Southern Chinese sanxian, shami-relative

Building/Repair
#1

(Another eBay project) You probably know that there is a link btw Chinese sanxian - Okinawan sanshin - Japanese shamisen. Maybe you have seen a picture or YT video, but not close-up shots. I’m posting pictures of a vintage Southern Chinese sanxian, which I picked up because I love old junk, esp. with materials like bone. Another musty instrument I am airing out and bringing back to life.

This might interest those of you who are luthiers &/or instrument builder types, to see the construction of this instrument. // Photos show: size comparison to a Jiuta shamisen; (sorry, I don’t know the shamisen terms yet…) where necksao connects to body/dou; it is a 4-piece body (not a 1-piece); friction frets; nut of ? semi-precious stone; wood saddle instead of a corded-neo; bamboo bridge; one piece neck (with slight warp); the colors and lines in the pictures will hint or show how it is constructed, like the head section; and not shown, I think when you buy new strings from China, they are coated wound metal. Real snakeskin head, frontside is torn- ripped down the middle but the backside is tight with two small pin holes (which I have also seen in old Okinawan snakeskin sanshin).

Since the Chinese sanxian’s dou has a flat-level shape where the neck connects, not curved contour like a shamisen, you can easily flip the head around. From broken… flip body around… playable!

Southern Chinese sanxian photos:

#2

If you like old instruments and music:

#3

I thought I would update on how I patched the broken snakeskin.

This large-size Southern Chinese Sanxian had a torn front skin, made of real snake skin. I flipped the body/dou, so the backside becomes the front-playing side. However, that still didn’t solve the broken skin issue. I have python skin and can get python alternatives too (and literally, you can hunt your own jumbo python or iguana here in South Florida as exotic animals run wild) but haven’t tried stretching it yet (I have watched many Okinawan sanshin videos on YT) and don’t like the idea of non-matching look. So in the meantime, I made a patch using a foam insert, some clear caulk, and weights to flatten out curl. I wished I had a finger like E.T. to insert inside the dou and support the work… but lacking a super-long finger, I used bamboo chopsticks and a letter opener teetering like a see-saw through dou openings to try my best. The caulk is paintable, so you can paint snake scales to match or add pearl flecks, or just let dry to clear. I used a wine cork to make a higher bridge, as the Chinese bamboo ones were too low; wine cork being easy to cut, and it helped cover up two pin holes to prevent bugs and dust from getting inside, and it is soft on the snake skin. Maybe not the best repair, but a decent temporary patch.

Before:

After:

All snakeskin photos:

#4

Thank you for posting this, hopefully you still receive this after 8 years! I teach music and build instruments, and I am looking for information on the sanxian. It is surprisingly hard to find! If you still receive this, I was hoping you had some measurement info? All I need is one dimension, and I can extrapolate the rest from there, although i’ll take any measurements you are willing to share. I am hoping to make a plan and build a sanxian to have a student play during a concert with other traditional Chinese instruments. Thanks again, this is a great resource!

© 2020 Kyle Abbott