My Giantly Tragical History

General
#1

Hey guys…

I am back from Campinas,where I was for new years eve.
Today,9 AM, I received a call from a sanshin manufacturer,

3 weeks ago I visited his house,and left my sanshin there,so he could repair it.

Today, like 3 PM, I visited him again to get my sanshin.

He was setting the uma (koma) when I noticed a little difference on the Sao.

When I looked closely,there was it,a huge crack on the bottom of the sao, on the saruo I think.

The sanshin Is very antique,and came to Brazil in 1962,the owner already passed away,and then, the sanshin was given to me.

Manufacturer couldn’t explain What happened,but I noticed his nervous face.

I created a Unbelievable affection for the sanshin,I didn’t let any dirty finger touch it,but the manufacturer,who is very skilled,in my opinion broke it.

So…what you guys think about my situation?

I will soon post photos.

Kyle or anyone, when shamisen breaks or cracks,like the tenjin,is it fixable?

Thanks!

#2

Oooh snap!

Sorry to hear that, Shinji. However, it sounds like something that could be repaired easily with regular wood glue.

Unlike computers or relationships, when it comes to wood, anything is fixable. :slight_smile:

#3

Yeah sorry to hear that Shinji :confused:

Has he admitted it was his fault? Here, any serious craftsman will be insured if these things happen.

I usually take pictures of stuff I send for repairs to see that nothing has broken when I get it back.

#4

He was avoiding talking to the problem,and was saying he did nothing.

But, a sanshin wouldn’t break himself alone.

Kyle, many people said that wood glue could solve it,but i don’t have the broken piece. :frowning:

#5

Yep… Get his statement on paper and take lots of photos. Don’t know what next though

sorry to hear it ofc

#6

Here is tho photo guys:

#7

If only computers and relationships could be more like wood…sigh. (thanks for the comparison Kyle) but sorry to hear Shinji.

#8

Nothing big here, but it’s probably the manufacturer’s fault, if it was a crack in the body it could have been the humidity or dryness that could have cause the brake, but here it’s obviously something else .

You can take the neck to a luthier and make it repair, or you can do it yourself , just make a little piece of ebony that fits the crack, glue it, clean it, then a little bit of sanding and refinishing the part of the neck with some shellac, but if the neck is finished with urushi, you better make it repair by a guy who really knows how to apply urushi.

#9

Fortunately, it’s somewhat superficial. (I mean, it’s a big chunk, but besides the visual damage, it hasn’t “broken” the sanshin, if you know what I mean)

Yeah, what Florian says. :slight_smile:
Is it possible to do a touch-up job with urushi? (I have no idea)

#10

Well from my past experiences with collecting nihonto I heard that you can re-lacquer sword sayas (and therefore anything else) an unlimited number of times, and that Sao definately looks laquered. It may be urushi or cashew laquer but im not sure how to tell the difference between the two. It’s likely something that can be fixed, but it’s not going to be a “do it yourself” repair.

That looks like an odd bit of damage, like it probably hit something hard and chipped. Sorry Shinji :frowning:

#11

Ey, this manufacturer are doing this very wrong. If he brokes something, he must pay it or the the repair. So sad your sanshin its broke, but for the other part, It seems not to be a very hard broke.

I hope the manufacturer makes a repair for you.

#12

He Is avoiding talking to me,saying he doens’t make the repair and it isnt his fault. anyways,I think it will stay like that for a while

#13

Ok…

Musical communities are always interconected so, talk with everybody in your town about how he brokes your instrument and how he avoids talk to you or repair your instrument.

He will make a “good” reputation in a short days.

he is doing wrong…for himself…

#14

I agree with Paco. I think it’s obvious that he should both talk to you directly and then secondly pay for the damage. Even if something happened and it’s not his fault. Still, he must know that he took it into his care and even if an accident happens while he is caring for it that doesn’t excuse him from responsibility. I hope he will speak directly to you. Otherwise I think he is being irresponsible and a bit immature. Even if nothing, still he should not avoid you. That sounds like a child behavior.

#15

I agree. That looks like a weird chip or crack though… almost like he was taking a sample piece or something. I’m probably wrong, I’ve seen some wood split off in some crazy ways, but still… it almost looks as if there’s a recess in the tip of the almost perfect triangular shape where a blade or saw might have been. Just don’t deal with the guy anymore.

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