The above-mentioned materials are considered “standard” woods within the shamisen paradigm. However, amazing shamisen can be made with materials such as Maple, Purpleheart, Oak and more. For example, I have played a Maple shamisen built by a master craftsman and it sounded just as good as any shamisen made with “standard” woods. As long as the shamisen is skillfully crafted, it can be built from a wide variety of woods.