Gibson indictments expected
Newly-filed court documents show that criminal indictments are expected against Gibson Guitar after a federal raid in November 2009. The details are from an affidavit filed by one of the Fish and Wildlife service agents investigating the case. Wood from the island nation of Madagascar was seized at the Gibson Guitar factory during the raid and there have been accusations that the company has been illegally harvesting a type of wood from Madagascar, sending it to Germany and then importing…
Gibson granted injunction against makers of PaperJamz
Tennessee-based Gibson Guitar Corp. was granted a request for an injunction against WowWee USA Inc., the maker of Paper Jamz toy guitars, on Wednesday by a court in Los Angeles. The ruling directs retailers to stop selling the stringless guitars, which play music as children pretend to be rock stars. The injunction was aimed at toymaker WowWee and some of the nation’s biggest retailers including Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Big Lots Stores, Kmart, Target and others. The initial complaint was filed in…
Two Old Hippies Joins Forces with Breedlove
Mumbling something about “Getting the band back together”, Two Old Hippies founders, Tom and Molly Bedell, along with Breedlove’s Kim Breedlove and “Crazy” Pete Newport have announced that they are joining forces to create “The World’s Coolest Guitar Company.” This confirms Breedlove is indeed joining the Two Old Hippies family. The synergy in the merger is immediately obvious; both Two Old Hippies Tom Bedell and Breedlove’s Kim Breedlove are products of the ‘60s, and the spirit of Peace, Love and…
Gibson Sues Over Paper Jamz
The hi tech business gossip website, Tech Dirt, has uncovered yet another lawsuit action taken by Gibson, this time against the Wowwee toy maker, which produces the Paper Jamz toy guitars, drums and amps that enable users to imitate musicians simply by touching the circuit-embedded ‘paper’ that make up the instruments’ surface and structure. (The new toys were featured in an MI Pro news story here.) Not happy with taking Wowwee to court, which on the face of it seems…
Bad Notes in China’s Guitar Trade
Western musicians delight in the world’s best and most exotic guitars, but it is claimed Chinese-made instruments are fuelling an illegal trade in rare timber. Environment watchdog Global Witness says rare and sought after timbers, such as ebony and rosewood, are being cut down in the forests of Madagascar and exported to Chinese guitar factories. Some companies, however, are promoting their use of sustainable timbers for guitars. Maton is Australia�s best known guitar maker, and director Anthony Knowles told Radio…
Unique Gibson J-200 to be auctioned for youth charity
Hear the Music Live, a non-profit organization that sends foster care youth and teens to concerts nationwide, will be auctioning off a special Gibson J-200 painted by Nashville artist Mandy Lawson and signed by some of country music’s biggest stars on eBay Giving Works, from November 9-19. This one-of-a-kind acoustic guitar has been signed by member of Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, members of Gloriana, The Judds, Kellie Pickler, Rodney Atkins, Keith Urban and many more. All proceeds will…
Dean donate guitar for “World Hunger Year”
The producers of Rock Con 2010 and Elliott Rubinson, CEO of Dean Guitars worked together aiming to help raise funds for World Hunger Year – “Artists Against Hunger”. Rubinson donated a black Dean “EVO” electric guitar and 40 Rock Con guest artists autographed the guitar. World Hunger Year plans to auction the Rock Con autographed guitar during their annual “Hungerthon” in November. See whyhunger.org for more info. Elliott Rubinson, CEO Dean Guitars said, “My publicist also did the PR and…
Muse sign deal with Virgin Atlantic
Muse has signed a global synchronization deal with Virgin Atlantic to soundtrack the airline’s biggest ever TV campaign. Muse’s cover of the evergreen classic “Feeling Good,” (available on youtube.com) originally made famous by Nina Simone, features in a glossy 90-second ad spot, which will be broadcast this fall throughout the U.K. and select U.S cities, including New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco and L.A. Financial details were not disclosed. The promo, which was created by London-based creative agency RKCR/Y&R and…
IPC Media sell off “Guitar & Bass” magazine
As part of a review of their niche and specialist titles, IPC Media announced the sale of “Guitar & Bass” to Anthem Publishing. IPC Media publish titles such as Marie Claire, NME, Loaded, and Country Life. The deal sees Anthem acquire the brand – currently published within the IPC Inspire portfolio – with immediate effect. There will be no interruption to the publishing schedule of the title. Anthem Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing magazine publishers with a portfolio…
New online store dedicated to left-handed Gibson buyers
Detroit, MI – Left handed Gibson Guitars are available at a great new internet shopping site dedicated to Left handed Gibson Guitars. This is good news for the southpaw who wants a great selection to choose from without having to sift through hundreds of products only to find a select few that meets their needs. Only a small percentage of people are left-handed, so it would make sense for internet stores to cater mostly to right-handed people. Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg….