More than 3,000 fake Gibson guitars seized at Los Angeles port

Jaime Ruiz, spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, shows off fake guitars during a U.S. Customs and Border Protection media conference in Carson, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - More than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars shipped from Asia were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport, authorities said.

Had the guitars been authentic, they would have been worth $18 million, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The agency said Gibson confirmed the guitars that were intercepted were counterfeit.

Gibson, founded in 1894 and based in Nashville, Tennessee, has the top market share in premium electric guitars and all its guitars are handcrafted in Nashville and Bozeman, Montana.

"These fraudulent guitars may look and feel legitimate for unsuspecting consumers buying them from third party online sources, street markets, unauthorized retailers, and person-to-person transactions," said Cheryl M. Davies, CBP director of field operations in Los Angeles. "As we approach the busy Holiday shopping season, consumers should pay attention on where they are buying these goods and how much they are paying, and if is too good to be true it probably is."

Gibson guitars have been such a fixture in music history that rock-and-roll visionary Chuck Berry was laid to rest with his instrument, blues musician B.B. King affectionately named his "Lucille," and rock guitarist Eric Clapton borrowed one from George Harrison to play the solo on the Beatles' song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."

"This is really emotional and personal for us not only because of the protection of our players, but because of our Gibson team at large, including the artisans at our craftories in Nashville, TN and Bozeman, MT, who are generations of American families that have dedicated their entire lives to handcrafting Gibson instruments," Beth Heidt, chief marketing officer at Gibson, said in a statement.

Authorities announced the seizure Tuesday but didn't say when the guitars were taken, which country they came from, or who made them.

The investigation involving the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is ongoing.

Violating intellectual property is a felony that can result in a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison.