U.S. Customs Seize 36 Counterfeit Slash, Jimmy Page + Ace Frehley Guitars

Slash, Jimmy Page and Ace Frehley are some of the most iconic guitarists in rock history, but a recent shipment of guitars to the U.S. purported to be associated with the musicians certainly were not iconic. In fact, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized 36 counterfeit guitars that were being shipped through Washington's Dulles International Airport.

The guitars arrived in 36 separate shipments from China on Dec. 15 with officers becoming suspicious of the contents. After further investigation it was concluded that the collection had 27 Gibson, six Fender, two CF Martin and one Paul Reed Smith guitars that were allegedly autographed and played by famous musicians.

The CBP agency issued a news release that revealed that many of the Gibsons were Les Paul's, with a Jimmy Page Gibson Double Neck being part of the collection. There was also a Slash autographed guitar among those shipped. The highest valued item in the bunch was a Gibson Ace Frehley that was set at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $9,000.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection services have estimated that had the collection been authentic, it would have had a suggested retail price of $158,692.

“Transnational criminal organizations will counterfeit anything that generates illicit revenues, and unscrupulous vendors line their pockets by preying on unsuspecting consumers,” said Keith Fleming, CBP’s Acting Director of Field Operations in Baltimore.

CBP officers seized the guitars on Jan. 20, and import specialists from the CBP worked with trademark holders to confirm the guitars were counterfeit. The guitars were set to arrive in 21 states and to Australia. According to the report, CBP officers have not encountered any additional counterfeit guitars since the 36 instruments arrived in December.