Posted on 08/26/2011 9:26:29 AM PDT by yoe
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.
It isn't the first time that agents of the Fish and Wildlife Service have come knocking at the storied maker of such iconic instruments as the Les Paul electric guitar, the J-160E acoustic-electric John Lennon played, and essential jazz-boxes such as Charlie Christian's ES-150. In 2009 the Feds seized several guitars and pallets of wood from a Gibson factory, and both sides have been wrangling over the goods in a case with the delightful name "United States of America v. Ebony Wood in Various Forms."
[snip] It isn't just Gibson that is sweating. Musicians who play vintage guitars and other instruments made of environmentally protected materials are worried the authorities may be coming for them next.
[snip] If you are the lucky owner of a 1920s Martin guitar, it may well be made, in part, of Brazilian rosewood.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
“gun manufactures that use Cocobolo (Rosewood).”
Maybe such actions are the actual target. Especially since Gunwalker is in focus now.
Soon, this Administration will grab chopping blocks and kitchen utensils, saws and baseboard/chair rails.
No problem. Just buy a top of the line Epiphone LP. It will play just as good as a Gibson, look as good as a Gibson Les Paul with the fancy Pearl Inlay fret markers.
But you know it will be built overseas but with the 'correct wood' and 'legal pearl'. Then after you play it for a while you can decide if you really want to be near Holder's stinky ___ ;-)
Don't get me wrong, I love Gibsons. Waaay back in 1964 I had a Red Gibson ES-335 Dot Like This that I bought used - it was made in '59 iirc (HS kids didn't have a lot of dough for new Brand names then). Like a FOOL I sold it just so I take a girl to her Prom.
Never, ever, will I do that again.
‘_____________so I did nothing.’
Then they came for the music,
but I wasn’t a music-maker - - -
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