Hello. I already have a shamisen, but was wondering where to get an affordable electric shamisen (It doesn’t need to sound good unplugged) This shamisen also needs to have strap button. (So i can play while standing up.)
Thanks!!
Hey Stev,
I’ve been looking around for an electric shamisen too, and so far, the cheapest alternative I’ve found is to buy a small attachable pick-up for your current shamisen. The one I found online costs about $100, but if you can read Japanese on an advanced level, you may be able to find a higher quality pick-up on one of the Japanese shamisen sites. I’m still at a basic reading level in Japanese and can navigate through some of the sites, but I can’t read well enough to work out payment and shipping options, lol. Anyway, I haven’t purchased one yet, so I can’t vouch for the quality of tone. However, I do know you can wire effects pedals through it, so I’m interested in experimenting with that.
As for actual shamisen, I know the cheapest Mugen 21 is around $2000, but if I were going to get one of those, I’d go all out and buy the $6000 Kouki model. Of course, that’s all up to your budget. I know Kevin Kmetz uses a different make that can only be played amplified, but I don’t know what it’s called and I haven’t been able to find it online…It may only be available in Japan.
As for your strap button question, I’ve been able to put a guitar strap on my current shamisen without strap buttons. All you need is an acoustic strap that has shoelaces through both of the holes for the buttons, then you tie the laces around the base of the sao and the nakagosaki (tail spike). That works pretty well, but it can be a little neck-heavy, leaving you to support the weight with your hand. That can slow you down a little at first, but you get used to it pretty quickly and can adjust the strap length to lessen the effect. So, all-in-all, not the best alternative, but it’s definitely easier and cheaper than buying a new shamisen or going to Japan to have a maker install strap buttons, lol.
Let me know if you manage to find a decent electric shamisen. I’ve really been itching to try one out. 
Thank you Denver! I’ll try buying this pick-up. I think Shamisen would sound interesting when plugged-in.
And thanks for the tips on the strap button!!
I’m also thinking about saving up for a Mugen 21 kouki model. Too bad i’m still a high school student 
It is hard for me to get money.
Hey guys!
First, I’ve gotta say how happy I am with how you all are helping each other out on the forum. This is just what I was hoping for! 
As I said in a previous post, I’m working with Masahiro Nitta on acquiring shamisen (as well as accessories like strings and bachi). From the most affordable price to high end kouki models. Also, I’m going to see if he can get electric shamisen as well.
The electric shamisen Kevin uses is one of the first models of electric shamisen that came out. About 4 years old, I think. I bet what is available now is much spiffier.
On a personal note: Luke (Brother/webmaster of Bachido) and I are planning on starting . . . some kind of modern band. Maybe a mix of pop or something. I wanted it to be metal, and dibsed screaming, but that probably wouldn’t happen. 
Anywho, because there will be electric guitars and I’m planning on playing shamisen, I too am going to have to find a way to plug in.
hello to everybody,
am new here, i live in ireland and have just come from japan with my new shamisen.anyway got interested in plugging the shamisen in , having it electric would be awesome, i have a simple acoustic guitar pickup, hmm where is the best place to put in on the shamisen???
Hi Sid,
It really depends on what kind of guitar pickup you have. If it’s the style that fits into the soundhole of the guitar, then it won’t work on the shamisen, just because there isn’t anywhere for it to fit. Also, most guitar pickups are magnetic, and are therefore optimized for six steel or brass strings, not for the three silk strings on a shamisen, so I’d guess that they probably wouldn’t work :/.
The shamisen-style pickup is a circular pad that you place on the skin of the dou, to the rear of the left side of the koma. From what I can gather, it basically acts as a microphone, picking up vibrations and sound from the skin. You can see a picture of it here:
If you paste this address into your url bar, it’ll take you to an eBay page where you can purchase the shamisen pickup. You’ll have to specify whether you want it for the shamisen or sanshin in an added message when you buy it.
Well, I hope this helps. If you’re guitar pickup is similar to the shamisen’s (it’d probably have to be some sort of classical guitar mic-style pickup), then definitely give it a shot and see if it works. No point in spending $100 for something you don’t need, right? 
thanks a million,
my pick up wont work, thought so,…
but have also a small clip on mic which actually is not too bad and works just fine, at least for what i need at the moment it is great…
Not to dredge this up, but as Kyle mentioned earlier, there is a company that makes TRUE electric shamisen which play the same as an electric guitar (not an acoustic with a pickup inside). There is no skin, it is made of hard plastic, the bridge doesn’t move (since it is actually the electronic pickup), and the bachi is made of acrylic.
Kevin often uses it for looping improv and with a bunch of his metal and rock performances.
The company that makes them is called BENI-YA (べにーや)
http://www.beni-ya.jp/page30.html (here is a link to the site, and the actual area where the “ereku” tsugaru shamisen are).
