So I finally got my hands on a shamisen!!! I was able to find a vintage one in great condition. It also came with a hard case and a lot of accessories. The problem is that everything has that old, musty, mildew smell. Within 5 seconds of opening the case, my allergies were going crazy, so unfortunately, I haven’t been able to play my shamisen yet. I have been trying to air everything out all day, but I haven’t had much luck. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get rid of the smell with out it being detrimental to the shamisen or the parts?
Maybe you should test it for mold? Don’t know what you can do about it then but perhaps that is the case.
That sucks Monica 
and if Karl is right and its mold it sucks even more :S
but let’s hope it’s not mold and someone has an answer for allergy shamisen
Hi Monica,
Giving it a good airing seems like the best way to start. Another option may be to try cleaning it, perhaps try using a damp cloth or maybe some warm soapy water. Then use some kind of wood polish and cleaner for the fretboard (be careful with this as not all cleaning substances are suitable for all types of wood).
If you do try cleaning it up, try changing the case or at least storing it somewhere else. This way it can breathe and (this may sound weird) start to gather scent from your own home environment. Playing it will also allow it to gather more of the oils and scent from your skin. This may also help if you get it to the stage where you can pick it up.
I sympathise because I have tons of freakin’ allergies.
Good luck!
Hey Monica,
I agree with the other guys, you should probably just let it air out. If it’s vintage and it’s been in Japan’s humid climate for a long time, it could probably use it lol.
Don’t get it wet though, water will dissolve the rice glue that holds the skin to the dou. You probably don’t want to spend a few hundred dollars getting that replaced ;).
And I’d definitely check what kind of wood polish you have before you use it. I think it’s probably a good idea to clean it off, but unlike a guitar, the shamisen’s neck isn’t sealed, so anything you put on there will get right into the grain of the wood.
Good luck with that! It’d be a real shame not to be able to play because of allergies.
The instrument itself isn’t too bad. It was recently re-skinned, so the smell seems to be coming out pretty well, but the case, doukake, neo, and bachi case are still smelly. I just have this feeling that if I put everything back in the case and close it all up, the problem will just come back. Do you think that if I put everything (excluding shamisen) back in the case with a box of baking soda and leave it for a few days, that the baking soda might take the smell out?
p.s. I’m not finding any mold on anything, so I don’t think that is a concern.
Perhaps you are allergic to shamisen? 
Sorry, that was mean! I’ll shut up now. 
that would be so sad! :’(
A little bicarbonate of soda (not sure what usa people call it, baking soda? )
Sprinkled in the case will absorb smells and damp and just brushed out after a little while will deodorise it. Be careful not to scrub if you get any on the wood of the shamisen as it’s amild abrasive. it won’t hurt it, just be scratchy, and isn’t allergenic, so nice and safe.
you could also try Febreze inside the case and on anything fabric, but dont use on shamisen may damage the wood.
I also play accordion and have had this same issue with a few different accordions. To begin with, I don’t store the accordions in their cases. I got a spray from the hardware store used to get rid of musty smells and kill mold and I used it in the case. I left the case closed for an hour and then opened it up to let it dry out and repeated several times. This helped quite a bit! I’ve also tried getting the musty smell out of old accordions, I would’t spray the instrument but I’ve put the accordion in a sealed trashbag with a humidifier (basically a sponge) soaked in vinegar. This also helped, but wasn’t totally effective. Because the glues used for the shamisen head shouldn’t be exposed to humidity I would be wary about the vinegar thing.