Hey guys! When building a Shamisen, I was wondering what types of wood work best. I know Kouki is the best but I have no connections to anyone who could get me that. Also what should I look for in wood for making a shamisen? Thanks, as always!
Kyle can probably answer this with more detail seeing as he is the one involved in instrument building but one way to test if the wood is good or not (I mean specifically for Shamisen building) is to see wether or not it floats in water. Generally if it floats its not preferred. It’s better to use heavier wood, so look to see that it sinks to the bottom.
thanks for the advice! Just wondering does that mean the wood has to be dense to prevent from warping?
http://www.advantagelumber.com/bloodwood.htm
My Grandpa used to get some of his woods from here, this is where I think I’m going to try to get some for my shamisen after I build a cheap one just using pine (to get the hang of the pattern). So I don’t know how much shipping is…
Missed part of what I was going to say…
As long as the wood isn’t oily I don’t think it would matter as long as it is hard enough so it doesn’t warp. Anything above 1500 on the Janka scale should work alright
Thanks a lot Chris, and also thanks for the link it’ll help a lot!
If you happen to order from there before I do, let me know what shipping is like! Otherwise I’ll let everyone know when I order from there!
Ok You probably will first, but if I do i’ll tell you for sure
For reference Kyle recommended padauk in his book which has a Janka hardness of 1720. Kouki is 2940.
Osage orange is one of the harder North American woods at 2690. You can get some bow staves at reasonable prices to make the sao. Unfortunately Osage orange is a small tree and pieces big enough for the dou aren’t available. It is a beatiful yellow wood and would make an interesting shamisen.
Ah yeah. Padauk was the best wood I could find at that time. I should now update it with “Bloodwood.” That’s been an awesome wood to work with.
Michael, do you know the scientific name for Kouki?
Yah I think Bloodwood would look nice, I think what i’ll do first is make all the parts of the shamisen (that are wooden) out of a cheaper wood first, just to practice at it (not to play with though), and then make one with better wood. Thanks for all the advice guys!
Kyle, the scientific name for kouki is Pterocarpus santalinus. Here is the Wiki page:
The only other kouki object I have been able to find so far are for chess pieces. Check this out:
http://www.thechessstore.com/category/00010-wood-chess-sets.3-wood-combination.7-red-sandalwood-boxwood/
By the way kouki lumber / raw material is listed as CITES appendix II. I have been told by shamisen makers in Japan that it is getting hard for them to get.
Aaaah… very interesting. Red sandalwood. I’ve heard it called Red Sandalwood before, but when I told my friend, she laughed and said that Red sandalwood (which she owned a bit of) was really soft. It must’ve been a different variety of sandalwood.
Red Sandalwood is really fascinating, especially the immense value it’s had for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Right, probably bloody impossible to import into the US as well.
I had the opprotunity to get enough kouki for a sao in 2010 (In Japan). It would’ve been $550~ for the wood and $350~ for shipping. I was this close to getting it, but sense came to me and I declined. Now I realize that I may not have been able to import it anyway. 
Anywho, very interesting! Glad to finally know the actual name for it, and happy that bloodwood is quite close. 
Did you know, Padauk is called “Indokarin” (Indian Karin) in Japanese? Perhaps Padauk would be best used for the dou, and bloodwood for the sao/tenjin.
Kyle, I have not been able to find any information on the properties of karin. In your experience does padauk seem to have about the same physical characteristics and sound and karin?
Physically-wise, it looks strikingly similar. I first got Padauk after reading that it was used for Igil (the Tuvan fiddle). When I received it, I thought, “Wow! That looks just like the shamisen I’m borrowing!” (which was dyed-red karin).
Sound wise, I can only assume it’s similar, but I never did a proper kawahari on it. :-S