Gibson Guitar Counterfeits Seized

Gibson Guitar Corp., located in Nashville, Tennessee, was cooperated with authorities in Oakdale, New York to successfully capture the owner of a music store owner who was selling fake versions of the legendary Gibson guitar at his Montauk Highway shop.

The police seized 15 fake Gibsons from the store and another 18 guitars from his home. Bernard Musumeci surrendered to the police on September 18th, was arrested and charged with second-degree trademark counterfeiting and was released on bail pending arraignment.

The arrest came after a two-month investigation by the authorities who worked closely with authorities at the Gibson company. Once alerted to the possibility of counterfeits, an undercover security expert from Gibson was used to determine whether guitars from the store were, indeed, counterfeit.

The original Gibson Guitar and Mandolin Company was founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Mich., by shoe clerk and musician Orville Gibson. The company shifted operations to Nashville between 1974 and 1984. Gibson now produces what many consider the world’s most recognizable guitars, including the famous Les Paul model and the Flying V. The company is also the parent company of Baldwin, Epiphone, Wurlitzer, Slingerland, Kramer and other well-known brands associated with various musical instruments.

Gibson guitars is an industry leader in its fight against fake Gibsons and aggressively pursues of counterfeitors. See their page regarding how to spot a counterfeit.