HC Confidential: Issue 133

Oggetto: HC Confidential: Issue 133 Mittente: "Harmony Central" <harmonycentral@email.harmonycentral.com> Data: 08.09.2011 17:00 A: "NEWSALL@VIRGILIO.IT" <NEWSALL@VIRGILIO.IT>

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Issue 133

Dear Musician, (If you're not aware of the facts surrounding the recent Federal raid on Gibson Guitars, please see "Dear Musician" in Harmony Central Confidential newsletter issue #132; for more about the 2008 amendments to the Lacey Act that are at the root of this issue, please see the "Dear Musician" in newsletter issue #118. There are also tons of threads in our forums about the raid.) We've been researching the situation regarding the raid on Gibson and feel we must speak out. Regardless of what anyone thinks about Gibson, its guitars, its pricing, etc., this issue goes well beyond a single company to something that can potentially affect virtually all retailers, suppliers, sellers, and buyers (yes, even you) in the music industry. This industry is so small and geographically dispersed that no one in Washington seems very interested, so the only avenue for relief is in the court of public opinionand an informed public that makes its views known to their representatives. We'll have more on that aspect later. The heavy-handed nature of the raid on Gibson notwithstanding, if the company knowingly imported endangered wood they should be prosecuted under environmental laws. However, it seems no such laws were violated. Brian Majeski is the editor of The Music Trades magazine, which has "no dog in the fight" when it comes to manufacturing, but instead reports on industry trends, sales, and retailing. As a result, he has the interests of the industry at heart, not that of any one manufacturer. He is also someone who does his research, and some excepts from his recent editorial in The Music Trades state the situation very succinctly (emphasis ours). "There are no laws on the books in the U.S. prohibiting the use of Indian or Madagascar rosewood and ebony. That didn't stop the industrious John M. Rayfield, a special agent at the Fish and Wildlife service, from concluding that Gibson's use of these woods violated Indian law. The law he cites in his affidavit, 'W.E.F. 23.08.2010 Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry,' has nothing to do with overharvesting, illegal logging, or anything else related to the environment. Rather, it specifies labor content levels for wood thicker than 6 millimeters that is exported from India. In other words, Gibson stands accused of using U.S. instead of Indian labor to produce its guitars. Had the company imported a finished guitar from India, using the same rosewood and ebony, it would have been in compliance with Lacey. Importing semi-finished component parts caused the violation. In practice, the Indian authorities have a different interpretation of their law: For decades they have allowed

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the export of millions of fingerboard blanks without challenge. "There isn't a guitar manufacturer of any scale in the U.S. that doesn't use some Indian rosewood or ebony for fingerboards, and all of them, to the best of our knowledge, import the same kind of semi-finished blanks that were seized from the Gibson plant. Thus, by the logic of Rayfield's affidavit, they are all potentially in violation of Lacey. Lacey applies to sellers, buyers, intermediaries, and anyone else who comes into contact with 'illegal' wood, so retailers and consumers could be on the hook as well. If that isn't sufficiently unsettling, remember that Lacey is 'a fact-based, rather than a document-based statute.' Translation: Having the right paperwork won't save you from fines, confiscation of product, or even imprisonment, and the world of music is populated with unsuspecting felons." In the hours after the raid, our best guess was that there was probably some kind of technicality that was violated, but that the response to it was over-the-top and an abuse of power. It seemed that the likely conclusion would be Gibson saying "Oops, sorry, we did fail to dot the i," pay a hefty fine, and go about its business. However, while it's not up to us to judge Gibson's innocence or guiltthat's the function of the judicial processwe have yet to see any evidence related to the recent raid that Gibson violated the letter or the spirit of environmental regulations intended to protect endangered species. Looking past Gibson's immediate issues, we can only assume that Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, etc. must now be concerned that they could come to work one day and find armed Federal agents pulling guitars off walls at gunpoint, or see employees hauled off to jail for having shipped them across state lines. Respected vintage guitar dealer George Gruhn is sufficiently intimidated by the Lacey Act that he has reportedly simply given up on the 40% of his business that deals with overseas sales and purchases. Also reportedly, Willie Nelson will no longer tour with his favorite guitar due to concerns of confiscation. Do your own research and come to your own conclusions, then make your opinions known to your representative in Congress. None of us want to see environmental regulations flouted, but we also don't want to see American music industry companies raided without clear and obvious justification, or guitars confiscated without due processa central tenet of our judicial system. If you don't know how to contact your representative, sign up at www.congress.org, which makes it very easy to let them know what you think. But do let them know. We have. (And now so has NAMM, which is attempting to open a dialog with Washington to clarify the Lacey Act with regard to musical instruments.) The Editors of Harmony Central: Craig Anderton Jon Chappell Phil O'Keefe Wendy Jarrett Chris Loeffler Carrie Brown

Attention Solo and Duo Live Acts: We Now Have a Forum Just for You! Solo and duo acts are becoming more popular in today's downsized world, and face their own unique challenges. So, we've augmented the Live Performance area with a brand-new forum, Solo and Duo Acts. From backing tracks to setup to maximizing your opportunities, this is the place to share your tips, advice, jokes (and of course, the occasional horror story).

