Cocobolo Ukuleles

Nickie

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Here's the two ukes I got from Kevin at Cocobolo Ukuleles:

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They are pretty, how do they sound? Do these purchases mean rice, beans and water on the menu for the next couple of months?
 
Looking forward to my special order in another couple of months
 
pic of my cocobolo

Here is a pic of my Cocobolo. It was a factory second - about a third off the regular price. The defects are hardly noticeable. If you're on a budget, ask if any factory seconds are available!

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Nice...lovely grain. I've just got a cocobolo tenor uke from Mya-Moe. Not actually sure about the sound of it yet though. Maybe not my thing. Or maybe it just take a bit of getting used to!
 
Give it time xzcuzxme. My Cocobolo is opening up. Sounded nice and bright at first. Now it has a bit of a twang. I think of it as awkward adolescence. I've had a few other uses go through this twangy phase on the way to a rich, fine voice.
 
They're not "mine" to keep. They are here for me to sell. Kevin would like me to introduce them to Tampa Bay. I may be looking for a dealer here for him. I can't buy ANY ukes right now....my fiancé said there's no way we can justify it. So I am keeping UAS at bay by doing things like this....and I may have some work done on one of my old ukes, to make it more fun to play.
The wood hasn't even begun to open up yet. The workmanship looks pretty darn good.
 
Nickie, in the thread about endangered woods, you attempted to take the high road re. endangered tropical (and other) woods, yet here you are promoting cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), clearly a tropical hardwood with a lot of pressure on exploiting it as a substitute for woods like Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra).

From WikiPedia:

Logs, sawn wood and veneer sheets from the Guatemalan populations of Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), have been listed under CITES Appendix III[clarification needed] since 2008. In 2011, Panama extended that listing to include all products except seeds and pollen and finished products packaged and ready for retail trade.

For the March 2013 CITES Conference of Parties, Belize has proposed uplisting Cocobolo to Appendix II[clarification needed].

And from the Wood Database:

Sustainability: This wood species is in CITES Appendix II, and is on the IUCN Red List. It is listed as vulnerable due to a population reduction of over 20% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in its natural range, and exploitation.


Cocobolo is on the way to being classified right up there with Brazilian rosewood, dalbergia nigra. I would say the pressure on cocobolo is high enough now that in another three generations the supply will be reduced not by another 20% but more likely 40% or more. I'd bet that in another twenty years, cocobolo will be CITES rated just like Brazilian...

So how 'bout them cocobolo ukes? At least ukes are small and don't use very much rare and endangered wood...

I'm just suggesting that you research what you promote so as not to come off as hypocritical. It took me about 90 seconds to find, copy, and paste those two references. Please don't get on my case for using giant Sequoia (from a wind blown tree), Brazilian rosewood (from stumps of trees felled 50 years ago), koa (not even close to a CITES listing), etc. unless you're willing to look long and hard at what woods are in products you buy and/or hustle.

All of these endangered species could be protected, replanted, used (hopefully for good products), and enjoyed. Could...

BTW, I'm happy to carefully use cocobolo in my shop. The main issue is that it is a very strong allergen, and I do not want any of my guys to become sensitized to it. We do all sanding on a downdraft sanding bench wearing respirators.

I hope whoever is building these cocobolo ukes Nickie is promoting has good health insurance. Ahh, Nicaragua...National Health program? Not ObamaCare...! Also from the Wood Database: Allergies/Toxicity: Notoriously allergenic. Reported as a sensitizer; can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation, as well as nausea, pink-eye, and asthma-like symptoms. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information.

I wonder how much the luthiers in the shop make an hour...

Just sayin'...research is easy...
 
... They are here for me to sell...

Nickie (and Jim), I hope you are getting these instruments legally. If not there can be severe consequences!!!

Rick is correct about Cocobolo being restricted under Cites. It has moved up to Appendix II, so anyone importing this wood or products made from it needs to have accompanying permits (from Nicaragua) showing it was harvested legally. A simple Lacey Act declaration is not good enough in this case (you are at least importing with at least a Lacey Declaration, right?).

