A Victory For Luthiers; A Reminder That Music Is Often A Revolutionary Medium

Three years ago, the federal government, in the form of body-armored, AR*-bearing shock troops, raided the Gibson guitar factories in Nashville and Memphis.  Supposedly, this was because Gibson had imported guitar wood [known as "tonewood"] that was protected by a variety of international environmental laws.

This was news to Gibson and to the overseas sources of this tonewood, as all guitar-makers, or luthiers, take great care to use only sustainable, non-threatened product.  After all, no tonewood means no guitars means no profits.  Also, all luthiers use the same wood from the same sources.  In that case, why was Gibson raided and not Martin Guitars [or Clements Guitars, for that matter]?

Some suggested it was because the CEO of Martin gave to the Obama campaign and the Gibson CEO did not, but that just seems cynical, doesn't it?

Well, as it turned out, the wood was harvested according to the environmental laws of the countries that grow, harvest, and export the tonewood and, in fact, did not violate the laws of the USA, either.  Why the raid?  Who knows?  Maybe, given how many government agencies have SWAT teams that need to use their skills from time to time, it looked like a good idea to some petty bureaucrat.

So, to mark the victory, Gibson has created a line of guitars made from the unfairly accused tonewood and is offering them as their "Government Series".  Tweaking the nose of authority is a common activity of musicians.

[*The AR is the rifle that everyone currently fears, especially politicians.  They call it an "assault rifle" and have made its common sale and possession in Connecticut, New York, and Maryland illegal, even though in caliber and action it is identical to rifles of a more historical appearance; rifles that are not illegal to possess and sell.

This is illegal:

This isn't:

Same caliber, same rate of fire, same accuracy, same firing mechanism, same manufacturer, same rifle. You can alter the one on top to become the one on the bottom in under five minutes using a simple screwdriver. Do you now feel safer?  I wonder about the logic of government, sometimes.]