More than 3,000 fake Gibson guitars seized at Los Angeles port

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have seized more than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars shipped from Asia at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say that had the guitars been authentic, they would have been worth $18 million. The agency says Gibson confirmed that the guitars were counterfeit. Gibson was founded in 1894 and is based in Nashville, Tennessee. It has the top market share in premium electric guitars, with all its guitars handcrafted in Nashville and Bozeman, Montana. Authorities announced the seizure Tuesday but didn’t say when the guitars were seized, which country they came from, or who made them.