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Feature: Making Sense of Synths: How to Choose a Hardware Synthesizer By Craig Anderton Sort out the confusion and find out what's best for you. Product Review: Charvel Desolation DS-1 ST and DS-2 ST Electric Guitars By Jon Chappell Perfect for beginners or as a second guitar, these high-performance, low-cost axes will appeal to metal and hard-rock guitarists on a budget.

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Clean Your Computerthe Right Way Dust, dirt, and hair aren't good for computersespecially if the dust lodges between the fins of heat sinks, thus reducing their ability to dissipate heat. But put away that vacuum cleaner! Here's the right way to clean a computer. 1. If possible, keep your computer off the floor and away from doors and windows. If less dust gets in, there's less dust to remove. 2. Opening up a computer entails risks. Of course it should be unplugged, but even then, if you drop something into it by mistake or clean improperly, your wonderful productivity tool can become a doorstop. Soproceed at your own risk. 3. Never use a vacuum cleaner. All but special vacuum cleaners designed for cleaning electronics can create static charges capable of destroying components. 4. Go to a local office supply store, and buy a can of compressed air designed specifically for cleaning electronic gear. Take the computer outside, and spray air into it from a reasonable distancedon't blast the componentsand do so in short bursts. Avoid directing the spray toward hard drives and optical drives. 5. Fans and heat sinks tend to accumulate the most amount of dust. Short bursts on heat sinks from several inches away will do the job, but for fans, hold the fan stationary as you spray it to make sure it doesn't spin faster than the rated number of RPMs. 6. Bring the computer back inside, but before reassembling itand only if you're confident in your maintenance skillspartially remove any connectors and plug them back in to wipe the contacts. You don't have to take components all the way out; for example, you can push on the little arms at the side of RAM chips to raise the RAM 1/16th of an inch or so up, then push back down again. Do the same with cards and power supply connectors. Craig Anderton

This week's pick hits from our News section Native Instruments Releases Five New Instruments and Effects Loopmasters Present New Label from High RankinPlus French Electro House Vol. 2, Vanguard Presets, Progressive House Universal Audio Releases Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder Plug-In for UAD-2 Platform

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In Stores Now: KOMPLETE 8 and KOMPLETE 8 Ultimate V-Plugs Releases Mr. Soundman, a Free Challenging Ear Training Game for Sound Engineers TC Electronic Releases Mac OSX Lion Compatible Software for Its Audio Interfaces T-Rex Effects & Guitar Center Release Second Exclusive Pedal: Tap Tone Eastwood Guitars Introduces the New Lightweight Joey Leone Superfast Auralex Introduces Digital Room Analysis Form Lace Introduces the "Stonewashed" Alumitone Humbucker

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A few of this week's top discussions from our Forums New Pro Review: PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 FireWire Digital Mixer & DAW Controller Check out this just-launched Pro Review of the new StudioLive 16.0.2 from PreSonusa FireWire-based, 16-analog-input (12 XLR + 4 stereo line) mixer with 12 XMAX Class A preamps, built-in DSP effects, seamless DAW control, and extensive programmability and features. It's operable from a laptop or a soon-to-be-released iPad app, and includes PreSonus's Studio One DAW software. Need New Earbuds for My MP3 Player. What Are You Guys Using? If you want earbuds that sound good and don't fall apart, there are lots of useful suggestions in this thread about which ones doand don'tmeet expectations. What It Really, Actually Takes to Be a Successful Cover Band The thread starts off with a list of 13 essentials. But are they really essentials? If anyone knows what it takes to be a successful cover band, it's the Backstage with the Band community. Your List Of the Top Ten Fuzz Pedals Of All Time There are no hard and fast rules for these liststhey're based on whatever criteria the person posting the list felt was important to them. Yet there are some really interesting lists and some good reasons given for the items included on those lists. Some Updated Thoughts On the Music Biz Gurus What about those gurus who believe they can tell you how to make it in the music biz? Do they really know what they're talking about? The Music Biz forum offers their take on what it takes to "make it" these days. Can Your Ears Distinguish Real from Fake? Which is the miked amp and which is GarageBand? No fair peeking . . . but check out the audio examples and see if you can tell the difference. Converting Necks Can you convert a neck that's cut for a Floyd Rose into one that would fit in a regular guitar?

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The question is simple enough, but the answer sure isn'tas you'll find in this detailed and useful thread from the DIY forum. Keyboardists: So You Have a ChoiceKnobs and Sliders or Touchscreen and Encoders Let's assume a synth was available in two versionsone with knobs and sliders, the other with a touchscreen and encoders. Which would you pick? Well, it's easy to find out what the Keys, Synths, and Samplers enthusiasts would pick: Just read this thread. Ten Awesomely Weird Guitar Solos The bizarre and the beautiful; these are not your typical blues or pop guitar solos, but that doesn't mean they're not cool in their own way. Plenty of clips to inspire . . . and perplex. Attention, Mac Video Folks: Anyone Using Final Cut Pro X? The newest version of the Mac's premier video-editing software caused quite a ruckus when it was released, because it took a complete left turn from the paradigm established by FCP up to version 7. Some were up in arms, while others hailed its more intuitive interface. So who's using it, and what do you think so far?

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Editorial Craig Anderton | Editor in Chief Jon Chappell | Senior Editor, Phil O'Keefe | Associate Editor, Chris Loeffler | Reviews Editor Advertising adsales@harmonycentral.com Production Carrie Brown

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