Why was Gibson guitars raided 2011?
Authorities raided Gibson’s Tennessee factories in 2011, taking ebony and rosewood they suspected were illegally imported from India. They were acting to enforce the Lacey Act, passed more than a century ago to stop illegal trade in wildlife and amended in 2008 to ban illegally logged woods.
Why was Gibson raided?
Why Gibson Guitar Was Raided By The Justice Department : The Record Last week the government raided the Gibson Guitar Corporation for the second time in two years over allegations the company knowingly acquired wood protected under U.S. environmental law to make its instruments.
When was Gibson raided?
On Aug. 24, armed agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided two of Gibson’s Tennessee production facilities and its Nashville headquarters. The agents confiscated nearly $1 million in rare Indian ebony, finished guitars and electronic data, according to Juszkiewicz.
Did Gibson use ivory?
Please note: Gibson does not use, or endorse, the use of ivory in guitar building.
Does Gibson still use rosewood?
Following the introduction of its extremely-limited run of Brazilian rosewood fretboard Custom Shop recreations of the 1958 Flying V and Explorer guitars, Gibson has now released slightly more accessible versions of the instruments fitted with Indian rosewood fretboards.
What guitar wood is illegal?
rosewood
An international crackdown on illegal logging in tropical forests has ensnared the makers of some guitars and other musical instruments, whose top-end products require small amounts of rosewood, a material prized for its rich, multicolored grain and resonant sound.
When did Martin stop using ivory?
As a result, all original-condition Martin guitars with ivory components made from 1915 to 1970 would be illegal for interstate or international commerce, and instruments more than 100 years of age would be illegal for commerce if any ivory components have been reshaped or reworked in any manner.
Are bone nuts self lubricating?
There’s also the fact that bone nuts need to be lubricated, either with graphite or a product such as nut sauce, otherwise strings can catch in the slots. Tusq XL nuts on the other hand are self lubricating, so offer improved tuning stability without having any maintenance.
Are Gibson guitars overpriced?
Gibson guitars are overpriced. Most of them are not much better than epiphones. The problems with Gibson isn’t that they don’t use nice materials and what not, because they do.
Why is rosewood illegal?
In January of 2017, the CITES convention (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) in Geneva, Switzerland passed a ban on the use of rosewood and Bubinga as tonewoods, making it more difficult to ship or travel with musical instruments made with any amount of these endangered …
What is the oldest guitar brand?
C.F. Martin, known more commonly as “Martin,” is the oldest guitar company in the United States. Founded in 1833, the company originally operated out of a small shop on the Lower West Side of New York City, where the eponymous luthier sold music supplies, as well as a limited number of handmade guitars.