More horn bachi

Building/Repair
#1

It has been a while since I update everyone on my horn bachi projects. Since there are new bachi related posts, I thought it was a good time to post the new info.

I have made two other horn bachi since my first project. (http://bachido.com/community/forum/414)

The first was a tsugaru style bachi again using black horn and ebony. I made it from an intact horn, which was a lot of work. I also weighted it with a core of lead. Here are a few pictures.

Here it is finished compared to an authentic bekko bachi.

It weighs about 109 grams compared to the commercial bachi at 135 grams.

#2

The second bachi is tsuyama jiuta style. This was made of yellow horn and figured mahogany. I made the handle from two pieces to make it easier to insert a lead weight. It is slightly smaller than a large size bachi but it is still quite big.

It weighs ~180 grams. For comparison I have a full size ivory bachi without weights which is 248 grams.

#3

I have been using these two bachi almost exclusively for 6 months. Here are a few observations.

  1. There is a lot of lead in a bachi to give it sufficient weight. These two are still very underweight despite adding a good hunk of lead. I think that a heavy bachi is actually easier to use as it almost strikes the strings by itself.

  2. The horn has excellent string feel and flexibility. I prefer it to the bekko one, although I haven’t tried to alter the bekko tips to give it a better feel. Bachi can be altered to taste. Thinning out the tip gives it more flex and the shape of the tip effects the string feel.

  3. They show no significant wear so the horn is very durable.

  4. People have commented on the pressure on the fingers especially the pinky. I have made mine with slightly rounded corners to remedy this. I had the same issue with commercial plastic and wood bachi but a slight rounded edge solved the problem for me.

For $15-20 you can have a custom bachi made to your hand and preferences. I recommend buying pieces of horn that are pre-flattened and cut to rectangles. Also buy a thin one, ~1/8 inch if you can. This will save a lot of time in sanding it out. Now I can probably make a tsugaru bachi in one day start to finish.

#4

Those are awesome and beautiful! Very well done~
It’d be rad to check them out in person; get a feel for them and such.

#5

wow that grayish black one looks awesome . . . :slight_smile:

#6

beautiful work, and i like the suggestion of the 1/8th of an inch, i spent so long sanding down my large chunk it was ridiculous.

Keep going, i love the differences in look

#7

they both look awesome! :smiley:

#8

Very nice! The yellow horn looks extra cool since it is see thru!

Also buy a thin one, ~1/8 inch if you can. This will save a lot of time in sanding it out.

Where do you find pre-flattened ~1/8 inch thick horn slabs? All the horn knife scales I’ve seen are too thick and too short. I was just going to get a raw horn and try to flatten it out.

#9

any chance I could buy a bachi from you/ pay you to make me a horn bachi? It seems to be the best quality without being a ridiculous price, but I lack the precision skill to make a good one for myself.

#10

These are awesome! I want to try it.

#11

What timing, Michael! With the recent discussion on bachi making, your first thread has been brought up a bit. So coming back with these new bachi could not have come at a better time! :slight_smile:

Both bachi look very professional, and the mahogany looks lovely. A shame that it’s still so light despite the amount of lead you put in. Do you know the size of the metal they typically use? As I have probably said before, Hiroshi Nitta cut out the inside of his bachi himself to stick in an even heavier piece of lead. Mine is 280 grams, and I believe his felt even heavier.

You’re right, because the bachi is so heavy, it does a lot of striking for you. :wink: Interestingly enough, I notice that those with really light bachi (Yoshida Brothers, for example) have really wide bachi motions, whereas those with heavier bachi (like the Nittas) don’t lift their bachi too high. Both have great tone, so it seems the almost polar opposite motion of the two is a symptom of the bachi weight more than anything else.

Beautiful work, Michael!

#12

Cody,
Ebay is a good place to look for horn pieces, not just for knife scales. I was lucky to find a 1/8 inch for the yellow horn. The black was from a 1/4 inch plate. For tsugaru style the horn dimensions are smaller and they are easier to find acceptable pieces but finding a good width is the hardest problem. I have worked from a raw horn and it is A LOT more work. I also did not get as good of a flat result that I wanted.

Bryan,
Thanks for the support, but I just don’t have the time these days. I can’t even practice like I need to with work and travel.

Kyle,
I haven’t cut open a plastic bachi to see how much metal they use. The wooden ones I have seen use around as much as I did, however that style of bachi is usually much lighter than jiuta style. People definitely have different styles and preferences. The nice thing about making it yourself is that you can experiment and find what works for you.

I like Cana’s suggestion of adjustable weights. This could easily be done by using a round hole in the handle that you put in different sets of filler plugs.

#13

For some reason, I didn’t think plastic bachi use weights, but perhaps it’s molded with a stick of lead in the middle?

Indeed, that’s the awesome thing about the trend of shamisen. These days, makers are becoming very encouraging for experimentation and adapting for personal preference.

#14

I am not 100% on the weighting of the plastic ones, but I have a hard time believing that they aren’t since plastic isn’t usually nearly that dense.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott