A number of press outlets are reporting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has served a search warrant on Gibson Guitar while investigating the company’s importation of Madagascar Rosewood.  Sources say the Nashville-based guitar manufacturer is being investigated for violating the Lacey Act (an environmental law) for importing the endangered species of wood.

Rosewood is a very popular wood for guitars and is used on a number of Gibson models including the Gibson J-45 Rosewood Modern Classic.  We have reported before on the fact that high quality woods are getting harder to come by and it is too early to comment on Gibson’s role in depleting some classic types of wood.  Read on for Gibson’s response.

In response, Gibson Guitar released the following statement:

Today Gibson Guitar is fully cooperating with agents of the United States Fish & Wildlife Service as it pertains to an issue with harvested wood. As an FSC chain of custody certified buyer Gibson purchases wood from FSC certified and non certified suppliers ensuring that all certified products meet FSC requirements. Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO sits on the board of the Rainforest Alliance and takes the issue of certification very seriously. Gibson Guitar makes every effort to ensure that all its wood purchases are legal and environmentally responsible. The company will continue to cooperate fully and assist our federal government with all inquiries and information.

We’re going to hope Gibson Guitar is in the right on this one because we want to be on the side of a company that makes such classic guitars as the Gibson J-200 and the Gibson Les Paul.

What do you think?  Is it worth depleting our natural resources for the construction of great guitars?  Let us know in the comments.

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Gibson Guitars