Latest CITES II update

fronobulax

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I'm afraid I've lost you here, fro, but all's good.
I take my wood stock in Asia and build guitars with it in Asia. I then import those guitars to the USA. Upon entry Customs and Border Patrol seizes them or let's them come through based upon CITES and documentation.

Whatever supply Cordoba keeps at it's Asian-based contractors is likely not going to come to the USA.

I would say the above statement is false unless the supply is never used for guitars that are then imported to the USA.

While there are cases where the import status of the ingredients is different from the import status of the finished product, that has not been the case with CITES wood.
 

twocorgis

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The closest I've come is that I've played a few Adamas (Ovation) guitars that were spectacular. I don't know if the bowls were made from CF or from fiberglass, and there was wood on those guitars as well. But, they were terrific (and rather $$).
Pretty sure it was the first LMG, I played a carbon fibre top Adamas custom bass at the group jam that I loved. I remember asking Kim Keller about it, and he said that it cost $7500! Gulp.
 

jp

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Carbon fiber guitars sound fantastic, but the material isn't truly a better sustainable choice. It requires a lot of energy to process, and the resins are dirty and toxic. It doesn't make sense to substitute it for wood if the environment is the concern.

I've read about luthiers experimenting with bamboo, but it's really a grass that doesn't yield large enough pieces for solid tops. Still, there have been some companies making instruments out of bamboo laminates.

The key seems to be to find the fastest growing trees suitable for tonewoods and to cultivate those with proper forestry stewardship. I've read that there are species of spruce, birch, poplar, cedar, aspen, and cypress that grow pretty quickly. I wouldn't doubt that some manufacturers are experimenting with the most suitable types that can be processed to produce the best tone.
 

merlin6666

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The closest I've come is that I've played a few Adamas (Ovation) guitars that were spectacular. I don't know if the bowls were made from CF or from fiberglass, and there was wood on those guitars as well. But, they were terrific (and rather $$).
I have an Adamas. The bowls are made of fibreglass and the tops are actually woven carbon fibre with a poplar core. Neck and fretboard are made of Walnut. They started producing these almost 50 years ago, way way ahead of their time.
 

Bill Ashton

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At our last LMG, the Ovation line was making guitars with resin-style tops with an odd-shaped soundhole. Don't know if they ever made it to market...sorta like all those poor Fender Kingmans 😔
 

GGJaguar

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International trade in specimens of Appendix II species may be permitted and must be covered by an export permit or re-export certificate. CITES does not require an import permit for these species (although a permit is required in some countries that have taken stricter measures than those provided for by the Convention).
 

fronobulax

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International trade in specimens of Appendix II species may be permitted and must be covered by an export permit or re-export certificate. CITES does not require an import permit for these species (although a permit is required in some countries that have taken stricter measures than those provided for by the Convention).

Wow. Thank you. I am absolutely wrong on the import status. I think I will find that thread on Christmas Roast and add the observation that I will be eating crow.
 

lungimsam

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A friend of mine a few years back (2015?) bought a Dusenburg Guitar and had it shipped to him from Europe and he had to get a some kind of Rosewood/wood importers license so that he could receive the guitar in America and comply with regulations Because it had a rosewood fingerboard.He was just a guitarist and not a dealer.
 

hearth_man

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There’s still plenty of good domestic wood choices, no need to go plastic. Walnut, maple, myrtle, birch, oak, cherry, etc., etc., etc. If you look at what a lot of the boutique builders are doing these days, you’ll find plenty of options. Even some of the big companies have been exploring eco-friendly woods.
I think Gibson used birch for bodies of their various mandolins in the early 1900's. It would have been a locally sourced wood for them at the time. I believe birch is relatively fast growing as well.
 
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