skipclone 1 Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Uh oh. I did not think about this at all. If I did I would have seen it coming. Since taking the picture of the free guitar I got, I did a bit of additional tidying. I decided to try a truss rod adjustment and took off the cover. The adjustment didn`t do that much but, in the process I noticed the cover. I`m basically certain it`s real tortoise shell. On inspection I`d wager the pickguard is too. As is the guitar cannot be legally brought into the U.S. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Wow! It's not impossible to swap-out those parts, but it would be an added expense and tedium... Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I have a buddy that leaves a 12 string in Norway and doesn't have to take one on board the plane. Comes in handy that way, so I'd leave it as is and enjoy it in Japan. The tortoise shell shows class! Ps. It would be worth finding out if it's real. Fender still makes fake tortoise shell pick guards and there are tons of fake products on the market. It's very hard to tell real from fake unless you know your stuff. Jewelers with loupes and microscopes can tell if it's real as the fakers can't copy the 3 dimensional qualities of the real material. If it was made prior to 1973 it's probably legal to have where you are. I wouldn't transport it anywhere until you know for sure, if you think it's real. There are heavy fines in the US if you import or export or even cross State lines (especially on sea turtles!)...just some stuff I just read about online... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 Even though importation of new goods made from materials harvested from endangered species is illegal, it is clear that there are exceptions, at least for older goods. Otherwise, importation of certain antique furniture and instruments would be impossible. The latter would be more of a problem, since many notable traveling musicians actually USE instruments like this on their tours. So, my advice to you is to contact USF&W before making any irrevocable decisions and ask for some clarification. http://www.fws.gov/le/contact-us.html Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 13, 2014 Author Share Posted November 13, 2014 Ya Caevan, considering how I got the guitar anything would be an added expense. Checking DFW is a good call. I think it`s worth taking another pic, it really looks nice with the cover and pickguard nice and clean. However one of the friction points I have had since coming to Asia especially China, is the widespread ignorance and indifference about environmental issues, especially when it comes to other living things. I was just in Taiwan last weekend and figured, since I have this guitar i`ll take a chance and bring my other acoustic in a gig bag so I can use it to jam with Bruce/Gifthorse. It was perfect, I was able to put it in the overhead racks going there and coming back. But it`s outside of tourist season, there was plenty of room on board but usually there isn`t. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted November 13, 2014 Share Posted November 13, 2014 I added some comments to my prior post (see Ps. above)...+1 Better check it out if you think it's real, before taking it on a plane...good luck with it! http://www.ebay.com/gds/TORTOISESHELL-Real-or-fake-How-to-tell-the-difference-/10000000012067858/g.html <---here's some info on the topic... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 Larryz I can walk to the other side of the train station where I live, and buy tortoise shell picks at the local music store-unfortunately. There`s no point in faking anything here because the real thing is too common. As stated in the earlier part of this, the maker of this guitar is a relatively obscure Japanese company, I don`t know if they have ever been distributed overseas. I have several picks that are the real thing although I don`t use them much recently. I`ve handled them enough to have a pretty good feel for the material. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 Chances are the customs inspectors won't know it's real tortoise shell unless you TELL them for reasons unknown to God or man. Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 14, 2014 Author Share Posted November 14, 2014 I`d have to concur there. The chance of trouble is not zero, but it`s very low. Larryz, interesting article. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I doubt the customs inspectors would know the difference on guitar picks and pick guards as there are too many imitations out there. But, the fines are really heavy (i.e. $100,000) in the US so why take a chance...they would probably just confiscate the guitar from a person who didn't know the difference, if they weren't smuggling a lot of the stuff... I saw in the article that one could look for tool marks as there will always be imperfections on hand made items that are not created in a mold. I think the truss rod cover might be worth looking at but the pick guard would probably be too big to be putting on guitars? anyway, it's something to think about LOL! Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 OK, see if you can follow this bit of rambling..... What would it be in the case of, Let's say for argument's sake, I own a guitar with a tortoise shell pickguard that was made YEARS BEFORE having REAL tortoise shell was an issue.... Wouldn't that be the same as if you owned a 70 year old piano with real IVORY keys that was made BEFORE using ivory was made illegal? Whitefang I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 OK, see if you can follow this bit of rambling..... What would it be in the case of, Let's say for argument's sake, I own a guitar with a tortoise shell pickguard that was made YEARS BEFORE having REAL tortoise shell was an issue.... Wouldn't that be the same as if you owned a 70 year old piano with real IVORY keys that was made BEFORE using ivory was made illegal? Whitefang Probably & that would not be good. There was a famous incident some years ago involving a wealthy US ex pat who happened to own the piano formerly owned by Mendelssohn, IIRC. She moved back to the US, with the piano & Customs pried all the ivory off the keys, thus destroying a historic treasure. Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 You can get a permit in the US and keep the guitar if it was made prior to 1973. Otherwise, you can keep it a secret... There is an old bar in Georgetown, CA that has/had taxidermy animals that made the endangered species list. The animals have been there since the 1800's. Fish and Game came in and confiscated the animals a couple of years ago. This is beyond the pale in how far they will stretch these kinds of laws. I think the owners should sue for the return of those animals and/or I hope they wind up in a museum somewhere... Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyalcatraz Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 OK, see if you can follow this bit of rambling..... What would it be in the case of, Let's say for argument's sake, I own a guitar with a tortoise shell pickguard that was made YEARS BEFORE having REAL tortoise shell was an issue.... Wouldn't that be the same as if you owned a 70 year old piano with real IVORY keys that was made BEFORE using ivory was made illegal? Whitefang The laws being enforced today are aimed almost exclusively at stemming the tide of NEW things being made with endangered flora and fauna. So stuff made before a certain point is not treated the same way as the new stuff. (I don't know the particular dates in question, but I believe 1973 is the cutoff for a lot of stuff.) The problem is that- as several bits of exposé journalism has shown- there are many retailers willing to forge documents about the nature and age of such goods. Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx http://murphysmusictx.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 Yeah, I have no idea when the guitar was made. Anyway here`s a closeup of the pickguard. You can see the body of the guitar through the translucent parts: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a236/skipclone1/20141115_110311.jpg Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Yeah, I have no idea when the guitar was made. Anyway here`s a closeup of the pickguard. You can see the body of the guitar through the translucent parts: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a236/skipclone1/20141115_110311.jpg Might that be plastic & not real tortoise? Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 It`s definitely not plastic, at least not the usual kind. As I mentioned, I took the truss rod cover off and handled it, it`s made of the same material. I wasn`t even thinking about it until I had it in my hands, but it felt like the same material as my guitar picks. I suppose I could take it to a guitar shop and have them look at it. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 It looks real to me due to the hand work along the edges...along with your description of the translucent and beautiful coloring...but one never knows unless it goes under the scope/loupe... :idk Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipclone 1 Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 Now that I think of it-another clue is, the back of the truss rod cover is much rougher than the surface that shows, it was definitely not molded. Same old surprises, brand new cliches- Skipsounds on Soundclick: www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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