Hi all!
I’ve been considering picking up the Akatsuki as it’s absolutely beautiful, and the sound of the ripple is stunning. The black looks really cool and I would be more than happy with that, but I’m curious:
Can one (through bachido) get the Akatsuki with white ripple instead? Or is it only limited to black?
Thank you!
What’s the akatsuki?
It’s a new shamisen sold in the bachido store made by Tokyo Wagakki, the same guys that made the Eclipse.
Hi Ian, I’m pretty sure Kyle mentioned somewhere that Ripple comes in white as well.
Oh, ok! It’s just that on the store page the options are just white Fibersen or just black ripple. Not sure why, then…
Maybe it’s a special order kind of thing. But I’m positive that he told me It came in both colors.
What type of shamisen is it?
Alright then, thanks Josh! I guess I could just request it in the request box thing if I get it.
Sakura, it’s a tsugaru shamisen, and the neck can be either chuzao or futozao, depending on your pick. It’s got a unique tenjin (head) design that’s pretty cool.
Hey folks! I just added the White ripple option. Sorry, I shoulda done that a long time ago. 
I have the Eclipse in white ripple and love it.
Phil, can you post an image of your Eclipse with the white ripple?
http://imgur.com/h0VSzNi
http://imgur.com/cyGFvj9
http://imgur.com/2IlyZoT
The top is opaque white and extremely tight (loud!) (I added a bachigawa strip but probably didn’t need it). The back is somewhat transparent where it is glued to the dou.
Thanks Phil!
With the synthetic skins, I imagine the could eventually have a wider variety of colors and even custom designs. I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been painted/dyed natural skins. Too niche a market?