Musicians will be informed that these quacks are being removed from the streets.
More than 3,000 fake Gibson guitars that may have been sold for a total of $18.7 million were seized by federal authorities after the typically U.S.-made instruments arrived from Asia, officials announced Tuesday. .
CBP said the guitar was shipped to the United States by sea and intercepted by Customs and Border Protection agents in Los Angeles, Homeland Security special agents and other agencies.
Gibson admitted that the guitar was a counterfeit product because its instruments are only manufactured in the United States.
If the fake Gibson had been sold as a real guitar, it could have fetched as much as $18,742,820, according to CBP.
Federal authorities say this is the largest bust of fake instruments in history.
“These fraudulent guitars are a threat to unsuspecting consumers who purchase them from third-party online sources, street markets, unlicensed retailers, and person-to-person transactions,” said Cheryl M. Davis, head of CBP field operations in Los Angeles. may look or feel legitimate at first glance.”
“As the busy holiday shopping season approaches, consumers should pay attention to where they buy these items and how much they're paying for them. Even if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't. I guess so.”
A major Gibson executive said the attempt to peddle fake guitars was “very emotional” for the 130-year-old company.
“This is a really emotional and personal thing for us, not only to protect our players, but also for the entire Gibson team, including the craftsmen in our workshops in Nashville, Tennessee and Bozeman, Montana, who have been here for generations. “We are an American family that has dedicated their lives to handcrafting Gibson instruments,” said Beth Hite, Gibson's Chief Marketing Officer.
