I wanted to buy this shamisen for my starter shamisen and then reskin to fibersen, but now i’m not sure if the fingerboard on this shamisen is bad and even going to make it not worth buying and reskin
Could somebody please tell me?
I was actually eyeing that one myself for a friend (but I’m going to pass). It looks good, and the price is about right. I’d go for it!
I dunno, looks like the joints on the neck are coming apart. It’s possible that whoever took the picture just didn’t know to snap them fully into place, but it’s equally as possible that they don’t go together anymore, in which case… move along, nothing to see here.
That’s the same ebay store where I bought mine. I think it looks fine. It’s up to you if you want it but I say have a look at some of the other ones available and see if you can find another one you like.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Musical-Instruments-Gear-/619/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_ssn=ei8hasgwe&_sac=1
The seller communicated really well with me but since I (stupidly) picked the longest shipping method (surface mail) because it was cheaper I ran out of time to leave feedback before I got the instrument. So I’d advise against you making the same mistake. Better to have it in a few weeks and pay more than wait three months.
Good luck, anyway.
That’s the same ebay store where I bought mine. I think it looks fine. It’s up to you if you want it but I say have a look at some of the other ones available and see if you can find another one you like.
The seller communicated really well with me but since I (stupidly) picked the longest shipping method because it was cheaper I ran out of time to leave feedback before I got the instrument. So I’d advise against you making the same mistake. Better to have it in a few weeks and pay a bit more than three months.
Good luck, anyway.
But it’s Int’l shipping and says 4-8 business days only, either it’s lying, or you were in very bad luck =/
#EDIT
Ok i read the details and it says 8-12 weeks =/
Yeah, I ordered it during the summer. Back when Royal Mail was still a public service and Christmas decorations were only just starting to show up in the city centre. Lol.
Totally worth it, though but then I’ve had to wait longer for packages (nearly four months for a can of Mr.Super Clear) so my tolerance for waiting has been permanently skewed.
Well, international shipping can be dicey sometimes. When I ordered my bachi, it got to LA in 4 days, but then customs held onto it there for like a month and a half! I could have just driving there and gotten it in a few hours, but noooo, they wanted it to live in the warehouse for a while. 
I did get it eventually, though.
I dunno, looks like the joints on the neck are coming apart. It’s possible that whoever took the picture just didn’t know to snap them fully into place, but it’s equally as possible that they don’t go together anymore, in which case… move along, nothing to see here.
But if you scroll down you see pictures of the shamisen seperated. Maybe he just didn’t want to snap it fully into place because then it would be hard to seperate again for the pictures he was going to take afterwards
Possible, but it’s also a bit of wishful thinking. I know that if I were looking to sell something I wouldn’t take any shortcuts and would make sure to show it in the best possible condition.
Oh, I think that one is fine, especially for the price. The gaps are super small. When mine was damaged, and we put it back together, I had gaps in it for a while that settled in. Now you can’t even see them. (I’m actually a bit afraid to take the sao apart again.)
Also, eBay has a 30 day grief policy. The seller is obligated to disclose any damage. If he didn’t do that, the buyer can open up a grief ticket with eBay. This messes up the seller rating. That seller has a 99% rating - EXTREMELY good for how many sales he does.
I think it’s okay, and the doukake and neo look brand new! If you bought those two things alone, you’d pay more than 118 dollars (he dropped the price since last I saw!)
Haha, better go for it, or I might buy it for my friend! The shamisen she has now has a sao with like a 30 degree warp in it. She plays in a circle, lol!
Oh, I think that one is fine, especially for the price. The gaps are super small. When mine was damaged, and we put it back together, I had gaps in it for a while that settled in. Now you can’t even see them. (I’m actually a bit afraid to take the sao apart again.)
Also, eBay has a 30 day grief policy. The seller is obligated to disclose any damage. If he didn’t do that, the buyer can open up a grief ticket with eBay. This messes up the seller rating. That seller has a 99% rating - EXTREMELY good for how many sales he does.
I think it’s okay, and the doukake and neo look brand new! If you bought those two things alone, you’d pay more than 118 dollars (he dropped the price since last I saw!)
Haha, better go for it, or I might buy it for my friend! The shamisen she has now has a sao with like a 30 degree warp in it. She plays in a circle, lol!
Just letting you know i just bought that shamisen, so you won’t be able to buy it to your friend =/ Thanks for the advice, i was really insecure about the joint gaps, because of Jamie Lows’ advice, but atleast i have 200$ to get that repaired, just in case.
I was kidding, I would never buy that from under you if I knew you wanted it! 
but - it’s true that my friend’s shamisen has a twisted neck. It’s really funny to watch her play!
Please let me know how it worked out, and btw, Jamie is AWESOME!! He is truly an advanced and awesome player, so his advice is always great. But I really do think that those gaps are going to close, like mine did. I also think that the seller didn’t want to force the Sao together, or perhaps was working really quickly. He’s a big seller, and probably had a lot to post so he was working fast. Good luck! Please post a video of your playing! (Sorry Jamie, hope I didn’t step on any toes! I think you’re awesome!)