Appendix II lists species that are “not necessarily now threatened with extinction” but “may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation.” Appendix II items only require an export permit and may be transported for commercial purposes--so long as the sale does not make the extinction of the species more likely.

While I never lived in Nicaragua, I spent more than a decade in that part of the world, and I can tell you that governments down there don't generally issue export permits for a shipment of only a few Ukuleles. If you've got the right paperwork, then it's all cool, but it would surprise me if you do, and don't let anyone tell you it isn't required. You, as the importer, are the liable party here!

We've avoided this whole issue by using only woods that are unrestricted in any way. All we have to do now is a simple Lacey Declaration. Rules here prevent a direct link to your own site, but there is a "Woods" page there with a "Learn More" link to an introduction to wood imports and their regulations.

There's a reason these woods are regulated - we stopped using Cocobolo a long time ago. It is under great pressure. But there's also the consequences of breaking the law to consider. In Jim's case, he can probably get by with the import of an individual instrument. Customs folks don't check every small shipment. As the quantities go up, however, the likelihood of an inspection does also. The penalties can go way beyond confiscation of the instruments, and though 1/2 million dollars and jail is unlikely for such small amounts of contraband, why put yourselves at risk?
 
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These ukuleles are very nice. The necks are a joy to play. Looking forward to seeing their Tenors. BTW, they are really beautiful instruments.
 
While I can be justly accused of using some rare and endangered woods, I try to buy them from responsible sources...yes, that is possible.

But all of this is also one of the reasons I started building Compass Rose ukuleles out of California-grown walnut, and why I like other hardly endangered local woods like myrtle, aka bay laurel, big leaf maple, California sycamore, and yes, redwood. Also Eastern woods like black cherry (makes for fabulous ukes) and Adirondack spruce...which is coming back.

The Sitka spruce thing is an interesting political football...our government, in its infinite wisdom, subsidized the logging of spruce for many years, selling logs to the Japanese for less than the cost of harvesting...to preserve jobs for loggers in Alaska, the most corporate welfare driven state in the union. Of course those jobs weren't there 100 years ago. People migrated to Alaska to cut trees. As far as I'm concerned, they can go migrate somewhere else now. Then there are the Indian "wars" with part of the tribe advocating clear cutting and another part of the tribe being horrified by the insult to the gifts from the Great Spirit. See this movie: http://musicwoodthefilm.com/ The greed of a part of that tribe is horrifying. I guess they have rights... I think they're trying to get back at whitey. I understand, but clear-cutting the Tongas reserve is kind of an ultimate "cut off nose to spite face" move. The movie will also give you somewhat of an idea of just how insignificant our (the guitar and uke) industry is in its effect on forests. We're picky SOBs, to be sure, but we are responsible for less than 0.1% of the use of these woods. We're not the problem, though using nice woods in essentially disposable ukes or guitars is an ethical affront to me and I think to most of my luthier peers. Any uke not worthy of being passed on to another two or more generations is a uke that shouldn't have been made in the first place...
 
While I can be justly accused of using some rare and endangered woods, I try to buy them from responsible sources...yes, that is possible...

Of course it is! I wouldn't want anyone to think they should never have an instrument made from Cocobolo. Wood bought from vendors in this country entered with the proper permits. The governments of the countries who issued them judged that the trees that were cut didn't constitute a danger to the survival of the species.

It's a cumbersome process, and it's very unfair to small producers like us (and likely the builders of these Ukuleles as well). The permit process has to be geared toward large operations to be practical. Some sort of system is definitely needed, and it's the only one we've got. I don't see a better solution, so I think it's important we all try to abide by the only mechanism that currently exists.
 
Nickie (and Jim), I hope you are getting these instruments legally. If not there can be severe consequences!!!
Cocobolo Ukuleles is a member here are seems like a legit enterprise to me. They are distributing to several US dealers as well as individual sales. I certainly assume and hope they have their "ducks in a row" on these issues.
 
