Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz Says Wood Supplies are "Disappearing Quickly"

In what has to be a rather chilling proclamation for enthusiasts of any guitar brand, Gibson CEO Henry Juszkiewicz has openly stated concern that the wood supply needed to produce high-quality wood guitars may simply not be around for much longer.

In a story in the U.K.'s Independent newspaper, the Gibson CEO was quoted as saying, "The true wood guitar is disappearing quickly. We need to act now because it just won't be around in 10 years." You can read the Independent's full story, titled "Playing for time: Wood shortages threaten world's best guitars," at this location.

MusicRadar's Chris Vinnicombe reports: "Although musical instrument manufacture accounts for only a tiny percentage of annual timber harvests in comparison to wood used for furniture and industrial purposes, some of the most highly-prized tonewoods that used to be commonplace in guitar construction are now scarce or endangered."

"Brazilian rosewood, for example, was Gibson's fretboard material of choice for decades, but since it was CITES-listed in 1992, trade in anything other than old-growth material harvested pre-1992 (or obtained from stumps left over from trees felled before the ban) is illegal."

You can read more of MusicRadar's story here.