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Anybody else hear about this before now?


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Well well well, look what happened to that rosewood the was confiscated from Gibson...

 

"The Government Series II Flying V(There is also a Les Paul, Explorer, & SG in the series) is a true piece of history, commemorating an interesting time at Gibson. The US government raided the Gibson factory in August, 2011 and seized a large amount of rosewood. Eventually, the wood was returned to Gibson and is now featured as the rosewood fingerboard of this extremely limited-edition Flying V."

 

Check it out...

 

 

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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The PRICES seem reasonable. Don't know the significance in mentioning the government seizure of the rosewood though. Did the government once having confiscated the rosewood make the fretboards better? Did the government have the wood treated with some "Super secret" emulsion by the CIA? Was the wood planted with really small tracking devices or listening devices so the government can keep track of what you're playing?

 

I mean, what's the POINT?

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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Just Gibson having a bit of fun and taking a jab at the gov't.

 

I stopped giving a crap a long time ago about the stupid things our gov't does on a consistent, ongoing basis.

 

Incidentally, speaking of stupid crap, I just found out last night that, apparently, Colorado residents can now use their welfare checks to buy pot.

 

:idk

 

Woohoo! Another victory for all the lazy-ass oxygen thieves!

My ears are haunted.
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The PRICES seem reasonable. Don't know the significance in mentioning the government seizure of the rosewood though. Did the government once having confiscated the rosewood make the fretboards better? Did the government have the wood treated with some "Super secret" emulsion by the CIA? Was the wood planted with really small tracking devices or listening devices so the government can keep track of what you're playing?

I mean, what's the POINT?

Whitefang

 

IMO the point is that the owner of Gibson is an extremely angry, bitter guy who views that whole episode as a political matter rather than the law enforcement issue which it really was, & he's trying to rub the Feds' nose in it.

And I'm going to stop right there before this thread goes bad in a hurry.

Scott Fraser
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I wonder WHY the government returned it. Convicted thieves & smugglers don't get their stolen/smugglers merchandise back from the court or police when they get out of jail or pay their fines. If it was illegally gotten, the government should have sent it back where it came from. Instead, they gave it back to Gibson. Makes me think maybe they shouldn't have confiscated it in the first place.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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Marketing ploy to sell a few more of the same old stuff named differently with a couple of cosmetic changes. Call it a limited edition and it will get sales based upon perceived higher value.

 

Similar to Fender Special Runs (FSR) - which really are nothing special but maybe slightly different.

Been round the block but am not over the hill...

 

http://www.bandmix.ca/jamrocker/

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I wonder WHY the government returned it. Convicted thieves & smugglers don't get their stolen/smugglers merchandise back from the court or police when they get out of jail or pay their fines. If it was illegally gotten, the government should have sent it back where it came from. Instead, they gave it back to Gibson. Makes me think maybe they shouldn't have confiscated it in the first place.

 

That's the thing: it wasn't proven to be illegally gotten- if it had been, it would have been permanently confiscated and auctioned off. If it had been illegal to own, it would have been either destroyed or used for the training of agents.

 

Gibson simply didn't follow the proper import procedures, and tried to pay less import duties. Gibson was proven to have falsified documents and knowingly buying something their own people thought might have been illegally harvested and, in the process, failed to investigate their own people's suspicions.

 

Seized goods that are legal to import but were nonetheless illegally imported- such as items smuggled in or deliberately misidentified, etc.- to lessen the duties the importer would normally pay are not confiscated or destroyed, but auctioned off, with the proceeds helping to fund the agency.

 

In this case, Gibson reached a plea deal with the Feds and paid a hefty fine- cheaper than they could have paid had this thing proceeded to a full trial and loss. I bet the plea included them getting the wood back, and while they DID plead guilty to a fraud, they did NOT cop to nor have proven that they used illegally harvested material. Instead of proceeding to a long and expensive trial against an American company during a recession, the Feds got a cheap win with an admission of guilt & fine.

 

And just as a reminder, Fender handled this WAY better than Gibson did:

(From Fender's IPO)

"Like Gibson, Fender has been scrutinised for the wood it uses in its instruments. In June, German customs officials started an investigation into whether less than 500 Fender guitars with Brazilian rosewood fingerboards were improperly imported into Germany from March 2010 through January 2011. Fender recalled the guitars from its inventory and from stores pending the outcome of the inquiry. Fender is looking into whether the necks of the guitars may be replaced with other materials, while at the same time seeking a retroactive exemption from the import restrictions."

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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I think it's a ballsy move, borne of bitterness, and an effort to play on sympathetic support. But, Scott is right: this thread could go south as divergent philosophies collide, so we mods will be watching this, for now....
Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never!
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Hate the black hardware, that has always looked pretty bad to me.

 

 

I bought an Alpine White Les Paul Studio with ebony fretboard and black hardware a couple of years back. I don't care about the look, wanted the ebony fretboard but note that the black hardware has a completely different sound - almost muffled and doesn't "chime" like my 74 LP Custom. That black hardware is not the same material as a normal bridge - is almost like some type of hard plastic.

Been round the block but am not over the hill...

 

http://www.bandmix.ca/jamrocker/

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Hate the black hardware, that has always looked pretty bad to me.

