Sawari..building a round one?

Building/Repair
#1

I’m considering how to build the sawari and sourcing parts isn’t easy. Even with Kyle’s extremely super fantastic ultra awesome shamisen building book. I really do like it, it’s just fun to get ridiculous now and then, and it gets me through the frustrating parts like building a sawari.

I tried to find info on the round sawari and wonder if it has similar complex inner parts like the springs or does it rotate when it’s raised or lowered? Seems to me it could be a lot easier to source parts and build. Rectangular parts don’t work so well in my hobby lathe.

Are they flat across the tip, spherical, or round only the direction of the ito?

Is there any performance difference between round or rectangular? Or is it just not as cool looking?

#2

I have en-sawari on my silent shamisen.
It is much easer to fit to the sao, as only round hole needed. There is a cylindrical shell with base for 2 screws and the parts going inside of this shell. The inside is quite complicated.
It still has a spring inside and some inter-lapping parts to make sure the top does not rotate during adjustment. The wooden insert copies the shape of the sao to make sure the sawari point stays the same as for non-sawari instruments.
I do not see the difference between 2 different types of sawari except the aesthetic. Also it is much easier to prevent the tip from rotating on the square one for apparent reasons :wink:
Mine has some nasty resonance on some adjustment positions, hard to track it down to source. Most likely because the shell is tapered a bit and might be a bit loose in some positions

1 Like
#3

Thanks!
It sounds like the rectangular might be easier to build but harder to install.

Maybe the springs could use improvement in your round one. Heavier gauge, more range of motion…something like that.

© 2020 Kyle Abbott