Has anyone ordered a bass with a rosewood fingerboard after the CITES went effective? I've been drooling over Bacchus basses but am worried if a Bacchus w/ rosewood could even enter the US.
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Good question. I wonder if CITES may part of the reason there are scant (any?) Bacchus dealers in the States?
Also, would CITES affect a Bacchus purchase from the guy in Canada who lists them on Reverb? I know there is a duty to be paid upon entry to the USA from Canada. He doesn't mention it in his listings, but if you ask him he'll tell you about it. One would think that any additional costs, fees, or taxes would be a detriment to sales. Further interference from CITES would be even more off-putting. At least to me.
Also, would CITES affect a Bacchus purchase from the guy in Canada who lists them on Reverb? I know there is a duty to be paid upon entry to the USA from Canada. He doesn't mention it in his listings, but if you ask him he'll tell you about it. One would think that any additional costs, fees, or taxes would be a detriment to sales. Further interference from CITES would be even more off-putting. At least to me.
Recently, I inquired about a particular bass from Ishibashi's U-BOX used database. Sadly, due to financial constraints, I decided to back off from the potential purchase. Here's the response that came back…
Important notes for instruments containing Rosewood, Cocobolo, Bubinga, or African Blackwood:
Due to the new 2017 CITES regulations, trade in the above mentioned wood species has become heavily regulated. Purchases of these instruments will incur an additional waiting period of approximately 6-8 weeks. This additional time frame is counted from the date you purchase the instrument as we can not apply for the permit until then (the permit will have the buyer's name and address on it). Despite this, there is still a possibility the application will be declined by the Japanese government. In that case we will of course offer a full refund.
Additionally, and this is very important, some countries require the receiver to apply for an import license before we can ship the order (this is in addition to the time frame stated above as all countries treat this differently). We therefore need you to check with the authorities in your country before placing an order.
Please note that due to this new procedure, we have had to add an additional 10,000 yen per rosewood item(CITES handling fee) for the affected items and can no longer offer any discount.
On the upside, it includes shipping with DHL.
Due to the new 2017 CITES regulations, trade in the above mentioned wood species has become heavily regulated. Purchases of these instruments will incur an additional waiting period of approximately 6-8 weeks. This additional time frame is counted from the date you purchase the instrument as we can not apply for the permit until then (the permit will have the buyer's name and address on it). Despite this, there is still a possibility the application will be declined by the Japanese government. In that case we will of course offer a full refund.
Additionally, and this is very important, some countries require the receiver to apply for an import license before we can ship the order (this is in addition to the time frame stated above as all countries treat this differently). We therefore need you to check with the authorities in your country before placing an order.
Please note that due to this new procedure, we have had to add an additional 10,000 yen per rosewood item(CITES handling fee) for the affected items and can no longer offer any discount.
On the upside, it includes shipping with DHL.
After the response came, I took a look at the U.S. Customs website to see what I would need to do on this end. While I didn't get too far "into the weeds" of red tape, one of the first things I saw was a $100 application fee for the import license, a fee which didn't guarantee they'd let it into the country, just that they would look at the application. It probably wouldn't be rejected, but when combined with the extra fees on the other end, I would've ended up with over $200 added to the original price-tag. So, I wrote them back, thanked them for their time and informed them that I'd pass on the instrument.
I understand the need for such regulations and protections, it just kinda sucks 'cuz I really want that bass! But it's just "stuff" and life will go on.
Hi anyone knows if TRB 6ii rosewood is affected by CITES rule? And if its hand carried from usa to another country is it ok? It's not new btw.
I just received this message from Ishibashi w/re a Fender Japan bass: "I am afraid to let you know this but the following guitar has rosewood fretboard, so we can not ship this guitar to outside of Japan due to CITES NEW regulation." 
There is a long an informative thread about CITES, how it works and what it covers here:
CITES - What every bass player should know
The short version is that the import or export of any bass that contains any kind of rosewood, cocobolo or bubinga is covered by CITES. That means that moving a bass with those materials in it will take longer and cost more money
CITES - What every bass player should know
The short version is that the import or export of any bass that contains any kind of rosewood, cocobolo or bubinga is covered by CITES. That means that moving a bass with those materials in it will take longer and cost more money
