I disagree, respectfully of course, with thee esteemed gentlemen.
The "trust" issue: The logging of ebony is a very contentious matter, much as the procurement of ivory. The places in the world where good ebony grows happens to be the places where very there is very poor enforcement of environmental protection. Madagascar must be the best example of such. Corrupt government, destabilised economy and political scene. They do not have the means or the will to enforce the protection of a species which is teetering on the brink of extinction. I think it is the western world's responsibility to apply pressure by any and all means to make sure that ebony is protected in this country where it stands no chance if only the country's own processes where trusted.
When I buy ebony from a supplier, especially if I am a prominent name in the guitar manufacturing business, I will make VERY sure that the ebony has been procured ethically. It's not like trusting your electrician to fit "ethical" electrical components. When I bought a diamond for my wife's engagement ring, I made very sure that the jeweller showed me the paperwork showing the origin of the stone. I wanted to make as sure as I possibly could that it was not a blood diamond and the token of my engagement with my wife came at the price of a village in west Africa having been raped. I didn't have to do this, most people probably don't and chances are that no-one would have even asked me whether I had. But a little nagging voice in my conscience insisted that I did.
The "volume" issue: To me it is irrelevant that fretboards use only a very small amount of ebony. The point is that, by buying illegally harvested ebony, you are supporting that illegal industry. The only reason ebony is being logged illegally is because there is a market for it. I don't care how little of it you use, the fact that you support an illegal industry makes you as guilty in my mind as the guy who uses tons of it.
But hey, they're off the hook. I can only assume that means there is insufficient evidence to prosecute them so that settles it. In the eyes of the law Gibson is innocent. In my eyes they are unethical if not guilty. You can decide for yourself what they are in your eyes.
Just a visual reminder of what the rosewood and ebony trade is doing to Madagascar. This patch would have been forest but the greedy need for rosewood has levelled it to the ground which itself is now being removed by erosion. Remember, it's not just about the species of trees in question, but with the entire ecosystem that relies on it. Sensitive species of birds, mammals, chameleons, insects etc. are all suffering from this.
