I'm in hopes that if gibson is found guilty, it does not affect touring artist. I don't think its their fault, if they did everything proper and were lied to by suppliers. It's a scary thought, that we may all face, to be subject to losing guitars while touring oversees, and legal problems that are kind of vauge. What can be done if a country/customs officer thinks your rosewood fret board maybe illegal and you don't have proper paper work or legal advice. I know this has been brought up before, but feel it should not be brushed aside, as it may effect our beloved guitars and guitar makers.

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

Has this made things harder for our friends crossing borders in Europe?

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

Hi Dutchy - not that I've ever heard of, no. These days you can cross most borders in Europe without even noticing you passed them. You certainly aren't likely to come across someone trying to seize your guitar for having the wrong type of timber in it.

Entering or leaving Europe, that's where you could encounter difficulties, perhaps. We're very hot on C.I.T.E.S. stuff - there's a warehouse I pass near the airport that is apparently stuffed full of confiscated illegal plant and animal materials.

Anyhow: your first post suggests you've heard something about someone having problems getting a Gibson across a frontier - is that right? News to me: what's the story, please?

Cheers - C

Won't be touring with my ivory inlaid Strat with the baby seal covered case anytime soon.

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Hi Ceri, I hope I didn't alarm you. I heard a story from another jammer, 'bout a friend over in europe. After asking more questions, I found out it was a friend of a friend, and think it may have been blown out of perportion. I wish I investigated further before I opened mouth. It did have me alarmed, and worried, not that I tour, but hope to someday. anyway, I'm glad to hear that you have not heard of such problems.

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2012 American Vintage Telecaster 1958
09 Fender american deluxe strat.
97 Gibson les paul special P90's double-cut
65 Princeton reverb re-issue
2010 Guild Gad-F40e

Hi Dutchy: good - but to take it further, have you (or anyone else) heard of ANY end user running into difficulties over the timber their Gibson is made from?

I'd be surprised if that happened. I am certain there could be no legal ramifications: a player would argue with ease that they bought the instrument in good faith and couldn't be expected to check the source of the rosewood a fingerboard was made of.

That wouldn't necessarily prevent an instrument being confiscated - but in real life the apparatus to make that happen would be very overweening and seems unlikely. This is a whole different thing than an item which is entirely made from elephant ivory, for example.

But I'd be fascinted to hear stories to the contrary. Are players somewhere having problems with the wood their Gibsons are made from?

Cheers - C