 

 

I bought an Alpine White Les Paul Studio with ebony fretboard and black hardware a couple of years back. I don't care about the look, wanted the ebony fretboard but note that the black hardware has a completely different sound - almost muffled and doesn't "chime" like my 74 LP Custom. That black hardware is not the same material as a normal bridge - is almost like some type of hard plastic.

 

 

My white Studio has gold-plated hardware. It's my first LP, so there is no other reference model for direct comparison, but I have several other Gibsons, and the guitar sounds great alongside any of them.

 

Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never!
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Personally, I think it's:

 

1) sour grapes on Gibson's part, turned into

 

2) very good marketing,

 

3) but also a missed opportunity

 

On the third, I'm just saying that had I been in charge of Gibson and decided to make the "Government" series guitars, they'd have a bit more visual presence.

 

At least a more distinctive color. Maybe a pickguard with an American Eagle with a LP in its claws. Maybe Navy blue with stars done in silver metal-flake.

 

SOMETHING to make it stand out.

 

 

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Interesting.

I am sure they will have no problem selling them. but it seems silly to use your product as a way to retaliate.

A leader of a corporation should keep their emotions in check.

you concern should be for your product not mud slinging IMHO.

 

Of course, but if you've read any of the statements from the owner of Gibson on this case you'll see that reasoned, sensible, moderate dialog is not his game.

Scott Fraser
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Odd to say this, but he should have followed the lead of a cooler head, like Mark Cuban.

 

When HE comes out of a dispute on the short end, he turns it into a family friendly publicity stunt.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Hate the black hardware, that has always looked pretty bad to me. Found this on the Gibson website; Press release...

 

I didn't care for the tan color until I saw it here on the LP write up and picture. Looks cool! The write up says it has a stamped pick guard but there is no pick guard on the LP? Anyway, I would like to see it in OD green or tiger striped camo...

Take care, Larryz
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Izzitt jusmee? I think they're kinda fugly... ?!

 

I wasn't gonna say that, but for sure.

 

They do seem a bit drab, in pics, at least....

 

OK, drab, then. :thu:

 

Hopefully, they sound and play a lot better than they look. :D

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Just Gibson having a bit of fun and taking a jab at the gov't.

 

I stopped giving a crap a long time ago about the stupid things our gov't does on a consistent, ongoing basis.

 

Incidentally, speaking of stupid crap, I just found out last night that, apparently, Colorado residents can now use their welfare checks to buy pot.

 

:idk

 

Woohoo! Another victory for all the lazy-ass oxygen thieves!

 

People can use their "welfare checks" however they want... they're checks they cash... if you mean "food stamps," as the rumor going around claims, no they can't.

 

http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/potfoodstamps.asp

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On that tangent, in a welfare fraud sting back in the 1980s, undercover agents actually bought LAW rockets on the black market using food stamps.

 

There's only so much crime that can be prevented.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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Marketing ploy to sell a few more of the same old stuff named differently with a couple of cosmetic changes. Call it a limited edition and it will get sales based upon perceived higher value.

 

I'm surprised they didn't do a Ted Nugent signature model in this series... that's the audience this is aimed at... the non-playing right Libertarians I know are talking about buying one "just to send a message," and don't believe me when I tell them Gibson pled guilty and paid $350,000 in fines and reparations to avoid being changed and that it was reported that they had to forfeit all of the rosewood.

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On that tangent, in a welfare fraud sting back in the 1980s, undercover agents actually bought LAW rockets on the black market using food stamps.

 

There's only so much crime that can be prevented.

 

I read an article the other day about the hottest currency in the black market: Tide detergent, which can be used to buy anything from drugs to guns (all of which are apparently easier to get than Tide detergent). I told my wife about it and she told me how much that stuff costs. I totally understand it being currency in the black market.

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I'm surprised they didn't do a Ted Nugent signature model in this series... that's the audience this is aimed at... the non-playing right Libertarians I know are talking about buying one "just to send a message," and don't believe me when I tell them Gibson pled guilty and paid $350,000 in fines and reparations to avoid being changed and that it was reported that they had to forfeit all of the rosewood.

 

I'm quite certain the evil US government is feeling truly shamed by Gibson's temper tantrum.

Here's the message it sends: "I own a famous guitar company & I behave like a 5 year old. Nyah! Nyah! Nyah!"

Scott Fraser
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On that tangent, in a welfare fraud sting back in the 1980s, undercover agents actually bought LAW rockets on the black market using food stamps.

 

There's only so much crime that can be prevented.

 

I remember sitting in an anteroom at the Friend of the Court offices, and some guy was complaining to the court's attorney that he resented the fact that he had to make support payments in reimbursement for his ex being on assistance. "She's just taking those food stamps and buying COKE with them. Ain't NONE of it goin' to the kids!"

 

The court attorney threw down his pen and hotly said, "I'm tired of you deadbeats making these wild accusations. Don't even TRY it with me. You CAN'T buy cocaine with food stamps!"

 

Me and three other guys in the room looked at each other and burst out laughing. One guy piped up and said, "I know a dealer who'll give you an EIGHT BALL for that watch and them shoes you're wearin'." I added, "I know one who'll give you an OUNCE if you're good, you know, ORALLY." Others contributed "TVs", "Car radios", "Car parts", "Coffee makers", "Rings" and many other household or jewelery items.

 

The attorney picked up his pen, went back to his work and never said another word.

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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