Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear

[Paslode]

We give amnesty to illegals, guns to drug cartels, we can't secure our borders and we cannot purchase Raw Milk......You may have heard of Milk Police, now we have the Guitar Police.

Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear
By ERIC FELTEN
[FELDEN] The Commercial Appeal/Zuma Press

Agents from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pore through the workshop at the Gibson Guitar factory on Wednesday morning.

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."

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.

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.

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."

The tangled intersection of international laws is enforced through a thicket of paperwork. Recent revisions to 1900's Lacey Act require that anyone crossing the U.S. border declare every bit of flora or fauna being brought into the country. One is under "strict liability" to fill out the paperwork—and without any mistakes.

It's not enough to know that the body of your old guitar is made of spruce and maple: What's the bridge made of? If it's ebony, do you have the paperwork to show when and where that wood was harvested and when and where it was made into a bridge? Is the nut holding the strings at the guitar's headstock bone, or could it be ivory? "Even if you have no knowledge—despite Herculean efforts to obtain it—that some piece of your guitar, no matter how small, was obtained illegally, you lose your guitar forever," Prof. Thomas has written. "Oh, and you'll be fined $250 for that false (or missing) information in your Lacey Act Import Declaration."

Consider the recent experience of Pascal Vieillard, whose Atlanta-area company, A-440 Pianos, imported several antique Bösendorfers. Mr. Vieillard asked officials at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species how to fill out the correct paperwork—which simply encouraged them to alert U.S. Customs to give his shipment added scrutiny.

There was never any question that the instruments were old enough to have grandfathered ivory keys. But Mr. Vieillard didn't have his paperwork straight when two-dozen federal agents came calling.

Facing criminal charges that might have put him in prison for years, Mr. Vieillard pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of violating the Lacey Act, and was handed a $17,500 fine and three years probation.

Given the risks, why don't musicians just settle for the safety of carbon fiber? Some do—when concert pianist Jeffrey Sharkey moved to England two decades ago, he had Steinway replace the ivories on his piano with plastic.

Still, musicians cling to the old materials. Last year, Dick Boak, director of artist relations for C.F. Martin & Co., complained to Mother Nature News about the difficulty of getting elite guitarists to switch to instruments made from sustainable materials. "Surprisingly, musicians, who represent some of the most savvy, ecologically minded people around, are resistant to anything about changing the tone of their guitars," he said.

You could mark that up to hypocrisy—artsy do-gooders only too eager to tell others what kind of light bulbs they have to buy won't make sacrifices when it comes to their own passions. Then again, maybe it isn't hypocrisy to recognize that art makes claims significant enough to compete with environmentalists' agendas.
—Write to me at EricFelten@WSJPostmodern.com.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...471223268.html

[SF-TX]

Originally Posted by Paslode

We give amnesty to illegals, guns to drug cartels, we can't secure our borders and we cannot purchase Raw Milk......You may have heard of Milk Police, now we have the Guitar Police.





http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...471223268.html

You may have heard of campylobacter, salmonella, E. coli and listeria (not an all-inclusive list of the pathogens that can naturally contaminate raw milk)?

[Penn]

There are numerous laws being passed and enforced which we are subject to without recourse; such as the incandescent light bulb edict which make it a crime to sell or manufacture in the very near future. I wonder what Edison would have said...

Here is a link to that insanity along with an engaging discussion on liberty, "The two Concepts of Liberty", by Isaiah Berlin 1958

“But I do mean that to understand such movements or conflicts is, above
all, to understand the ideas or attitudes to life involved in them, which alone make such movements a part of human history, and not mere natural events. Political words and notions and acts are not intelligible save in the context of the issues that divide the men who use them. Consequently ourown attitudes and activities are likely to remain obscure to us, unless we understand the dominant issues of our own world. The greatest of these is the open war that is being fought between two systems of ideas which return different and conflicting answers to what has long been the central question of politics - the question of obedience and coercion. 'Why should I (or anyone) obey anyone else?' 'Why should I not live as I like?' 'Must I obey?' 'If I disobey, may I be coerced?' 'By whom, and to what degree, and in the name of what, and for the sake of what?' “

http://www.sure-start.com/incandesce...onths/3674973/

Two concepts of liberty
http://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/filea...sofliberty.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Concepts_of_Liberty

[Red Flag 1]

Tone woods are becoming an interesting topic among luthiers lately. Rosewood from Brazil has been embargoed since 1965. Luthiers have been hoarding this stuff for decades and just charging more and more over the years. Other tone woods for backs and sides are being used with mixed reviews. This is the first time I have heard of the feds going after luthiers like this. If this is true, and continues, the feds will put a lot of small business luthiers out of work, and perhaps even in to courts nationwide. Just what our economy needs, more folks out of work, and another industry in trouble. I have two instruments with Brazillian Rosewood, guess I'll call my attorney............

