Gibson offices busted by the feds...

[jking]

Iconic company investigated for illegal importation of Madagascar wood -- Updated with statement from Gibson

Email | Print By J.R. Lind

11-17-2009 11:40 AM —

UPDATED: To clarify that charges have yet to be filed and identify the federal agency involved in the office search; adds statement from Gibson.

Federal agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and local police today seized wood, guitars, computers and boxes of files from Gibson Guitar\'s Massman Road manufacturing facility.

Sources say the Nashville-based guitar manufacturer is being investigated for violating the Lacey Act, a key piece of environmental law, for importing endangered species of rosewood from Madagascar.

Rosewood is widely used in the construction of guitars and sells for $5,000 per cubic meter, more than double the price of mahogany. The island nation off Africa\'s east coast is a key producer of the hardwood, the export of which has links to international criminal activity.

A statement from Gibson released late Tuesday afternoon says the company is "fully co-operating" with the investigation.

"Gibson Guitar is fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood. Gibson is a chain of custody certified buyer who purchases wood from legal suppliers who are to follow all standards. Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO [Henry Juszkiewicz] sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue of certification very seriously. The company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information," the company\'s statement said.

Madagascar has struggled financially since a January coup and new President Andry Rajoelina issued an executive order in September legalizing the export of rosewood and ebony. The move was decried by environmental groups and political leaders worldwide, as hardwood forests are key to Madagascar\'s unique ecology and serve as a habitat for a dwindling lemur population.

http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2009/11/17/gibson_guitars_raided_by_fbi#

[bdfreetuna]

No wonder Gibsons are so overpriced!

Just use some mahogony and step up the quality control, if you ask me

I\'m guessing from this article they\'re using rosewood for bodies, not just fretboards? I don\'t really see the point in this at all. Mahogony, Alder / Poplar, Swamp Ash, Red Spruce and such make sense due to tonal characteristics and different price points... what\'s the advantage of using Rosewood beyond the fretboard. Nevermind I just looked it up.... I guess it\'s good stuff for bodies.

Gibson should still be aiming that $$$$ > quality control imo

[Marcial]

I don\'t think they use rosewood for anything but fretboards.  Most LP & SG bodies are mahogany (most LPs have maple top laminated over the mahogany).  

Have you noticed quality defects in Gibsons?  I have acquired 2 LPs in the last few months, both are newer (2007 standard-custom, and a 2009 traditional) and they are both awesome.

[bdfreetuna]

Marcial,

I don\'t own any Gibsons. Every time I\'ve played them in the store I\'ve thought the build quality seemed good but certainly not worth the $2000 price tag or whatever it is for a Les Paul Custom. The necks are good but I would expect them to be flawless at that price. Some of the binding seems like it\'s been done a little haphazardly.

Then again I know each one is different, and maybe I\'ve just played some that were poorly set up by the shop.

I do have a 1979 Aria Pro II LC-550 Prototype model. Here\'s my baby:



Quite honestly it takes a steaming coil on any Gibson I\'ve ever played. These Matsumoku factory guitars are notorious for their out of this world build quality.

The kid I bought this from for $200 off craigslist had painted it red sloppily over the original sunburst finish. So I stripped the paint off and put a satin finish on it. These guitars go for around $500 on ebay in fantastic condition.

The action, neck, and pups on this guitar are so good it would probably slightly blow your mind