Hey folks!
My bachi chipped a few weeks ago, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to create a short guide on fixing it.
Check it out here!
http://bachido.com/community/articles/repairing-a-chipped-bachi
Cool! Btw, does the faux bachi chip as well? More or less than the real bekkou?
Cool! Btw, does the faux bachi chip as well? More or less than the real bekkou?
Definitively less,I’m sure bout it Karl!
Kyle,I still didn’t discovered what the handle of very high quality bachi is made.
Could we order a fake bekkou with this kind of handle?
Karl: I Faux bekkou does chip as well, but from what I’ve heard, much less than real bekkou. (That doesn’t mean it won’t shatter if dropped 
)
Shinji: Ah, it depends! Handles of very high quality bachi can be made from plastic, kouki, laminated bekkou, water bufallo horn, anything! 
Unfortunately, faux bekkou are only made with the plastic handle.
Karl: I Faux bekkou does chip as well, but from what I’ve heard, much less than real bekkou. (That doesn’t mean it won’t shatter if dropped
Shinji: Ah, it depends! Handles of very high quality bachi can be made from plastic, kouki, laminated bekkou, water bufallo horn, anything!
Unfortunately, faux bekkou are only made with the plastic handle.
Kyle,sorry if this offends you or anyone,and I won’t care if bachido doesn’t offer it,but, like, if I send a shamisen dou abroad to repair the skin,and when I receive it,but it gets confiscated because of animal skin,does bachido offer warranty in these cases.
That doesn’t offend, Shinji!
If you want Bachido to do the kawahari, (I.e, sending it to Nitta san’s associate), then a warranty is offered for such a case.
Really?
That’s really awesome!
If I send my sanshin dou to Japan,so an associate of masahiro can repair it,do you think an similar warranty would be applied? (When the government confiscate the dou).
I am just asking,I will order the accessories first,and then ,later, get python Kawahari.
I have some confusion about prohibited stuff,and if I call the government,they will record my call,and can use that against me,if my questions are about prohibited stuff.
(Frightening :-< )
Anyways thanks for the info!
great article! with this we can longer the life of our bachi! what kind of Sandpaper I will use for a wooded shamisen?
After thinking about the case, I have to rephrase that.
Warranty is offered for the case if it gets broken/lost in shipping, or of the slight risk of getting confiscated for some reason. If you know that it’s illegal for a skinned instrument to be imported, and the chances of confiscation are as high as you predict it will be, we can’t offer warranty or the service.
In America, skin on an instrument is legal because it qualifies as a piece of traditional cultural heritage. Being that the rule differs in different countries. In this case, it’s up to the customer to be aware of their country’s laws.
Oh ok then,I will search a bit more. Then I will get the exact information .
Thanks Kyle! 
So, seeing as this topic started out about bachi , what about your bekkou and ivory bachi? Aren’t they illegal to import to the US and other countries?? (They’re both certainly illegal to bring into Canada…) Or does the US have an exemption from CITES/does the US classify them as “traditional cultural heritage” as well?
In the case of bekkou, it’s legal if it’s made for the bachi, as it qualifies as Japanese traditional culture (Oh wait, I already said that above!). To be safe, we include an explanation of the bachi in the box, so the Customs folks will be informed, and have had no problems.
(Oh wait, I already said that above!).
Actually, you said it specifically about skin, hence my question. Hey, if you guys (US) can get bekkou in under that cultural “loophole”, it might be worth me/Chords taking a look at our customs rules again…
Kyle, do you need any special documentation from the US for importing these materials? Reading about the issues with the guitars has made me concerned about traveling overseas with my shamisen.
As for raw materials, of course. In regards to traveling with the shamisen/bachi, I don’t think so. I haven’t heard of players carrying special documentation with their shamisen/bachi. If it’s questioned, it’s always best to politely explain that it’s a traditional Japanese cultural instrument.
With the guitar issue, are you referring to that raid on the Martin(?) guitar company for Brazilian Rosewood?
A lot of acoustic guitars were made pre-Washington convention with materials that are now highly regulated. The discussions I have read concerning this is that US Customs can seize any of these instruments and you can get a big fine. So many people are recommending to not travel with instruments that have any covered materials. The odds of getting hassled are low but the consequences are high.