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Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston
RE: Your Guitar ccould be confiscated (in reply to RTC)
this has been talked to death on many forums. the opinion seems to be the lacey "people/police/whatever you want to call them" folks say they are not gunning for owner's guitars, rather, the importers and guitar companies that use said wood. i know some folks who make/sell guitars have been anxious about the enforcement of the lacey act. from what i gather any wood can be subject to scrutiny but especially rosewood and ebony. of course d.nigra (brazilian rosewood) is the equivalent of putting on a sign that says "kick me" or in this case, "inspect me".
gibson has been the loudest voice to cry "foul/unfair/loss of the american way/what-have you" as they have been busted twice; the first bust appears to be they knowingly bought wood that was marginally legal at best and the second bust an alleged typo on a form. the c.e.o. of gibson has gone out of his way to make this an "us vs them" issue. but, the feds have yet gone to trial with both busts so there is some validity to what they are saying.
Posts: 271
Joined: Sep. 19 2011
From: Louisville KY
RE: Your Guitar ccould be confiscated (in reply to RTC)
The funniest and most absurd part of the article was:
"But Alexander wants to make clear that the Lacey Act “was not intended to seize instruments made of wood harvested before 2008.” He said he and Wyden plan to write a letter to the federal agencies to clarify that point."
Guess he don't know about woods being air dried? If wood was harvested in 2008, it shouldn't be making music for quite a while...
At airports they are asking questions regardless of what this article says, or implys. I was asked about my Castillo blanca the last time I went through airport security with it. The agent said, "Sir can you tell me where this wood came from?" I just smiled and said, son that's an all American guitar! He said, "I thought so, have a good day." In the back of my mind I was thinking, guess this guy can't read or don't want to read the label... All the wood in the guitar is and was legal, but how do you explain woods to someone who don't even look at a label before asking questions...
As if trying to hash out a living in the music business wasn't hard enough... As if words airport and guitar in the same sentence wasn't already a cause of fear for musicians... Now you have people who will be educated just enough on woods to become a danger to the working musician. Half or more of these TSA agents don't even know how to deal with elderly passengers in wheelchairs, (something they were trained for when they got the job), but now some fool will set out to teach them how to identify different species of wood on sight... Aw yes, America and I are growing apart. I'm sick of paying taxes to support people who have nothing better to do with their time than harass guitar players. And no, I'm not sticking up for Gibson... I have harbored a low opinion of them for many years now...
Posts: 1108
Joined: Sep. 29 2009
From: Back in Boston
RE: Your Guitar ccould be confiscated (in reply to RTC)
shawn, in theory, a guitar made in the usa could be a target if any of the wood was imported or if any of the wood did not follow the mandates of the country in which it was harvested. i guess a number 2 pencil could land you in the "lacey jail" if the eastern cedar or juniper was harvested illegally. that is interesting that an airport official asked about the origin of the guitar. they must be getting trained by the "lacey police" to ask such questions. sure hate to run into a t.s.a. agent who sees any dark wood with figure as being d. nigra. better yet, i sure do not want to run into a t.s.a. agent who thinks i may be smuggling d.nigra and gives me a body cavity search.
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