!

#51

Hi Kyle, Gwyn, Kevin and Liam!
Thank you for your messages. It’s very nice to be a member of Bachido. I’ll send photos of my shamisen in the near future.

Kyle:
More than 20 years ago I lived one year in Tokyo (Suginami-ku). After that I’ve visited there about 8 times. There in Tokyo, I bought Burmese padauk for the neck (sao) and for the body (doo).
I remember the price very well as it was very cheap, only 7 000 (seven thousand) yens. The grain of the wood was quite beautiful but the colour was quite light.

Next week I’ll buy African padauk here in Finland.
The price is 2600,- euros / m3. (About 35 ft3 ???)

Last week I bought (Ebay) goat skin for shamisen. Price for 26’’ skin was 18 euros + shipment. (When I cut the skin I’ll get skin for 2 shamisens.) There is a problem with the skin. Only half of it is quite white while the other parts are quite gray. Will it get whiter when I moisten and tighten it?

I haven’t met up with Ortjo yet.

Gwyn:
Very nice pictures! The colour of your padauk wood is very beautiful. You’re very skilled man.

#52

Sweet! That’s a nice price. I think it’s increased recently, as it’s getting more endangered. :frowning: I bet if that doesn’t become a viable option anymore, the entry-level wood will switch to African Padauk (called "indo karin インドカリン). It’s roughly the same weight as Karin and has a great red color.

Yeah, the skin usually turns white when it is tightened. :slight_smile: The calf skins I get are usually transparent before stretching, but whitens afterward. How thick is the skin?

When you start building, do like Gwyn and post a picture gallery of it! :slight_smile:

#53

Gwyn:
The shamisen you are making looks very great!!! The grain of padauk is beautiful. I didn’t know that there are ayasugi(-hori) in the nakago. You are making tsugaru, arent you?

I will send pictures of my shmisen later.

#54

Kyle:
You asked how thick is the skin.
According to Ebay seller it is:
White Natural Goat Skin Drum Head Thin, 26" fits to 24" Head
I cut this into 4 pieces. I guess the thin skin would be ok for nagauta shami.

Here is the Ebay address for the goat skin:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/White-Goat-Skin-Drum-Head-Thick-26-fits-to-24-Head-/330708628641?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Drums_Percussions_MJ&hash=item4cffc534a1

#55

Nick, i have been watching those for ages, i’m also curious

#56

Amanda:
You mean you have been watching skin for ages? Please, try Ebay.
BR! Nick

#57

XD

#58

Alright. I guess its time to update my progress on my shamisen. With this storm blowing in and my shop full of stuff from my yard and garden and there isn’t much I can do right now. So now that I have finally found a good quality gouge i can continue progress on the dou, and because of that I have been finishing up the sao.

I was able to manage a somewhat decent dovetail for the tenjin. Much better than I thought It would be

the dovetail is slight but sturdy and held without glue

Now onto the Dou first is my new gouge

and the results. nice and smooth

Once the tenjin was glued securely I was able to sand and finish the sao.

First a good sand with several different sandpapers and steel wool

after letting the wood darken in the air for a few days and a thorough round of burnishing.

Used Tung Oil as a base to seal the wood and give it a high gloss.

And finally and generous layer of fine camellia oil and Voila smooth as glass.

Another thing I’ve been experimenting with is making Neo with different types of rope trying to find the right one and as Ive come quite close to the one off of my juita.

The purple one is from my juita. The black one is a hiking/parachute type rope. The white one is the best and the closest ive come to replicating the real one. They all work but I like the white cotton synthetic blend close line rope because once made I can also dye it to a desired color.

Next I’ll Practice installing the itomaki and asuma sawari on my pine shamisen. I am also trying to make some zagane that Im not happy with. It would be awesome if bachido also sold zagane. ( Kyle Im looking at you. :wink: . By the way I overjoyed Bachido now carries parts and fittings!

And as a final note since this is Bachido and coffee plays such an important role in our own shamisen culture. I must close with a coffee related update. After getting my shipment of Bachido Coffee I was lucky enough to to be able to make a huge upgrade from my Steam brewed espresso machine to a decent 15 bar espresso maker for 10 dollars at a thrift store. Works perfectly new in box and brews a much better cup of espresso. Sometimes Its amazing how well things line up.

Ill see you guys later and as always let me know what you think.

Later Bro and Bachi On!

#59

It appears it is progressing satisfactorily. :slight_smile: That’s a sao to be proud of! The dovetail looks great. How was the gluing? It seems that when the dovetail is snug, even a thin amount glue gets in the way of the tenjin connecting flush with the sao. That’s what I noticed, at least.

If I may make a suggestion, based on the picture, the inside of the dou looks like it could be hollowed out much more. For a tsugaru shamisen, the thickness of the board should be about 23mm. An easy way to measure the thickness is to drill a small hole where you will make the kakuana/maruana and then feed in a thin stick to measure to thickness.

I agree, the white neo looks awesome! The thicker cord helps give the mass of a standard neo. If it’s a cotton/synthetic blend, do you think it would dye well? I had tried dying my purple karate obi brown (figured I’d save a little money :wink: ). The cotton part of the belt did turn brown, but the stitching remained bright purple. :-S I wonder if a synthetic blend would be the same.

It would be awesome if bachido also sold zagane. ( Kyle Im looking at you. :wink: .

I can take a hint. :wink: I’ll get wheels in motion.

Whoa snap!!! That’s the exact Krups machine I had! Furthermore, Gadgetbox (where the Monsters of Shamisen CD was mixed this week) had the same machine! Perhaps Krups should endorse Bachido. :wink:
Nice score, man! It makes a fine cup of nectar, doesn’t it. I see the crema! A cheap Krups machine combined with a burr grinder w/ fresh beans and a fancy cup can make very satisfying espresso. :stuck_out_tongue:

Glad you are enjoying Bachido Coffee! I’ve heard back from other folks who ordered it, and am encouraged with the positive feedback. :slight_smile: Both Ryan (the other Coffee guy shown in the blogcasts) and I really like it, but Papa noted how he didn’t really care for it… just after I started roasting it for Bachido. Great timing to tell me. :wink: Not knowing who’s flavor palate to trust, I felt a little anxious, unsure if I was just roasting crap. Anywho, the feedback is reassuring. :slight_smile:

Bachi on, Bro!!

#60

Kyle,many sanshin makers signs their work art,or the owner signs his name. Are there any shamisens signed? I may sign my shamisen once,I will write “林内” actually one of my family name (Ookuma is from my maternal family)

© 2020 Kyle Abbott