Bob taylor on responsible use of ebony

[BroPez]

I hope this gets out to independent luthiers as well. Develop a better way for coating the new ebony to jet black if wanted but also support saving our precious woods.

[jacksonplayer]

I was sympathetic to Gibson when the raid happened, just because of the Kafkaesque bureaucratic silliness surrounding the Lacey Act. However, if Gibson was knowingly violating the law, they're stupid.

Of course, that's the government's side of the story. The actual truth may be more muddled. Gibson claims they were using a long-time wood supplier and didn't know about the legal issues in Madagascar. The government claims that info confiscated in the factory raid contradicts this. I don't know if any further enforcement proceedings are coming, but it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.

[Soopahmahn]

Fuck you, Bob Taylor. I order custom toothbrushes made of only the finest ebony, and you're about to drive the price up royally.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by jacksonplayer

I was sympathetic to Gibson when the raid happened, just because of the Kafkaesque bureaucratic silliness surrounding the Lacey Act. However, if Gibson was knowingly violating the law, they're stupid.

That's pretty much where I was at, since I thought it was excessive for the point of being sensationalistic when the story first broke. A guitar manufacturer, even a very large one, is small potatoes. Why not go after the construction industry? That's where all the real money, and most likely, the real violations are at. However, the more that comes out, the more it looks like Gibson was really, really stupid.

[jacksonplayer]

BTW, it appears I was slightly off about the supply situation at Gibson. They apparently have pallets of ebony they can't use while they are waiting for the legal situation to be sorted out. The legal status of their supply is complex because of the multiple firms involved in the chain of custody from forest to factory. Gibson is alleging that the wood was legal but mislabeled at some point, while the government contend somebody from Gibson actually went over to Madagascar to deal in "gray market" stockpiles.

The other theory I've seen is that Gibson could get its hands on usable ebony and rosewood if they wanted (just like every other guitar maker can), but they are trying to "normalize" the use of shitty woods in such a way as to be blamed on the government. In other words, they were going to switch to laminated rosewood and baked maple anyway (they've even admitted this to some degree on their web site), but now they can say they didn't have any choice. Do I believe that? Maybe.

[fathead]

Thank you Bob Taylor

[zslane]

Originally Posted by jacksonplayer

He's also in a position to screw over Gibson and Martin by offering them only the inferior grades of ebony.

What constitutes an "inferior" grade of ebony?

[fathead]

Originally Posted by zslane

What constitutes an "inferior" grade of ebony?

The not solid black stuff Bob was talking about.

[Max]

also ebony that seems more likely to crack more severely, or with a lower density

[jacksonplayer]

Originally Posted by fathead

The not solid black stuff Bob was talking about.

Yup. I know it's not really "inferior", but the unstreaked ebony is more in-demand. I have to think Taylor would set aside the best lumber for themselves or charge a big premium for it.