Only two of these exist in the world. Originally made as a matching pair for Kyle and his wife Su, this is one of two Narra Eclipses ever crafted — built from wood sourced in California and shaped by the hands of Tokyo Wagakki. This is the shamisen made for Kyle.
The Narra Eclipse (1/2) — Kyle’s Model (Ships from California)
$3,500.00
1 in stock
1 in stock
Description
Every Eclipse shamisen is a masterpiece. But this one has a different story entirely.
When my wife Su and I decided to custom order a matching pair of shamisen for our duet performances, I turned to Ben Greenberg of Greenberg Woods. Ben and I have a kinship, as we both pursued our passions from a young age (him with wood, me with shamisen) and built strong connections in order to provide high quality goods to the world. So when I asked him to help source something truly special, he procured a single billet of high-grade Narra, a dense and beautiful S.E Asian hardwood with a warm reddish-golden tone to its appearance.
After procuring the wood, I prepared it in California, and shipped it to Tokyo Wagakki with the order to create two matching shamisen for two people who love this instrument deeply. There was only enough wood for one pair. There are no plans to make more.
A Bittersweet Twist
As I said, the billet was large enough for two shamisen, but a majority of the intense figuring was stronger on one end of the billet than the other. Both shamisen came back from Tokyo Wagakki looking absolutely incredible. Their craftsmanship was flawless as ever, and the wood looked amazing in it’s polished state. With that said, one shamisen featured dense beautiful figuring — and the other featured a mastergrade level of insane figuring. As someone who deeply loves highly figured wood, I knew the difference would always stay with me. And as luck would have it, the shamisen with the more spectacular figure had gone to Su! The funny thing is, either shamisen has a mouthwatering level of distinct figure on their own (moreso than most Eclipse), it’s only when they’re placed side-to-side, one has a particular type of figuring which I really enjoy, and it’s not on the shamisen I’d play!
While we both felt that both shamisen are beautiful, we mutually agreed that rather than one of us quietly wishing for the other’s instrument, both shamisen should be offered to others. Somewhere out there, new wood is being sought for a second attempt at the perfect matching pair!
In the meantime, one of these two Narra Eclipses is yours. This listing is the shamisen intended for me. It is thick futozao with V style shape (31mm fingerboard, 31.8mm total width, 36mm deep), and has a great level of figuring. Check out model intended for Su here!
Matching Narra Itomaki
The itomaki on this shamisen are crafted from the same Narra wood as the sao itself. This is an entirely unique feature (the standard Eclipse uses satinwood itomaki) and it gives the instrument a visual and material cohesion that is rare at any level of shamisen making.
Fresh Kouki Top
Like the Eclipse: Special Edition, the sao is topped with high-grade kouki, flowing seamlessly through the tenjin in the masterful detail Tokyo Wagakki is known for. Note, the kouki will darken over the course of a year or two.
Specifications
- Dou: Karin (High Grade) Size 5 (Tsugaru), Komochi Ayasugi
- Sao: High-Grade Narra with fresh kouki top — Mitsuori (three-piece neck)
- Sao Dimensions: V-Style (Ogi Cut) 31mm fingerboard, 31.8mm total width, 36mm deep
- Skin: Hibiki Sonic
- Itomaki: Narra (matching sao wood) — unique to this instrument
- Limited: 1
- Ships from California
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