I'm Wrong On This One!

Sorry if you read the earlier post and got alarmed, Nickie. I just didn't want to see you get in trouble and jumped the gun.

In looking back at Appendix II just now I see Cocobolo is still only restricted in the form of "Logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets and plywood". As such, no permit would be needed for a "finished product". Still, you should file a Lacey Declaration (no fee required) just to make sure that at some point a customs official doesn't get upset over your "unidentified wood product".

I had forgotten the distinction (with some woods) between finished products and something less. It's pretty narrowly defined:

Finished products packaged and ready for retail trade:

Products, shipped singly or in bulk, requiring no further processing, packaged, labelled for final use or the retail trade in a state fit for being sold to or used by the general public.

We first started with a finished product (and are going back to that now), but for quite some time we shipped instruments unfinished. With the finishing, bridge install, tuner install and final set-up done here, they were obviously not a "finished product".

Ah - life in the tropics!
 
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Kind of the same status as Honduras mahogany (Swietania macrophylla). Yes, we can get it; yes, we can't get it in all forms...no logs, for instance. These kinds of restrictions are what put Martin Guitars' sawmill out of business...even though they cut logs much more efficiently than they are typically cut in the 3rd world. You wouldn't believe how wasteful 3rd world sawmill practices are. This is on of the reasons I set up my own resawing operation here. I can get 15% to 20% or more usable wood by doing my own top, back, and side sawing from billets than I see happening in South or Central America, Africa, or India. My saw takes out less than 1/16" in saw kerf, and I only need to take off another 1/32 or so on each surface on a wide belt sander to get it clean and smooth. I recently helped a fellow in Hawaii with advice on setting up a similar saw to mine ( a Baker AX horizontal band resaw ).
 
Cocobolo Ukuleles is a member here are seems like a legit enterprise to me. They are distributing to several US dealers as well as individual sales. I certainly assume and hope they have their "ducks in a row" on these issues.

Hello Jim!

Just remember the distinction between exporter and importer in cases like these. If you or Nickie are buying an instrument direct from overseas, then you'all are the importers. The burden of following U.S. regulations doesn't fall on the exporter at all. He has no obligation whatsoever regarding U.S. import laws. You are who they apply to, and it's a good idea to take care and follow them.

In this case (see previous post), you don't need a permit. That's very important, as it costs (if I remember correctly) about $75 and takes a while to get. You'd have to submit the export documents from (in this case) Nicaragua and wait for approval.

You still should file a Lacey Act Declaration, however. That is required for any wood import and is just a no-fee statement form where you declare all wildlife species (wood, shell, etc.) used in the instrument. This includes bindings, braces, etc. with weight of each part (we do estimates for the small parts, as the form doesn't allow for teeny tiny values). As long as none of their materials are restricted any more than the Cocobolo and as long as customs feels no reason to doubt your declaration (extremely unlikely), then that's all you need.

Bear in mind, they can probably ship it straight to you, and 90+% of the time a single instrument will go through, but if you want to go by the book, do the Lacey.
 
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As a recent purchaser of a Cocobolo Ukuleles instrument, this has been an eye-opening and somewhat chilling discussion.

I appreciate the insights and advice of guys like Rick and Dirk. They couple impeccable knowledge with clear expression. Much appreciated.
 
I never had a problem (other than dust!) with Cocobolo instruments as a brand. My issue was basically being told that I was a bad boy for using woods from the rain forests of Brazil like "Amazon rosewood" (Dalbergia spruceana, see http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/amazon-rosewood/ (note, by the way, that it is not CITES listed at all, unlike cocobolo), giant Sequoia from a tree that blew down in 1968... http://www.thegiantsequoia.com/ , and redwood from local sawyers cutting selectively and also using reclaimed redwood from a fence at Stanford by someone who was then flogging ukes made out of cocobolo...a tropical hardwood on the CITES II schedule that is clearly being logged faster than it's being planted. Yes, I sometimes use Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra), and that came from stumps of trees felled many decades ago.

