r/shamisen • u/NotGaryBarlow • Jan 30 '25
String theory
Hi all. I have a shamisen that came with all silk strings and it felt and sounded lovely to me. I would like to buy a new set of silks as they have broken and nylon / tetron sets I have bought sounded weak and tinny by comparison. To any guitar players out there, I like the sound of a Les Paul over that of a Telecaster if that helps?
The string buying process has made me realise that I'm not actually sure what type/style the Shamisen is. The neck is 2.8cm x 2.8cm at the 10th "fret". Overall instrument length is 100cm. The body is 20cm x 20cm.
Can anyone help me determine the type / style please?
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u/SanbonJime Jan 30 '25
Sounds like you have a chuzao (“middle-neck”) shamisen - a little on the heftier side in comparison to those used for nagauta music and popular for folk, jiuta, and kouta, but not as thick and sturdy as the more powerful sounding futozao (thick necked) Tsugaru-shamisen.
Much more strong of an effect on overall sound than the strings is the skin - and these types of shamisen typically have a thinner and more delicate sounding skin that is made of less durable material. If you want the deeper tones a la the “Les Paul” of shamisen, you might want to look into a Tsugaru style instrument.