Hello, I’m not a huge expert and is saving up for the Sakura Shamisen
I was trying to buy something to pratice for now but won’t go anywhere under 500
what do you think about this 2 Shamisen?
Do you think it is quality? The seller is from Japan
Also this one
Mmmmmm, both of them are quite different actually.
It depends of the style of Shamisen that you want to commit to for the time being. Nagauta is more traditional, slower and goes well with Kabuki (a little harder to appreciate for western audiences). Tsugaru is faster and commonly used in Japanese folkloric songs (friendlier to western audiences).
Personally, Tsugaru is my favorite style because is more versatile.
I cannot tell you much about the quality but I can recommend you to avoid plastic based skins, the produce a quite unpleasant song.
Hello EliotSpellman, I understand the position you are in with this choice of shamisen. I have been in this same situation before and I can tell you my solution. I bought a shamisen with a plastic skin, then emailed Kyle and had him reskin my shamisen with Hibiki. This skin is really great, I highly recommend this skin. If you want to learn more about this skin, go to the bachido store, click repairs and click skin repair. By purchasing a low quality skin shamisen, you can cheat prices and get it reskinned. The shamisen I bought had a really horrible sounding skin, but now it sounds so rich, clear and vibrant. I hope this helps you with your problem! -Connor
How do you know this one is made of plastic skin?