just thought i would show the Bachido guys and girls this shamisen that i just saw on ebay. i have no idea the style or anything. idk if im going to buy but i just thought i would show you guys 
ho my god i feel like everything is in the wrong place in this shamisen exept the strings
ho my god i feel like everything is in the wrong place in this shamisen exept the strings
shamifail
I saw 99cents and yelled this to the computer
Then I saw the skin and gave it the stale face -____-
Looks like a hosozao (nagauta) shamisen. The nut seems to be missing. The seller says the neck is rosewood (shittan). Hmn. Mmmaybe. But, dude, even if it’s karin you aint gonna find a cheap one these days. Unless it’s, you know, cheap as in a crappy Chinese quasi-shami. (My karin hosozao cost over 6 hunnet smackers two years ago, before the prices skyrocketed!) And this one seems to be the real deal. The ripped skin is a problem, but there are poeple in this group who can replace that. Overall I like it if you got nothin’ else. Then again, I’m no expert.
I agree with Chet. You should expect to put some work into any used shamisen, especially if it is cheap. It is hard to find one used on Ebay with an intact skin. It is difficult to tell without seeing it, but the tear is still minor and as it is on the back can probably be taped up and stabilized. It all depends on the price if it is worth it.
The dou looks split already, but the skin will keep it together, so it probably won’t be an immediate problem.
Meh, $40 for an instrument? It’s hard to pass that up! 