No more ebony on newer LP Customs?

[Destructone]

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Elec...ul-Custom.aspx

Gibson stopped putting ebony fretboards on new Les Paul Customs? What the hell is a Richlite fretboard?

[jmh151]

Richlite is compressed paper and glue, which the manufacturer can produce to look like any material.

Martin guitars has been using it for the bridge and fretboard on some of their guitars.

It's extremely strong. A few people that played it liked it, it has a very fast feel.

But yes, it is man made, and for people not willing to accept innovation they will hate it. To those people I say buy up all the used Les Paul Customs you can if you want Ebony.

[MetalManiac]

This is hideous and despicable news. Never thought it would actually come to this.
A Les Paul Custom without an Ebony neck is not worth the powder to blow it to hell.
Guess used Custom value will top out now.
I better get me one.

Martin guitars has been using it for the bridge and fretboard on some of their guitars.

Doesn't Martin call theirs "Micarta"?

[the guy who invented fire]

Don't ***** about Gibson...contact your local government and tell them you think it sucks what Gibson has had to do in order to keep the doors open and keep producing guitars!

[BloodRose]

I thought it was VERY funny that the new Ace Frehley Budakkon model, which is supposed to be a copy of an 1970s LP, has a richlite board on it..

[JOLLY]

Don't ***** about Gibson...contact your local government and tell them you think it sucks what Gibson has had to do in order to keep the doors open and keep producing guitars!

Thank you.

[Destructone]

Don't ***** about Gibson...contact your local government and tell them you think it sucks what Gibson has had to do in order to keep the doors open and keep producing guitars!

Wrong local government buddy. I think you meant YOUR local government. Don't worry when I write them a letter, I'll make sure I give you a shout out.

[GuitarStv]

Don't ***** about Gibson...contact your local government and tell them you think it sucks what Gibson has had to do in order to keep the doors open and keep producing guitars!

Dear Gov't,
HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HOLD LARGE CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
- Sincerely,
Uninformed guy from the internet







Lemme know how that works out for you.

[BEACHBUM]

Don't ***** about Gibson...contact your local government and tell them you think it sucks what Gibson has had to do in order to keep the doors open and keep producing guitars!

While your are at it contact your local Henry and ask him why he gave $360,000.00 worth of guitars to the coalition that certifies his off shore wood for import and why he pays them a healthy sum as a contracted advisor for Gibson Guitars? Some call that a conflict of interest. I call it trying to subvert the law. I notice that Fender didn't do those kinds of things and they don't seem to be having any problems what so ever with my Local or Federal governments.

[Jessie's ghost]

I think it's a bigger travesty that they don't put Burt's Buckers in it.

[BloodRose]

I think it's a bigger travesty that they don't put Burt's Buckers in it.

Those made by the guy that makes the Burt's bees lip balm and stuff?? guess they would be wax potted for sure..

wink wink

[GoldenVulture]

I think it's a bigger travesty that they don't put Burt's Buckers in it.

[DankStar]

Dang I didn't know you could make fake ebony with old newspapers and some Elmers glue.

[BloodRose]

I dont know about richlite other than what Ive read, but I LOVE the glass composite board on my Washburn WM526. (its the fiber composite like on parkers.) They also used a composite on the HM24s that sounds more like richlite and it has a super slick feel when bending.

It may not be such a bad thing. But prices should be adjusted. It does appear that the baked maple axes are priced alittle less.

[blueman335]

Dang I didn't know you could make fake ebony with old newspapers and some Elmers glue.

Same here. $4,000 for an LPC seems ever steeper now.

[TattooedCarrot]

So will there be a reduced price to reflect this downgrade?

[formula73]

So will there be a reduced price to reflect this downgrade?

*scoff*

Yeah, right.

[JeffB]

Does Gibson have some kind of restriction where they cannot import any of these woods until they win a court case because of all that BS that went down last summer?

Cos every other major and small manufacturer continues to use all the fingerboard woods that Gibson no longer does. I don't see all these alternate woods and synthetics from companies like Fender, PRS, G&L, Dean, Hamer, and others who manufacturer in the US.

[ImmortalSix]

It's explained thoroughly here

In short, it's not about rosewood or ebony, it's about The Lacey Act, and Gibson failing to comply with it.

The failure to comply is basically a result of insufficient / bad export and import documentation and paperwork.

Everyone who touched the wood classified it differently, and usually in the most beneficial way for themselves. The discrepancy of the classifications as the wood traveled from its source to Gibson leads authorities to think there's something fishy going on.

Read that link, it explains it better than I am currently.

-The Indian Export declaration, filed by the Indian seller, Atheena Exports, declared the wood as Indian Ebony Fingerboards and classified it as "finished parts of musical instruments." This form listed the product as HS Code 9209.92.00. Products falling into the HS Code 9209 category -are legal for exportation from India, by India law, and legal for importation into the US.
-The wood was accompanied by a "Certificate of Origin" issued in India which states that the shipment contains "Indian Ebony Fingerboards" and lists Nashville, TN as the final destination.
-The US Customs Form 3461 listed the products as "Veneer Sheets" under classification HS 4408.90.0195. Importation of HS 4408 is legal under the Lacey Act.
-The US Customs Form also listed Luthier Mercantile as both the importer of record and the consignee of record, but listed Nashville TN as the shipment's destination.
-The Lacey Act declaration form listed the wood as "Ebony fingerboard for guitars: Diospyros ebenum, harvested in India, with the final consignee listed as Gibson Guitars, Nashville TN.
-However, the Lacey Act declaration form also listed the wood as HS Code 4407.99.96, which is classified as "sawn wood." HS Code 4407 is a prohibited code for importation into the US, under the Lacey Act.
-The wood at Gibson Guitar was seized because of the conflicts listed in these forms in how the imported wood was classified.

[uOpt]

It's explained thoroughly here

In short, it's not about rosewood or ebony, it's about The Lacey Act, and Gibson failing to comply with it.

The failure to comply is basically a result of insufficient / bad export and import documentation and paperwork.

Everyone who touched the wood classified it differently, and usually in the most beneficial way for themselves. The discrepancy of the classifications as the wood traveled from its source to Gibson leads authorities to think there's something fishy going on.

Read that link, it explains it better than I am currently.

http://www.briefing.com/investor/our...uitar-case.htm

That one might be better than some junk out there but it is heavily misleading.

They do this:
"Gibson also had ebony and rosewood wood seized in 2009, which was originally sourced from Madagascar. We have not researched in detail that facts of that seizure. "
[...]
The Cultural Bias Against Businesses
There is also a deeply rooted cultural prejudice against businesses by a wide segment of the population.

Much of the initial media reports on this story described the story as either Gibson importing endangered species wood or as importing illegally harvested wood.

Neither of these categorizations are accurate, but they are certainly sensationalized and put the US government in the light of the "good guys" policing the environment.
"

They conveniently omit that the 2009 seizure actually was about straight illegally harvested wood. That doesn't mean Gibson must be guilty, they might have bought it in good faith, but that wood was illegally exported from Madagascar when they have political problems preventing enforcement of export laws.

So this article wants to engage in pro-Gibson propaganda and simply bends the facts by waiving the 2009 incident aside with a simple "we didn't research it". Apparently in their point of view that automatically makes this incident not apply to the current situation.