I’m planning on electrifying the “cigar-box” style shamisen that I built, using a piezo-type pickup. There are many brands available from quite a few musical instrument dealers, at a wide range of prices. I’ve found them from about $8, up to $350. Here’s a couple of URLs to some that are available online:
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/BB14551.htm
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/DMAT.htm
http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/KK1.htm
(I don’t have any connection to Elderly Instruments, but I’ve been a satisfied customer there for many years. There are a lot of other reputable online dealers, as well.)
Keep in mind that, when using a piezo transducer, you’ll get better sound, and more control of your sound, if you have some kind of pre-amp, as well. The pickups that are outfited with a volume control, or a tone and volume pair, would provide you with the ability to control your volume and such from the intrument, during performance. Especially if you are using effects pedals, that’s a big plus!
If you are on a tight budget, like me, you can find some cool and useable stuff by nosing around on cigar-box guitar websites, like ones following:
http://www.cbgitty.com/
http://www.ebay.com/sch/merchant/tcrockerusa
There are pickups and lots of advice for musical instrument builders on this site:
http://windworld.com/products-page/electronic-hardware/
It’s also great fun to explore!
Peace and blessings!
I know Rakuten sells Tiger Electric Ehamisen at about 900 plus shipping. Don’t know their quality of sound or any of that but they seem to look nice
Whoa, how awesome Brett! I’ve got a lot of respect for your craftiness, that’s super resourceful.
More DIY than I would be able to manage, personally, but it’s a completly boss alternative to just shelling out all that dough and buying an electric outright.
The Beni-ya model that I linked is a higher end model than what I’ve played on, and Kevin-sensei told me that the one he owns cost him around $5-600. Much cheaper than an acoustic, but also less versatile.
I’ve never checked out Rakuten… hmm…
cool links Brett thanks . . . as for 3 string pickups I didn’t know such ones are available at all as far as I know piezo can be attached anywhere basically and turns any vibrations into electric signal whereas the magnetic ones have to be directly under the strings and only work with metal strings so not usable for shamisen and of course the third option would be using a good mic . . .
well I got a stick of wood that looks somewhat like a shamisen neck, I got a couple of bare piezo discs for 70 cents each, connector jacks, a foot of audio cable, guitar cable, soldering iron, marshall mini amp and gonna have some fun this weekend constructing my second 3 stringed something
Looks like you might be writing up your own step-by-step guide soon, eh?
Want a stick with strings too? Build your own in 12 easy steps!
I was considering rather getting “the book” sometime in case my craftmanship efforts might make a serious turn in an unforeseeable future . . .
so far I enjoy not knowing what I’m doing
so far I enjoy not knowing what I’m doing
Hahaha!!! Yay-verily! I can agree to that.
My dad has been encouraging to come up with instructions for a very simple shamisen. Something which anyone could make, like a kankara (Fences / Wesley Ueunten). It’s, well… it’s on the To Do list.
For my next instrument, I was considering making something along the lines of a kankara, but want a tone that would be less … uhm … tinny(?) To that end, I’ve purchased a 10 inch (25.4 cm) walnut frame drum, with a synthetic skin head. As frame drums have only a top head, I’ve made a solid back out of 0.125 inch (0.32 cm) birch laminate. This will be easy to remove, to access the pickups that will be attached to the underside of the permanently installed head. I’m staining the back to (I hope) match the walnut of the sides of the drum frame. It may be a while 'til I can finish this instrument, as health issues have me a bit tied up, just now, but I’ll post a note about how this works for a low-cost alternative to the real deal.
Peace and blessings!
I am sorry folks these posts are just too long for me to read through so I appologize if someone already mentioned this but the fully electric Shamisen by BENYA in Tokyo is actually much cheaper than Katohs Mugens and is an actual ELECTRIC instrument. Kaoths models are mostly hybrids of electric and acoustic Shamisen so they tend to sound like crap with certain effects and amplification whereas the BENYA models can Rock easily through a marshall stack with no limit on effects etc.
Oh HAHA… I just saw Grant`s post. Yeah… you did mention it. cool!
although we might build the cheapest electric and/or accoustic something I think we should open another forum topic for our creations . . .
I was definitely encouraged by the whole kankara thing just like earlier by the american cigar box or even simpler designs that were the roots of the blues . . .
I also don’t like the metal can sound though and @ Brett I didn’t mention that I was looking into maybe using drums / drum skins too got 2 small 10 cm drum skins on a metal ring (meant to be mounted on those little I don’t know “african” drums and maybe do something with them . . . guess one could maybe even fingerdrum on those at times widening the range of dynamic playing options . . .
since I was too hungover today to fire up the soldering iron I shall start tomorrow which is another day off for me . . . definitely gonna at least style future sticks with strings in a shamisen direction and would be fun to see the creations of others in another topic in the future too . . .
You taught me well, great Kmetz-Sensei. I still need my own though…