Use the beautiful woods that are responsibly harvested or reclaimed, and support reforestation efforts wherever possible, even in your own back yard. Support craftspeople who make good stuff that lasts a long time. And... don't get on my case about what I do with wood. It's the old "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" bit.
 
I never had a problem (other than dust!) with Cocobolo instruments ... My issue was basically being told that I was a bad boy for using woods from the rain forests of Brazil like "Amazon rosewood" (Dalbergia spruceana, see http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/amazon-rosewood/ (note, by the way, that it is not CITES listed at all, unlike cocobolo)...a tropical hardwood on the CITES II schedule that is clearly being logged faster than it's being planted. Yes, I sometimes use Brazilian rosewood (Dalbergia nigra), and that came from stumps of trees felled many decades ago.

Use the beautiful woods that are responsibly harvested or reclaimed, and support reforestation efforts wherever possible, even in your own back yard. Support craftspeople who make good stuff that lasts a long time. And... don't get on my case about what I do with wood. It's the old "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" bit.

I agree with what you're saying Rick, and I know ignorance is no excuse when it comes to condemning others without justification, but this is a very complicated issue. I myself operated for a few years without a complete understanding of what I was doing, and unknowingly violated a few laws in the process. And don't forget that there are some in our industry who know the laws and then proceed to purposefully violate them. I agree as a whole this is a noble profession, but it's not without it's deviants. Thanks to those folks there is justification for at least some level of suspicion.

As an illustration of how complicated any given situation can be, let me add a bit more about this one as I may have actually over-simplified it a bit. The Lacey Act is unique among our laws in that in trying to protect endangered species it goes beyond the CITES listings. If a species is restricted in a particular country, even though it's not listed in CITES, it would then go back to the permit process. In other words, the Lacey Act takes into account the laws of individual nations as well as the International agreement we have with CITES.

In our neck of the Central American woods (pun intended), they don't issue permits for cutting Cocobolo at all! I don't know the laws of Nicaragua. Having been briefly in the lumber export business down there, I do know that Nicaragua had a more plentiful supply than the other Central American countries. That's not to say, however, that they don't have a local permitting process in the case of Cocobolo. If they do, then a Lacey Declaration is not enough to import these instruments, you go back to the permit process to show that the wood was taken legally under Nicaraguan law.

There's no database for the individual logging restrictions of every nation, so while you can see if there is a problem with a CITES restriction, you need to have confidence that your supplier is complying with local laws and if there are local restrictions of any sort, he should not be selling to individuals here without supplying them with export permits.

p.d: Nickie's instruments have now passed through customs. They can be sold to anyone inside the U.S. borders.
 
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Another major issue...probably a constitutional one at that...is that both CITES and Lacey are being applied retroactively, that is these laws are being applied to and rather high handedly so, against people who purchased Brazilian rosewood and elephant ivory when it was perfectly legal do to so and to people who own antiques and collectibles made decades or even centuries ago. Sorry, but I do not have papers for the 300 year old (plus) Japanese ivory netsuke in my desk drawer nor for some of the Brazilian rosewood that I purchased in the 1970s. I know of ivory carving and netsuke collectors whose retirements are basically wiped out; it's now illegal for them to sell their pieces. It's now literally illegal to sell an old piano with ivory keys...or bagpipes, or tea pots with ivory insulators or tortoise shell combs or decorative hair pieces. Whale tooth scrimshaw from the early 19th Century? Fuggedaboutit.

Meanwhile, poachers with chainsaws or AK-47s run rampant in Africa, Madagascar, and South America...

See: http://handmademusicclubhouse.com/forum/topics/brazilian-rosewood-in-the-u-s-to-become-illegal

And: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.erikson.3/posts/10201247075604239
 
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