Podcast 127: CITES Rosewood Updates with John Thomas

Law professor, author and Fretboard Journal Field Editor John Thomas joins us once again to discuss some recent updates to CITES and the impact they will have on musicians, instrument collectors and builders. Specifically, beginning January 2017, all remaining species of Rosewood (beyond Brazilian, which was already protected) will be added to CITES Appendix II. This may not affect you at all if you keep your guitars in United States but if you ever plan on taking an instrument with rosewood across the border (or selling one to someone outside the country), you may have some work to do.  

We discuss the various steps that collectors, luthiers and dealers should take if they want to transport guitars with rosewood internationally; how builders can protect their wood stockpile; the expenses and timing needed to file all this paperwork; and a lot more.

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Intro/Outro music by Jon Rauhouse. 

Links Mentioned:

Today’s podcast is sponsored by TR Crandall: http://trcrandall.com 

US Fish & Wildlife Link for Musical Instrument Passports: https://www.fws.gov/international/permits/by-activity/musical-instruments.html

NAMM on CITES Updates: https://www.namm.org/issues-and-advocacy/regulatory-compliance/cites-update-action-rosewood-has-broad

The Fretboard Journal’s Guide to Musical Instrument Passports: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/columns/musical-instrument-passports-new-cites-provision/

The FJ’s Guitar Lover’s Guide to CITES: https://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/guitar-lovers-guide-cites-conservation-treaty/ 

League of American Orchestra’s CITES Protected Species Travel Tips: http://americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/travel-with-instruments/endangered-species-material/protected-species-travel-tips.html