ClydeTower
Member
I've been looking far and wide for over a year now for a pre-owned NH F512 in mint condition. Nothing much out there until TXBumper sent me a link yesterday for a LIKE NEW 2014 New Hartford F512. Low and behold, there she was, listed for only a few hours. I immediately contacted the seller, did my due diligence, made an offer, received a counter-offer and boom... she was mine! I thought YES! I finally found that 12 string that's eluded me for months... but now comes the hard part, having my new found muse find its way to me. You see, the guitar is in Michigan and I live in Montreal. Here begins my great F512 adventure...
My 3 main concerns:
1. Buying the F512 sight unseen
2. Shipping the guitar in very cold weather
3. Crossing the border into Canada
1. Buying the F512 sight unseen:
This is the least of my concerns, however, there is always a risk when buying a guitar you haven't actually seen or played. Yes, the photos tell you some, but not all. What does reassure me is that the seller is a musician/collector and owns 15+ guitars among which are some pre-war Martins (which are also up for sale). So the guy knows his stuff, appreciates fine instruments and respects them. This in itself says to me I can trust that this F512 is the real deal.
2. Shipping the guitar in cold weather:
This is my biggest concern by a mile. If you think its cold in Michigan, you haven't been to Montreal. It gets really cold here like a gazillion below zero. All kidding aside, the forecast calls for temperatures in the teen's and 20's (F) over the next week. I've read a lot of posts in different forums about shipping guitars in cold weather. The majority of people say that you should let the guitar sit in its case for 24 hours before opening it, let it acclimate to your environment. This is easy and I will definitely do that, but what I don't control is the temperature during transport.
Does anyone here have any experience with shipping guitars in cold temperatures and do you have any recommendations (best practices, shippers to use, packing, etc.) ?
I wonder if the insurance from the shipper would cover any damage that would occur from the cold or if I can get insurance from my home insurer to cover this...
3. Crossing the border into Canada:
Everyone knows that crossing the border with a rosewood guitar is a big deal since Jan 2017. I've bought guitars before from the US and had them delivered to my door without issue. However, those days are gone. Most sellers in the states don't want to have to deal with the CITIES regulations, so shipping to Canada is pretty much out of the question. Because of the scarcity of pre-owed F512 in mint condition, I decided to include the US market in my search and deal with the headache of bringing it in if ever I do find one. So now that I've found one in Michigan, I've decided to have it shipped to a Border point warehouse in upstate NY and bring it across the border myself. Its about a 45 min drive for me, so not too bad. And from what I've read, CITIES regulations on East Indian Rosewoods are Appendix II and do not require an import permit to carry into Canada. That's the theory, in practice, we shall see...
So that's what's ahead in my F512 Adventure. I will post updates on my experience so that it may help others who attempt the same scenario. If any LTGers have any experience on cold weather shipping or carrying a rosewood guitar across the border into Canada, I would be really happy to hear from you.
Thanks!
My 3 main concerns:
1. Buying the F512 sight unseen
2. Shipping the guitar in very cold weather
3. Crossing the border into Canada
1. Buying the F512 sight unseen:
This is the least of my concerns, however, there is always a risk when buying a guitar you haven't actually seen or played. Yes, the photos tell you some, but not all. What does reassure me is that the seller is a musician/collector and owns 15+ guitars among which are some pre-war Martins (which are also up for sale). So the guy knows his stuff, appreciates fine instruments and respects them. This in itself says to me I can trust that this F512 is the real deal.
2. Shipping the guitar in cold weather:
This is my biggest concern by a mile. If you think its cold in Michigan, you haven't been to Montreal. It gets really cold here like a gazillion below zero. All kidding aside, the forecast calls for temperatures in the teen's and 20's (F) over the next week. I've read a lot of posts in different forums about shipping guitars in cold weather. The majority of people say that you should let the guitar sit in its case for 24 hours before opening it, let it acclimate to your environment. This is easy and I will definitely do that, but what I don't control is the temperature during transport.
Does anyone here have any experience with shipping guitars in cold temperatures and do you have any recommendations (best practices, shippers to use, packing, etc.) ?
I wonder if the insurance from the shipper would cover any damage that would occur from the cold or if I can get insurance from my home insurer to cover this...
3. Crossing the border into Canada:
Everyone knows that crossing the border with a rosewood guitar is a big deal since Jan 2017. I've bought guitars before from the US and had them delivered to my door without issue. However, those days are gone. Most sellers in the states don't want to have to deal with the CITIES regulations, so shipping to Canada is pretty much out of the question. Because of the scarcity of pre-owed F512 in mint condition, I decided to include the US market in my search and deal with the headache of bringing it in if ever I do find one. So now that I've found one in Michigan, I've decided to have it shipped to a Border point warehouse in upstate NY and bring it across the border myself. Its about a 45 min drive for me, so not too bad. And from what I've read, CITIES regulations on East Indian Rosewoods are Appendix II and do not require an import permit to carry into Canada. That's the theory, in practice, we shall see...
So that's what's ahead in my F512 Adventure. I will post updates on my experience so that it may help others who attempt the same scenario. If any LTGers have any experience on cold weather shipping or carrying a rosewood guitar across the border into Canada, I would be really happy to hear from you.
Thanks!
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