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Looking to have the skins of your shamisen replaced with…Looking to have the skins of your shamisen replaced with a fresh natural skin? No problem at all! All you have to do is send your dou (soundbox) to Kyle and he will remove the old skins and replace them with new natural skins. After you order the service, Kyle will send you the shipping information and will start working on your repair as soon as he receives your dou. Note:Â Currently, Kyle is replacing natural skin for nagauta and jiuta shamisen. For those wanting high tension natural skin for tsugaru shamisen, he will connect you with his partner in Japan.
Possible extra costs
- Broken Dou: The glue on vintage shamisen is known to fail due to age. Sometimes, the corner joints of the dou are already separated and are simply held together by the skins alone! When this happens, the dou must be reglued before reskinning. Please note there may be a $50 to $100 extra fee if this happens.
- Rubber Pad (Dou Gomu): If your dou has a rubber pad (dou gomu) attached to it, please remove it before shipping. Unlike new dou gomu, (which peel off easily and cleanly) the rubber of old dou gomu are often partially disintegrated and crumble when trying to remove it. It's a considerable hassle, and there may be $20 extra fee to remove it.
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Made in Japan by Tokyo Wagakki, we've got itomaki sets…Made in Japan by Tokyo Wagakki, we've got itomaki sets made of faux zouge! These itomaki are intended for tsugaru shamisen. Theoretically they could be fitted in smaller shamisen (nagauta, jiuta, etc), but those shamisen have smaller tenjin, and thus the itomaki would be more difficult to use, and so it's not recommended.
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Length: 170mm Blade Width: 86mm Handle Width (Base): 25.5mm Handle…Length: 170mm Blade Width: 86mm Handle Width (Base): 25.5mm Handle Width (Blade*): 32mm Handle Height (Base): 25.5mm Handle Height (Blade*): 9mm *The feathered edge where blade and handle first connect, (towards middle of handle, not the edge of handle)
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Made in Japan by Tokyo Wagakki, we've got a whole…Made in Japan by Tokyo Wagakki, we've got a whole line of colorful acrylic itomaki! Although it's not shown in the pictures, the pegs of all itomaki have a metal core for added strength. These itomaki are intended for tsugaru shamisen. Theoretically they could be fitted in smaller shamisen (nagauta, jiuta, etc), but those shamisen have smaller tenjin, and thus the itomaki would be more difficult to use, and so it's not recommended.
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Made in Japan by Tokyo Wagakki, we've got three beautiful…Made in Japan by Tokyo Wagakki, we've got three beautiful styles of ebony itomaki: Mentori (trimmed edges), Soragara (star shape), Soragara Mentori (star shape with trimmed edges). These itomaki are intended for tsugaru shamisen. Theoretically they could be fitted in smaller shamisen (nagauta, jiuta, etc), but those shamisen have smaller tenjin, and thus the itomaki would be more difficult to use, and so it's not recommended.
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If you play your shamisen and notice particular notes sounding…If you play your shamisen and notice particular notes sounding especially dull or harshly buzzy, there's a good chance your sao has kanberi. Kanberi is basically wear-and-tear naturally caused by the act of pressing the string against the sao repeatedly over the course of years. Releveling the sao completely removes this wear and restores the full resonance of a shamisen, making it sound brand new again. After purchasing this service, Kyle will send you an email with instructions for shipping. Please be prepared to ship your whole shamisen.
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Get closer to your shamisen idols! The Signature Bachi are…Get closer to your shamisen idols! The Signature Bachi are made in collaboration with the hottest shamisen stars of today. Every star player involved has given us their preferred weight, balance and shape of their favorite bachi, and the maker creates them with synthetic bekko called Neoko. Check out the exact weight and measurements of each bachi below!