Gibson Guitar factory raid by Feds for using import restricted Ebony Wood

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
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Hasn't the government got better things to do? I wonder.


Federal agents swooped in on Gibson Guitar Wednesday, raiding factories and offices in Memphis and Nashville, seizing several pallets of wood, electronic files and guitars. The Feds are keeping mum, but in a statement yesterday Gibson's chairman and CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz, defended his company's manufacturing policies, accusing the Justice Department of bullying the company.

"The wood the government seized Wednesday is from a Forest Stewardship Council certified supplier," he said, suggesting the Feds are using the aggressive enforcement of overly broad laws to make the company cry uncle.


more...

Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear | Postmodern Times - WSJ.com
 

gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
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If the wood they are using is illegal, shut em down permanently. I know I sure as hell don't care if they don't make guitars anymore and the plant isn't here in Canada, so no skin off my ass.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Low Earth Orbit
Peter Lowry, ebony and rosewood expert at the Missouri Botanical Garden, calls the Madagascar wood trade the "equivalent of Africa's blood diamonds."
Isn't it a little too late to worry about Madagascar now? Will Fish and Wildlife ban imports of Madagascar oil sands oil? I doubt it.
 

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
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Backwater, Ontario.
I have a mandolin with an ebony fretboard.
And some with rosewood fretboards Long ago most of them had ebony FBoards.
the ebony is harder and wears slower. the rosewood is ok too. I'll never live long enough to wear any of them out. Tonal qualities are approximately the same.

Gibson lost, not too long ago, most of their stock in a flood in Nashville. Maybe they bought some questionable wood to try to get up and running again

The wood police are on the ball............eyup8O
 

JamesUSA

New Member
Aug 26, 2011
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Gibson's posted a press release. They say all the wood is legal, Forrest Stewardship Council certified,
responsible, sustainably harvested, and being confiscated without right.

They're pretty mad...

Gibson Press Release
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,912
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Low Earth Orbit
Gibson's posted a press release. They say all the wood is legal, Forrest Stewardship Council certified,
responsible, sustainably harvested, and being confiscated without right.

They're pretty mad...

Gibson Press Release

Ain't Free Trade agreements grand?

 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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"Friends of the Clayoquot" used to argue that more wood products should be used to build things locally, like musical instruments. Well here's a great piece of craftsmanship built in North America. It isn't like the stuff is being used to frame houses.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,912
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That would be the Prime Minister of India, a free democratic nation.........and our friend, as well as the second most populous nation on earth.

Yep, free trade with them is a great thing.

Free trade with India is a new Silk Road - The Globe and Mail
Yeah I've known about this since day one. 152 Free Trade deals to go.


When is exporting jobs a good thing? Only when Uncle Steve does it? Free Trade isn't a good thing Colpy, not good at all.
 

Nuggler

kind and gentle
Feb 27, 2006
11,596
140
63
Backwater, Ontario.
Yeah I've known about this since day one. 152 Free Trade deals to go.


When is exporting jobs a good thing? Only when Uncle Steve does it? Free Trade isn't a good thing Colpy, not good at all.



Come on!

Colpy says it's good, it's good. Neocons are never wrong. Write that out 100 times and remain after school and clean the blackboards.

And, in the future, young man.......................................................................etc.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,912
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I guess Colpy likes having RBC Insurance phone him 5 times a day in a language he doesn't understand. I wager the guy sitting with Uncle Steve is a Tamil Tiger. We bank rolled al Qaeda in Libya why not the Tigers in Mumbai?
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
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Saint John, N.B.
I guess Colpy likes having RBC Insurance phone him 5 times a day in a language he doesn't understand. I wager the guy sitting with Uncle Steve is a Tamil Tiger. We bank rolled al Qaeda in Libya why not the Tigers in Mumbai?

Ahhhh....Mr. Singh is an Indian, and a Sikh.......although there are many Indian Tamils, the Tigers are a Sri Lankan phenonmena......

And I hate those RBC bastards....... :)