Counterfeiters strike wrong note
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Washington Dulles International Airport recently seized 36 counterfeit guitars recently that if authentic, would have had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of USD 158,692.
The guitars arrived in 36 different shipments from China on 15 December 2020 and were destined to address in 21 US states and to Australia, as CBP communicated last week. Officers suspected them to be counterfeit and detained them to continue their investigation.
The collection consisted of 27 Gibson, six Fender, two CF Martin and one Paul Reed Smith guitars. Even Jimmy Page’s Gibson Double Neck made the collection, as did an ax autographed by Guns and Roses guitarist Slash. The most expensive was a Gibson Ace Frehley guitar valued at an MSRP of USD 9,000. (ah)