hi,
can anyone help me me find out how thick a real tortoiseshell bachi would be?
i’m currently organising my plastics and want to see if i can get the correct thickness.
(actually all measurements of different kinds of bachi would be useful, so pls, go ahead with the ruler and bombard me XD )
any help appreciated.
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Heyya amanda i’m actually getting a real one ^^ if you still need when i get mine ill make a big sketch/ traceing of it.
will be about a week probably for it to get to me, when it shows up in bedford at my bf’s. But i can get measurements then ^^
Would be curious to compare mine with others anyways 
ooo lovely, there are so many materials and i have a definite idea for a design style, i REALLY want to try it as they’d look pretty good, but i HAVE to make a prototype and have someone play with it to check wear and strength
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Amanda
I have 2 and actually just took my wife to my favorite shamisen shop for an hour long crash course on bachi the other day~
as far as bachi go, the handle thickness is generally fairly standardized
Although when buying a real tortoise shell bachi (bekkou bachi) most people start by modifying the following:
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handle length - may get cut to match the persons hands or weight needs
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handle edges - a brand new bachi has somewhat hard edges, so they get sanded down to make it easier and more comfortable to hold
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bachi playing surface thickness - more often than not, a brand new bekkou bachi will start out too thick to be easily used for playing. So the playing surface gets sanded and thinned for some bachi depending on how flexible the player wants it.
I just bought a brand new bekkou bachi about a month ago, and have yet to get it modified. The handle is a little long, the edges are still a little sharp, and the playing surface is much thicker than the one I regularly use to play and is much less flexible
If you would like I could take some pictures and measurements come July
Cheers!
Bekkou bachi’s thickness is different with the player’s favor.Some senior including my sensei shave by themselves,the thinner is the more flexible.Yoshida brothers uses thick bachi, it can make louder sound, but the burden of the wrist increase, so elder player tend to use thinner, flexible bachi.
Just a thought.
If you use stiff bachi it should be possible to play further out on the bachi tip and still have the power to get a good sukui going. Am I right?
And this means being able to play a bit faster.
from what i understand of thickness etc as well as tone is that the thinner ones may have more flex but will chip and wear faster than a thicker version (this is various synthetics i’m talking about)
Yes (^-^) it is likely that a thinner bachi will wear out and chip faster, but a point that is rarely touched upon when discussing bekkou bachi and their flexibility, is that most bekkou bachi have a stiff edge and a flexible edge.
An easy way to tell which is which, is the lighter the color, the more flexible.
Every bachi I have ever owned has been like this, but many newer players are unaware.
Perhaps everyone was already keen to this point, but I just wanted to share (^-^)
that is very interesting.
the materials i’m looking at are all various thicknesses and strengths, but i’m trying to go for something that will be usable for some time (durable) BUT also have some flexibility.
there are about 3 different synthetics i’ve shortlisted, and all vary quite a lot in properties.
this is one of the reasons i’m interested in what everyone else thinks and their experiences.
If you use stiff bachi it should be possible to play further out on the bachi tip and still have the power to get a good sukui going. Am I right? And this means being able to play a bit faster.
I think sukui is harder to do with a stiff bachi no matter what. :-S
However, I find suberi/oshibachi is easier with a stiff bachi than a flexible one, especially for a song like Akita Nikata Bushi.
Masahiro plays with a very flexible, but heavy Bachi. He has the best tone I’ve ever heard, so I trust that it has something to do with it.
However I believe that learning with a stiff bachi is actually better for you to develop a stronger sound.
The harder ones also last longer and won’t break as easily.
I noticed something when playing yesterday that you reminded me of Grant. I was playing with less force than usual and noticed I got a bad tone. I asked myself why and tried to analyze the situation. I noticed that when I was striking the string, I applied a motion with my thumb. When I changed into focusing on being stationary with my fingers and just apply the force with my arm the tone was much better.
Just came to mind when talking about the stiffness of the bachi.
weighing up the materials i was thinking of, i’ve chosen a type of polymer that’s used for stiff hardwearing picks in a standard thickness. just have to save up a little as the shipping is a little more than i bargained for. damnit, wish that i could source my materials in the UK.
was thinking about a 3 layer sandwich of: softwood, polymer AND hardwood, softwood.
walnut, mahogany and oak seem to be available in the same thicknesses as the polymer, freely and at no too high a cost in the UK
thoughts anyone?
should i also order some of the more flexible polymer?
Hey Amanda! As far as woods go, you should check out boxwood thicknesses and costs as well. I know from talking to flutemakers that the UK is famous for its boxwood, so perhaps it’ll be fairly simple (and hopefully cheap) for you to source?
In Japan, “Tsuge (boxwood) Bachi” are prized for their really pleasant sound (and expense…). They use oak for the handle and boxwood for the upper portion. Maybe worth looking into?
Good luck on your bachi making! Definitely keep us all posted as to how things work out!
thank you, that’s very useful information indeed.
getting hold of wood isn’t a problem…it’s the polymer materials
(i live in an area that’s heavily wooded and can get almost any kinds of timber i want)