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Would you be able to ship a CM guitar from Canada into the US?

No shipping experience here but I have bought Cuban Mah here in the US with no problems. I'm thinking Cuban comes from several islands in the Caribbean as well as the tip of Florida. I know you aren't looking for guesses here but if you were I'd say it should be no problem.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

CM is CITES 2 same as Honduran Mahogany. Which means you can't ship it internationally in an unfinished state (back/side set) without CITES papers, but once it has been made into a finished product you are fine to ship it international. You are good to go!

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
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A little off topic but if you want Honduran mahogany necks, have them Cnc cut in the states, then they are considered a finished product and are not restricted and you get your neck carved as well as a bonus

I was wondering if there was still a trade embargo on Cuban things, like cigars, does that still even exist?

Sounds xpensive Sam!

Embargo is alive and kicking.

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Pat

That's what I thought.

But would that have anything to do with Cuban Mahogany?

It's not cheap, but it also saves about a day of work. Mits the only way around the cites restriction unless you become an importer and get a cites import license

Specifically, a customer wants to have some Cuban mahogany sent to me from Cuba, turned into a guitar, and then shipped to him...

Sam, Honduran mahogany is pretty plentiful here in Canada still......no need to get necks made "internationally".

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Yes, It is the reason real Cuban mahogany is so rare in the US.

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John

The trade embargo is between the USA and Cuba, not Canada and Cuba. Canadians can travel to Cuba, and bring back some consumer goods, and there are some trade agreements. You can buy Cuban cigars here as well. I think you will need to contact the Cnd. government to get an answer, Ed. Is your customer in Canada or the USA? I think that may make a difference.

Alex

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Customer is US...

Sam,

Check out Bruhner or Pederson neck carving jig on YouTube. Bet you Galloup boys could cobble one of those together. (And then sell me one...)

Omg, I just watched the pederson vid. That thing is Awsome. I shoulda known you could get mahogany blanks somewhere in ca, I just remember talkin to some one at lmi and they said they don't ship blanks to canada

Usually just buy the planks and make the blanks ourselves.

Yeah, slick jig alright...

Unless it is New Old Stock you may be in for a bumpy ride. The general consensus is that Cuban mahogany and Santo Domingo mahogany (same thing, different island) were pretty much logged out by the dawn of the 20th Century. I was in western Cuba earlier in the year and saw remnants of large native timbers in historic buildings but nothing resembling a mature forest. The eastern part of Cuba is much more wooded, but again I would be surprised if there were any Cuban mahogany trees large and straight enough for guitars. I visited an arboretum in Cienfuegos and saw a gnarly Cuban mahogany about 6" in diameter. The horticulturist confirmed that except for small sprouts like this the mahogany is gone.
Add this to the fact that most property in Cuba is state owned (with the exception of homes and apartments). I don't know the process for cutting timbers on state land but I would assume it would not be too different from the odd regulations and oversight still in place from the Soviet-style central planning bureaucracy. I am sure cutting timbers on state land without permits is done but that would certainly be illegal. I don't think you would want to have any part in this. Despite all the reforms the Raúl government is trying to implement there are still many current instances of Draconian punishment for breaking the laws of the land.

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The US suppliers can't ship Mahogany (or any CITES wood like Cocobolo, or Spanish Cedar) to Canada but the Mahogany and Spanish Cedar stock is still plentiful. I've got a shop full of tonewood and neck blanks and board lumber can still be found at many exotic wood dealers.

I think I may try and make one of those neck jigs as a winter project...

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com