RF 1

[Paslode]

Originally Posted by SF-TX

You may have heard of campylobacter, salmonella, E. coli and listeria (not an all-inclusive list of the pathogens that can naturally contaminate raw milk)?

I am aware of the potential dangers and personally I have always favored pasteurized milk.

Regardless of the potential risks if people want to pay money for raw milk, the Government has no business stopping the purchase or performing forced incursions to destroy private property. This isn't a crack house we're dealing with

I am betting that the number of deaths and injuries related to the purchase of unpasteurized dairy products is far less that of Operations Fast & Furious, vehicular homicides performed by Illegal Aliens and so-called "Safe' food that is USDA inspected, yet tainted with salmonella (and other pathogens) and distributed far and wide throughout the country.

And don't forget China....milk and baby formula tainted with melamine, lead in toys, tainted dog food. So it it is probably a far guess to say that if Gibson produces their guitars in China this would be a non-issue.

And then there is the wasted expense of tax dollars for these follies.

[BOfH]

Originally Posted by Red Flag 1

.... I have two instruments with Brazillian Rosewood, guess I'll call my attorney....

+1 here, I have an Ibanez SA series with a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard...

[Pete]

Originally Posted by BOfH

+1 here, I have an Ibanez SA series with a Brazilian Rosewood fretboard...

Don't have the link handy but in my web cruising during the evening I found a story where the company in question has some competition from another company using the same old wood.

The other company's owner is a big "D" donor - and didn't get raided.

Hmmmm, I ain't saying but.................

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Pete

Don't have the link handy but in my web cruising during the evening I found a story where the company in question has some competition from another company using the same old wood.

The other company's owner is a big "D" donor - and didn't get raided.

Hmmmm, I ain't saying but.................

Be careful what you say-the next, NEXT racists will be tonewood users...

[uplink5]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011...cians-in-fear/

Originally Posted by Dusty

Be careful what you say-the next, NEXT racists will be tonewood users...

Actually, Al Gore has already identified the next racist as those who disagree with global warming:

http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/28/go...tions-racists/

But that's for another post......

Otherwise, Luthiers are certainly suspect and musicians well, we've always been suspect.....

Perhaps I should burn my Takamine and Gibson Guitars?

I heard an interview with the Gibson CEO who pointed out the Gibson Company had already been raided previous to this one over other trumped up issues. This one though is not based on any violation of Indian, or US laws. These jackasses are making the justification for this up.....

Incredible
What's next from these scumbags......

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by uplink5

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011...cians-in-fear/

Actually, Al Gore has already identified the next racist as those who disagree with global warming:

http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/28/go...tions-racists/

But that's for another post......

To what other reference could I have been alluding? That's why I said "next, NEXT...", Bro.

[Tuukka]

Relating to the exotic woods, there is a local company here making guitars with a synthetic alternative material: http://www.flaxwood.com/support/faq/

[uplink5]

Originally Posted by Dusty

To what other reference could I have been alluding? That's why I said "next, NEXT...", Bro.

I saw no specific indication that you were refering to that story in this post, or a previous one. Of course, since those of us who don't toe the line are all racist regarding so many issues....It could have been for many different causes being embraced by this government.

[dadof18x'er]

as usual if you scratch the surface of every story you find something like this underneath...........

http://tpnnews.com/2011/08/28/is-the...usic-business/

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by uplink5

I saw no specific indication that you were refering to that story in this post, or a previous one. Of course, since those of us who don't toe the line are all racist regarding so many issues....It could have been for many different causes being embraced by this government.

[gagners]

Originally Posted by Tuukka

Relating to the exotic woods, there is a local company here making guitars with a synthetic alternative material: http://www.flaxwood.com/support/faq/

Nice guitars. Although, with a synthetic material, a $2k pricetag will make it difficult to make in-roads into the American music scene.

All of the hype over tonewoods is, IMO, ridiculous. Mahogany bodies with AAAAAAAAAAA quilted maple caps do MUCH LESS in providing the guitars tone and sustain than a solid neck joint and quality pickups. Plus, in a world of modelling, people are getting the "LP thru Marshall" sound with instruments costing much much less.

In instrucments like violins and upright basses, I can understand the desire for a pure, familiar, tone.

If you can stand the guy's arrogance and bravado, check out http://www.zacharyguitars.com/

He made a guitar out of kitchen cutting boards and other assorted "Non-tonewoods"... gotta love it.