CITES Restrictions on Guitars to be Over Soon!

[Funkadelic]

"Since 2017, the CITES treaty has become one of the largest bugbears for the guitar industry, as it has made the transportation of musical instruments internationally more expensive and time consuming for manufacturers, distributors and retailers of all sizes. Now, that seems likely to change."

https://guitar.com/news/a-return-for...EXMY33yTtdf-0E

Looking very good.

Thanks to my friend David for forwarding me the news.

Now they have to vote and confirm this sometime this/next week, but seems like there's huge favour towards approving this.

 

[DDF]

This might be a big change for the vintage market exporting guitars from the USA. No cites, no hassles.

 

[Funkadelic]

It's a worldwide treaty, so yes.

 

[BenjaminW]

Let's see how much the Burst prices go up for now that CITES is easing restrictions.

 

[pgodman]

Thats good news.

 

[bassmannlespaulman]

About time i hate indian laurel n pau ferro fretboards....they look ashy n unattractive

 

[Angelus]

Finally !!!

 

[Tim Bridge]

Does this mean that manufacturers will cease using the micarta and richlite fretboards on new guitars? Or is this exemption only for the transportation of already-built guitars?

 

[Notts1965]

Unfortunately this will make no difference in the vintage marker. This proposal will only amend Apendix 2. Vintage guitars with Brazilian rosewood will still be protected as this has been the case since 1992 under CITIES Apendix 1.

This might be a big change for the vintage market exporting guitars from the USA. No cites, no hassles.
[/QUOT

 

[Warren Weldon]

And it has been a pain in builders arses for at hell of a lot longer than 2017

 

[Truth011]

As usual they got it ass backwards. What are they trying to protect with vintage instruments and "already built" guitars with Braz wood?

 

[sws1]

As usual they got it ass backwards. What are they trying to protect with vintage instruments and "already built" guitars with Braz wood?

They are trying to remove/prohibit all demand for highly threatened species, be it in raw form, or finished form. If you allow it in finished form, you can be sure as hell people will still want it and pay gobs for new instruments with it.
It's the same with finished Ivory products, and finished tortoise shell products, etc.

 

[Dolebludger]

Question: Does CITIES regulate or prohibit ebony?

 

[RAG7890]

Question: Does CITIES regulate or prohibit ebony?

No, but I’m sure that will change in the near future.

It certainly needs regulating IMHO.

 

[Dolebludger]

Rag,

Is there a resaon you feel ebony should be regulated ? Bob Taylor (Taylor guitars) has bought an ebony plantation and is working to make it sustainable. Also, he is using ebony wood that is stripped, and not all black, which sounds as good on fretboards as the pure black stuff. Added to that, one doesn't know if the ebony is black or stripped (or otherwise figured) until the tree is cut down. Before Taylor's efforts the trees that did not yield black wood (the majority) were left to rot!. Now stripped or figured ebony is used not only for fretboards but for guitar top veneers, and they are beautiful. With sustainable forestry and use on ebony that is not pure black, there should be no shortage

 

[paruwi]

Question: Does CITIES regulate or prohibit ebony?

None of both

 

[Dolebludger]

paruwi,

Thanks for your response. If there are no legal problems with ebony fretboards, why have the guitar manufacturers not gone to ebony instead or rich lite and the junk woods like paro fero (sp?) that they are using due to the availability problems with rosewood? I've always liked ebony better anyway, and have been known to pay a small premium to get it.

 

[Truth011]

Will the guitars build after 1992 with Brazilian rosewood be exempt?

And if so will manufacturers be allowed to continue to use Braz rosewood?

They are trying to remove/prohibit all demand for highly threatened species, be it in raw form, or finished form. If you allow it in finished form, you can be sure as hell people will still want it and pay gobs for new instruments with it.
It's the same with finished Ivory products, and finished tortoise shell products, etc.

Yes, that is the logic behind it. The problem is that musical instruments didn't lead to the Brazilian rosewood endangerment. It was the furniture industry which had a far greater impact. Regardless, a far better solution would have been to give builders a reasonable time of say 2 years to use up their current stocks and then ban future use. As for already built guitars, there were no animals killed in the harvesting of the wood and the Cites permits amount to a glorified tax grab. If i buy a vintage guitar and have it shipped to Canada it takes 2 to 3 months to clear customs and receive it. Maybe it's just that the boys are having a good time playing smoke on the water on the low E string.

 

[Dolebludger]

Well, again, I like ebony (be it black or figured) so much better than rosewood that I don’t even want any more guitars with rosewood boards. If we were violinists instead, we would all be playing on ebony boards. That’s because filddles have no frets, and only ebony is hard enough to allow strings to be stopped against it with fingers, without benefit of frets.

 

[RAG7890]

Rag,

Is there a resaon you feel ebony should be regulated ? Bob Taylor (Taylor guitars) has bought an ebony plantation and is working to make it sustainable. Also, he is using ebony wood that is stripped, and not all black, which sounds as good on fretboards as the pure black stuff. Added to that, one doesn't know if the ebony is black or stripped (or otherwise figured) until the tree is cut down. Before Taylor's efforts the trees that did not yield black wood (the majority) were left to rot!. Now stripped or figured ebony is used not only for fretboards but for guitar top veneers, and they are beautiful. With sustainable forestry and use on ebony that is not pure black, there should be no shortage

Yep BT has indeed done that & it’s great that he did.

The issue with Ebony is most punters want Black. You have no way of knowing if the Tree is Black or Stipped until it hits the ground.

So many Stripped Ebony Trees have gone to waste lying on the Forest Floor over the years, which is an enormous waste.

While BT is doing the right thing I can only imagine what is going on with Black Ebony for other applications.

IMHO all Timber should be controlled in such a manner as to promote good use, replanting, helping Villages, preventing waste etc. etc.

Make it completely sustainable.

Humans are fundamentally stupid & greedy hence the multitude of issues we face on this Planet today.

My 2c FWIW.