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One of our first and most popular shamisen has finally returned! The Eclipse has been absent for many years due to the unavailability of tochikarin (highly figured Karin) in matching colors. For example, the lumber for sao wood was tan and the lumber for the tenjin would be brownish-pink. Why does this matter? Well, unlike other shamisen which can be stained or colored with tinted urushi, the Eclipse is finished with Tokyo Wagakki's renowned polishing technique, which takes two weeks to apply and uses no lacquers nor colorings. Such a polish gives the entire shamisen a deep warm glow, but retains the colors of the natural wood. Thus, while a shamisen with different color tones wouldn't affect the sound, the craftsmen at Tokyo Wagakki weren't pleased with the visual aesthetic, and so we paused production of this model... until now! After many years, tochikarin wood in matching colors came back in stock, and we're finally able to bring the Eclipse back to the Bachido Store! Read more about this exciting shamisen below! Also, check out our exciting new Eclipse: Special Edition!

Color Will Vary

As you can see in the photo, the left Eclipse has a redder hue than the right Eclipse. There is no difference in quality nor tone, but it's simply the natural color of the polished wood. As stated above, the Eclipse uses no stain or lacquers, so please know that any particular Eclipse shamisen might be redder or tanner than another.