Posted on 02/24/2018 7:23:02 AM PST by rktman
Rock n' Roll. The soundtrack to rebellion. Across the decades, the motif has held, and the mythology of the rebellious rocker striding into the political arena to shatter the establishment with some deftly played power chords still stirs the imagination.
Sadly, the new world might not be ready for the revolution, because this week, after 116 years in business, and following years of attacks, fines, and losses incurred by federal bureaucrats, Gibson, the legendary manufacturer of electric guitars, revealed that it could face bankruptcy in July.
.......the feds claimed was a violation of the Teddy Roosevelt-era “Lacey Act”, which was passed in 1900, and originally banned import of certain wildlife if the capture, killing, or export of that wildlife was prohibited by the nation of origin. In 2011, in what some writers have wisely speculated appears to have been a political move made to ensnare people like the GOP-backing Juszkiewicz, the Lacey Act was amended to include flora – alive or dead.
(Excerpt) Read more at mrctv.org ...
I remember something about prohibited wood and Obama.
I remember it.
This is a disgrace.
It is time to tweet @realDonaldTrump #POTUS #GreatAwakening @jeffsessions and demand they investigate the obama feds that have dune this and why.
Yes, that raid was outrageous. I can’t recall the pretext used for the raid but it became evident afterward that Obama’s thugs wanted a pound of flesh out of the CEO.
What was the Obama pretext?
Also, the company should have been able to recover as their guitars are some of the finest ever crafted. Might be good to go through BK and emerge with a cleaner balance sheet.
I’d forgotten but there have been so many outrages and offenses that I need a spreadsheet to track.
When Donald Trump Jr. buys a Les Paul made in violation of the Lacey Act, Sessions will get Rosenstein right on it.
Lacey Act was a load of crap. It was something else about wood or maybe the wood fell under Lacey; can’t remember.
This is one of America’s finest producers of musical instruments and accessories. I hope President Trump will have someone from his administration look into it and see how the company can be set back on track.
The wood was ultimately returned, and Gibson made a run of Flying Vs using that fretboard wood, called the “government model”. Sold out in minutes. I recently did a blind test between some amazing vintage guitars and a new True Historic Les Paul. It won. Easily. Myth shattered.
The Democrats have weaponized government against the governed.
I think Trump is more of a ES-335 guy....LOL
Problem is, other creditors will get screwed but BK does not reduce any taxes or penalties owed to the government. They get paid before anyone else.
Yes, Yes, Yes
Send a message to President Trump NOW!
It is time to tweet @realDonaldTrump #POTUS #GreatAwakening @jeffsessions and demand they investigate the obama feds that have done this and why.
Good point. The Trump Admin can agree to an ‘Offer in Compromise’ allowing for the company to regain health.
I wonder how onerous the taxes and penalties are.
I think Gibson is really facing bankruptcy because they are trying too hard to sell $500.00 guitars for $4,000.00. The quality they were known for in previous decades just isn’t there any more. Paul Reed Smith, Taylor, Kiesel, and other US manufacturers are offering much better instruments for comparable or lower prices.
I have an Epiphone Riviera made in Kalamazoo I bought brand new in 1965. The ES-335s were so far on back order I bought it since it was in stock. I’d be a bit nervous to take it out of the country and would probably take a maple neck strat or tele for now. Well, if I was gonna go out of the country. Those days are over I think. No desire to venture far and wide any more. Plenty of pickin’ to be done right here. ;-)
Guitar forum liberals hate Henry Juszkiewicz just like they hate Donald Trump. It’s Henry derangement syndrome out the wazoo.
Henry swooped in and revived the company from its doldrums back in the late 1980s. He turned it around. I guess he couldn’t sustain it, though. Now it will probably be bought out by one of the big musical instrument corporations.
Gibson has always been in a precarious spot because their guitars are essentially hand made with lots of artisanal skill and labor involved. That’s been their main virtue to me but it puts them at a serious competitive disadvantage.
My prediction is that whoever takes over Gibson will radically modernize the production of the mid and low level guitars, and preserve the hand production only in a very expensive upper tier line.
Henry was sort of headed in that direction but I don’t think he had the heart to truly do it. He loved the company’s history and traditions too much. He was softhearted towards it. It’s going to take someone with more of a bottom line focus to do the radical overhauling.
I know a guy who has bought some Chinese knock of gibsons. Pretty darn nice actually. Pennies on the dollar.
He'd make an SG look like a 3/4 scale model.
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