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In November of 2009, world-renowned guitar-maker, Gibson Guitar Corp., was raided by Federal Agents from the US
Fish & Wildlife Service over the illegal importation of rosewood from Madagascar. It served as a wake up call to the entire guitar & bass industry. This week on Sea Change Radio, Alex Wise speaks with Anderson Page and Joe Perman of high-end bass guitar crafter, Modulus Guitars, to get their insight into the Gibson scandal, the international trade in rare woods and how Modulus is able to maintain its ethical and sustainable practices.
Richmond, CA-based, Modulus Guitars, invented the carbon fiber neck bass guitar. Some of the most accomplished and creative bassists in the world, from Phil Lesh, Alphonso Johnson and Flea to Oteil Burbridge, Mike Gordon and Me‘Shell NdegéOcello, play Modulus bass guitars. The company discontinued one of it’s most successful products (pictured above) because it featured the exotic wood, Cocobolo, whose origins can be hard to trace.