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Brazilian rosewood

Risor

Risor

Dec 26, 2005
70
1
Latvia
www.tabesticenteron.lv
#1
***???

so I walk into Warmoth e-shop supposedly for "internationals" and see this really beautiful j-bass neck with Brazilian rosewood and e-mail Warmoth for shipping quote to Europe. The guy answers:

"We cannot legally ship Brazilian rosewood outside the USA."

So how the hell can I get that neck - plant a Brazilian rosewood tree in my backyard? Thats bizarrely stupid - I understood if I wanted to ship a whole tanker with "dead" Brazilian rosewood trees, but one piece of fretboard??? C'mon that is twisted and insanely unfair...

***???
 
#5
:cool:

Make sure your getting old growth Brazilian Rosewood.

I have not seen real old Brazilian rosewood other than Coppolo basses.

Some wood suppliers say Brazilian Rosewood, but it really means
another member of the rosewood family from Brazil.

The good stuff is all but gone?
 
#7
Risor said:
First of all - I don't blame warmoth.

Second - where did I say that I want warmoth to break the law?

Third - the law by itself is a little unreasonable, but I am no lawyer.

Fourth - what's wrong with "pretty fretboard"?
Click to expand...

Right on, you were just venting, sorry if I was harsh on you. You've got to understand that there are international restrictions on endangered/restricted species, it's like if you tried to import ivory or rhino horn or opium poppies. The law does not distinguish between pretty fretboards or any other use. There was a guy here in Massachusetts who got raided just this past week for scrimshaw (a traditional art form where you draw patterns on whale teeth). The FBI didn't care that it was "art."
 
#14
Brazilian Rosewood, Dalbergia nigra was listed on Appendix I of the CITES convention on June 11, 1992. Only BRW acquired prior to this date can be legally used in commercial trade. (There has been some rosewood stumps cut and legally harvested in the past few years however). The rub is proof of inventory at the time of listing must be provide before an export permit is issued from the USA. No one has this type of proof and if they did the one time shipping permit and certificate for a fingerboard blank would exceed $400.

If Warmoth decided to flaunt the law and ship this to you (assuming it's true Dalbergia nigra or they would SELL IT!!) without declaring it and a customs agent in your country sniffed it out they confiscate it. Your loss since you paid for it, but Warmoth (and perhaps you as importer) are now in line for major fines. Also the CITES rules may differ from an export country to the import country. BRW shipped legally from the USA might not meet the import rules of the receiving country...very complicated stuff.

This is why I list all my Dalbergia nigra fingerboard blanks as Pau Ferro...JUST KIDDING....NO FLAMES PLEASE... Actually I list it as Madagascar rosewood :D :D

It all comes down to personal satisfaction vs. ethics, I guess.
 
#15
If Warmoth doesn't have the documentation, I don't think they're supposed to sell it at all. I live near Martin Guitar and have friends that work there. All their Brazilian Rosewood is CITES certified and they provide documentation to that effect if you buy an instrument made with it. It's very expensive, is used on only certain guitars, and when it's gone it's gone.

Martins go all over the world so exporting it is obviously not a problem for them. Don't know why it's a problem for Warmoth.
 
#18
spade2you said:
How can ya really tell? Just curious as I have a bass with a BR FB and headstock cap.
Click to expand...

Post a sound clip and we can tell by the tone :)

A more scientific way would be with a microscope. Link Removed but that can't always tell the species. There are a number of luthiers who claim cocobolo can replace BRW tonally as they are both one of the harder rosewoods. Just don't ever call it Mexican Rosewood or no one will want it. :ninja:
 
#20
jambassist said:
If Warmoth doesn't have the documentation, I don't think they're supposed to sell it at all. I live near Martin Guitar and have friends that work there. All their Brazilian Rosewood is CITES certified and they provide documentation to that effect if you buy an instrument made with it. It's very expensive, is used on only certain guitars, and when it's gone it's gone.

Martins go all over the world so exporting it is obviously not a problem for them. Don't know why it's a problem for Warmoth.
Click to expand...

There can be significant paperwork involved with the shipping of BR internationally. Given that Warmoth has been gathering wood over the past 20 some odd years, it can be darn near impossible to document a fingerboard to a specific shipment of lumber. Larry has already made some good comments about this.

Martin is a much larger company and charges much higher prices. They may be able to afford the additional administrative costs associated with their BR shipments. Warmoth is still shipping BR within the US, but will no longer ship overseas.
 

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