Bringing a Shamisen back to the States

[Evilhead]

Hey guys, I had a quick question that I can't seem to get much good information on, so I figured I would ask here. I was planning to buy a shamisen pretty soon, and as you may know they use cat or dog skin to cover the body. I know there must be some kind of import regulation regarding this at customs, but has anyone had any experience taking a shamisen back to the States? I could get it reskinned with a man-made material before I move back the States, or buy one like that to begin with, but it seems like any decent shamisen comes with dog-skin (or cat-skin in very expensive models) and the sound is much better when using animal hide. Any advice would be appreciated!

[Charles]

The US Customs website says it is illegal to import products containing dog and cat fur. It doesn't list any restrictions on dog and cat skin, catgut, etc. so that seems to be OK.