Half a Million Dollars Worth of Timber Being Ceased from Gibson!

This isn't exactly new news but I came across this video reporting on why Gibson has supposedly the Lacey Act. What means is that Gibson has supposedly imported timber not according to it's home country's law. The Lacey act also applies to guitars that are already being build. Meaning, if the guitar is made with illegally smuggled wood or illegally forested wood, the guitar can also be confiscated by the government of the country, should they chose to enforce the Lacey Act. However, rest assured that it does not apply to individuals as stated in the video. Meaning, if you own a Gibson passed down to you by your father or grandfather, they can confiscate the guitar away from you by enforcing the Lacey Act. Now, we can all sign a relief.

Learning about woods from the expert!

Parekh Exports is one of the exhibitors for the Singapore Guitar show 2011. They aren't a guitar builder but instead a producer of raw wood. I spoken to Ashok Parekh, the man himself and was asking him the difference between woods and of course, how to spot the woods. As I can only spot maple, mahogany, ash, alder, rosewood, ebony, basswood, purple heart and a list of others. I don't know the non common woods well enough to spot them.

Ashok was kind enough to educate me on the woods and the difference. Not only did he educate me on how to spot them, he described to me the difference in sound. He also took the time to show me the different types of wood (those that he already have there) and most importantly of all, what contributes to the grade of the wood. Ever heard of grade AAA quilted maple? That was what I learned.

Overall it was a very enjoyable experience and learning journey for me, talking to the expert to satisfy my curiosity. Parekh Exports are also able to provide various grade of high quality, well dried, exotic wood for hobby builders. For more information, please click here.