Gibson face ebony investigation

Guitar maker Gibson is the target of a federal investigation in the United States of America over allegations that endangered tropical hardwoods have been used to make guitars. The company strongly denies the claims. The authorities say they may charge Gibson with illegally importing ebony from India but Gibson's Chief executive, Henry Juskiewicz, said "we will fight aggressively to prove our innocence".  In 2009 guitars and pallets of wood were seized at Gibson according to the Times newpaper.Another guitar maker, C F Martin and Sons have described the difficulty in getting musicians to switch to instruments mad from sustainable materials.  Numerous countries have laws that prevent the use of endangered plants and timber.