IF Brazilian Rosewood makes it to the next level of CITIES listing, the sale of all Brazilian Rosewood, no matter how old, will become illegal (as with Ivory).

In this day and age I would argue that the only ethical way to buy an instrument using exotic woods is to insist on FSC or similar certification AND to ask to see the chain of custody documentation. This proves that the wood was bought from shipper a, from merchant b, from lumberyard c etc and that no illegal wood has slipped into the chain. Yes it adds some expense to the wood but in the overall price of an instrument it's marginal.

Steve