Hey guys, I have been thinking about hides that one could use to build a Tsugaru Shamisen. I know synthetic and Dog hide is the norm, but I was wondering if any of you have used different, exotic, skins. For example, Wolf hide. What works and what doesn’t? Thanks, you guys are awesome as always!
Believe it or not but I think Wolves might be too small…
what about armadillo skins ?
would be interesting 
or a skunk?
raccoon?
Kangaroo i think would really work
Apparently Kangaroo has been tried before, but never really caught on. Think it works though.
Aren’t wolves dogs’s cousins? Well I Never heard about kangaroo skin,but talking about skin…I just remembered of my uncle…when i told him about Dog skin he started joking,saying : “If you have a bulldog you can make 3 shamisen???” I didn’t enjoy the joke… It’s kinda cruel and inhuman…
Hahaha armadillo! I think skunk might work though… maybe.
hehe maybes, i would prefer to use synthetic in my preferance… but as money is tight i cant
and since the cat is 38 years older then me i have no complaints it wasnt killed for my benefit it was probably for a family then sooner or later it passed into my hands 
ill take good care of it
Haha, yah I’m still deciding if I should use synthetic or skin, but i’ll wait until Kyle comes back from Japan. Hmm… I wonder if fox would work…?
Anything might “work” but the sound would be very different. The properties of the leather is determined not just by the animal but also by the tanning process. It is probably best to stick to those made for instruments like drum heads or banjos.
I wouldn’t think a wolf would be too small.
Most importantly, the best skin to mimic dog is probably from a carnivore, because the skin is much more dense (not thicker, but denser) and so can be stretched tighter and give a sharper tone.
Banjo heads use calf skin, which is fine for nagauta shamisen, but won’t give the same tone as dog skin for tsugaru shamisen. An herbivore’s life is grazing, so tough skin wasn’t part of their evolution.
What about Coyote? Farmers often shoot them down because they attack their livestock. You might be able to get many hides there for free.
So far, I don’t think it will be possible to buy the plastic skin as a raw material. We shall see.
thanks for the advice Kyle and Michael. I think Wolf hide would be pretty interesting, and Kyle you bring up a good point about the wolf skin. Maybe i’ll use it when building my shamisen. I’ll tell you guys if the sound quality is good. Thanks again!
I would think a wolf hide would be harder to come by for most of us. I’m thinking coyote is the way to go. It’s still in the canine family and it will definitely be tough enough to handle the stretching Tsugaru shamisen needs.
Yah I was looking at Wolf skin and your right Grant. Very hard to find, and very expensive.
Wolf skin is expensive, I think Grant has hit the nail on the head with Coyote.
From what I understand if you want to make a shamisen and get a skin for it, you would have to get an air dried hide NOT a tanned skin. The leather is very stretchy and wouldn’t be good for a shamisen, but with an air dried hide all you would have to do is soak it in water, get the fur off and stretch it on and leave it as raw hide. least that is what I’ve been told…
I’ve been thinking about using rabbit, coyote, deer, or goat hide for shamisen skins.