As I was browsing the web this morning, I came across this article in the Wall Street Journal regarding our own Gibson guitar company here in Nashville.  The Federal Fish and Wildlife Service raided factories and offices in Memphis and Nashville seizing several pallets of wood and guitars under suspicion of Gibson using illegally harvested woods to manufacture them.
 

This isn’t Gibson’s first rodeo with the Fish and Wildlife Service, and they actually have a lawsuit in progress from a previous investigation.  From other articles I have seen, Gibson appears to be pretty aware of environmental concerns and where their woods are harvested. The CEO says they are being unfairly targeted.  It was the continuing story in the article that really interested me however.  The same law that has allowed Fish and Wildlife to seize Gibson’s property can be used to seize a guitar from musicians who travel internationally.  If you are a musician who enjoys playing vintage guitars, there is a good chance that some portion of the guitar could have been made from wood that, while fine at the time of manufacture, is now illegal to use.  What is even more remarkable is that it doesn’t have to be a large part of the guitar, like the body or the neck.  It could be the bridge or a nut holding the strings in place.  In order to avoid having it seized, the musician must have proper documentation proving when the guitar was manufactured, and possibly where the wood or other material was harvested, which more than likely doesn’t exist.  If you can’t verify the information through hard copy, they will seize the item, and you could face fines and prosecution.  These customs regulations also apply if you buy a vintage instrument overseas and have it imported back to the US.  Obviously if the instrument is already in the US, the simplest solution is to not take it across the border.  But if you committed to playing a particular guitar or other instrument, it might be a good idea to know exactly what every part of your instrument is made of and obtain the documentation to prove it.  The article serves as great caution that could cost an unaware musician a lot of money and heartache.