One tree, two axes.

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Gibson Guitar Factories Raided by Feds


Gibson—the legendary instrument makers behind the Les Paul, SG and 335 guitar models—had its Memphis and Nashville factories and offices raided by federal agents last Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The article said federal officials seized pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. While federal officials have not commented on the investigation, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz led reporters to believe the issue was an environmental one, stating “The wood the government seized Wednesday is from a Forest Stewardship Council certified supplier.”

The article explains that the investigation’s pressing issue was probably the origin of the guitars’ wood:

The question in the first raid seemed to be whether Gibson had been buying illegally harvested hardwoods from protected forests, such as the Madagascar ebony that makes for such lovely fretboards. And if Gibson did knowingly import illegally harvested ebony from Madagascar, that wouldn’t be a negligible offense. Peter Lowry, ebony and rosewood expert at the Missouri Botanical Garden, calls the Madagascar wood trade the “equivalent of Africa’s blood diamonds.” But with the new raid, the government seems to be questioning whether some wood sourced from India met every regulatory jot and tittle.

But as the article explains, this isn’t only a hot issue for guitar manufacturers, but collectors as well:

If you are the lucky owner of a 1920s Martin guitar, it may well be made, in part, of Brazilian rosewood. Cross an international border with an instrument made of that now-restricted wood, and you better have correct and complete documentation proving the age of the instrument. Otherwise, you could lose it to a zealous customs agent—not to mention face fines and prosecution.

John Thomas, a law professor at Quinnipiac University and a blues and ragtime guitarist, says “there’s a lot of anxiety, and it’s well justified.” Once upon a time, he would have taken one of his vintage guitars on his travels. Now, “I don’t go out of the country with a wooden guitar.”

http://www.pastemagazine.com/article...d-by-feds.html

When Rosewood trees learn to play the blues all on their own, I'll start getting upset about cutting them down.

JC