I just found this old sanshin that belonged to my grandfather and I would love to repair it for its sentimental value. However, the snake skin is very damaged. Does anybody know whether the skin can be fixed? Or is it beyond repair? I live in Mexico, and I haven’t found anyone who specializes in these type of instruments, so my aim is to learn if there’s a way for me to fix it by myself, or if anybody knows someone in Mexico or the US who knows how to repair Sanshin. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!
Howdy. Welcome.
Your sanshin seems to have a synthetic skin. What you see is the outer layer flaking off and becoming delaminated.
It may actually still be playable just… not very pretty to look at. Unfortunately, I am not as well versed in sanshin as I am in shamisen.
If you hop onto the discord, our resident sanshin aficionado may be able to help!
Cheers.