US customs seize fake Gibson guitars

Thousands of counterfeit Gibson guitars that would have been worth around $18.7m if genuine have been intercepted by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Los Angeles.

The seizure at the LA/Long Beach Seaport included more than 3,000 guitars, including copies of some of its most iconic instruments like Les Paul variants and some fraudulently claiming to be signed by artists including Slash.

Gibson has confirmed that all the items – which were shipped from Asia – are fake, pointing out that all its guitars are manufactured in the US. The haul also included a few knock-offs of Fender, Gretsch, and Paul Reed Smith guitars.

Gibson guitars sell for a premium – generally starting at around $1,500 – making them a magnet for counterfeiters, many of which are based in China.  That association has resulted in the term "Chibson" – i.e. Chinese Gibson – coming into the vocabulary of guitarists.

"These fraudulent guitars may look and feel legitimate for unsuspecting consumers buying them from third-party online sources, street markets, unauthorized retailers, and person-to-person transactions," commented Cheryl Davies, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles.

"As we approach the busy Holiday shopping season, consumers should pay attention on where they are buying these goods and how much they are paying, and if is too good to be true it probably is."

The seizure took place just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the US as well as the annual Black Friday sale, due to occur on Friday (November 29).

"This is really emotional and personal for us not only because of the protection of our players, but because of our Gibson team at large, including the artisans at our craftories in Nashville, TN and Bozeman, MT, who are generations of American families that have dedicated their entire lives to handcrafting Gibson instruments," said Beth Heidt, Gibson's chief marketing officer.

"As Gibson celebrates its 130th anniversary this year, we are proud of our legacy of quality and craftsmanship, legendary music partnerships with our artists, and our efforts to promote and create more musicians that continue to shape the sounds of generations of musicians and music lovers across every genre."

Clues that a guitar may not be a genuine Gibson – other than the price and likely poor sound quality – include anomalies in the shape of the instrument and cutaway, particularly the dimensions of the body, poorly aligned logos on the headstock, and lower quality pickups and switches.