$18 million in counterfeit Gibson Guitars seized at L.A. Port.

Good news, L.A. rockers: If you’re hoping to find a Gibson under the tree this year, there’s a better chance it’ll be the real deal. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) just intercepted more than 3,000 fake Gibson guitars at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport, stopping a wave of counterfeit Les Pauls, SGs, and Flying Vs from shredding their way into the market.

Had these knockoffs been legit, they’d have been worth a jaw-dropping $18 million—enough to make even the most diehard gearheads choke on their coffee. Instead, they’re about as real as Milli Vanilli’s vocals. Gibson, the Nashville-based guitar titan, confirmed the instruments were frauds, and CBP wasn’t about to let them slip through their hands.

For over a century, Gibson guitars have been the six-string Excalibur for rock legends. Think Jimmy Page conjuring the “Stairway to Heaven” solo, Angus Young duck-walking his way through “Back in Black,” and B.B. King sweet-talking “Lucille” into blues immortality. These aren’t just instruments—they’re sacred relics of rock’s pantheon. So, yeah, seeing a fake Gibson is like finding out that your cherished first-pressing of Appetite for Destruction that you bought on eBay is really just a laser-printed knock-off.

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