Hello, I’m planning on building my first shamisen, and would like some advice on the skins. I’m aware that calf, goat, and synthetic skins exist, however, I was wondering if I could just use a thin sheet of wood over the dou. You see, I lack a lot of money and materials, but I still want to build a decent shamisen. I simply can’t see myself putting a skin on the dou with my current knowledge and materials. So I would like to know it the wood covering would sound ok, or if there is an easier way of stretching a skin over the dou. Of course, which doesn’t require a large jig, extensive materials, and a lot of money. I’m all ears for any opinions I can get, any info could be useful for my first shamisen.
Thank you, Dan