|
|
#1
02-13-2022, 01:14 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Advice Needed: Buying guitar with BRW from Europe
Hello all!
I am in the US and am thinking about buying an acoustic guitar from a private seller that is currently in Europe that has Brazilian rosewood back and sides. It is a vintage guitar that was built in 1984. The label with the serial number inside the guitar clearly states that it was built in 1984. Since it was built before 1992 and you can clearly tell by the label that it was built in 1984, I am thinking that it should be okay to be shipped to the US, right? Any advice on how I can safely get the guitar to the US? Here are some sites that I quickly looked through for some guidance:
Thanks in advance! 
|
|
#2
02-13-2022, 01:43 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
I would just make certain that it’s not your guitar until it’s delivered safely. In fact, I might not want to pay for it until it is delivered, but the seller probably won't go for that. If it is yours when you pay for it and it’s stuck in a European Customs office you’ll be out of luck. I had a 1990 guitar held up for months and it was an EIR guitar but so Customs guy in the UK thought it was “rosewood” so demanded a CITIES certificate. I also tried to buy a 1930s Brazilian guitar from Japan, but the dealer said they no longer ship to the USA as so many have been held up.
|
|
#3
02-13-2022, 01:48 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
These people: https://www.tfoa.eu/en/
get lots of vintage guitars from America. Including, I was told, this one:  Maybe they have advice or can help some way... -Mike
|
|
#4
02-13-2022, 02:00 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I would be talking to a music store in the UK about shipping those. Its a huge risk taking a chance on getting seized. Prior to it leaving there land mass. They have some pretty strict rules on Rare endangered woods. .
__________________
1946 D-18 1956 D-28 Santa Cruz VA Gibson SJ200
|
|
#5
02-13-2022, 02:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Look for a different guitar?
__________________
(insert famous quote here)
|
|
#6
02-13-2022, 02:07 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
|
|
#7
02-13-2022, 02:38 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I can't comment on buying a BRW from Europe but I will recommend that if you go ahead with it include something like an Apple AirTag with it so you can track it. There was a thread a couple of weeks ago when someone shipped a guitar with this and it was easy to follow. It won't help you if you guitar is stuck in customs but it may help you if someone decides to walk off with it.
|
|
#8
02-14-2022, 08:26 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
This is the response I got from TFOA:
"You need to file for permits. all guitar made after 1948 need to have CITES papers. and indeed from 48-92 they are quiet easy to obtain in most contries but it can take a very long to obtain them. The buyer should get the export permits, and you should be getting the import permits to change the CITES from EU certificate to US certificate."
|
|
#9
02-14-2022, 10:32 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
I recently went through this with a new Sobell BRW guitar built for me in the north of England. I posted about it here on the forum:
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=595718 You really, really need to be on top of this because the stakes are more than theoretically high, i.e., the guitar may be impounded and even destroyed. Check out post #21 in particular. Good luck, Tim
|
|
#10
02-14-2022, 10:41 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
and very fun to play for a long time. Now, in my imagination, TFOA was grinding through permit applications all that time  ...-Mike
|
