Celebrate Earth Day; Win a Les Paul SmartWood Exotic

In celebration of Earth Day, Gibson Musical Instruments begins today a month-long Internet essay contest, with the winner receiving a Gibson Les Paul SmartWood Exotic, the environmentally-friendly guitar.

To enter the contest submit a 50 to 150 word essay entitled, "What I Did for the Earth On Earth Day." You can only enter your essay here.

Along with this Grand Prize, there will be four runners-up prizes featuring exclusive merchandise from Gibson Strings & Accessories. Deadline for entries is midnight, Monday, May 24th.

Since 1996, Gibson Musical Instruments has pioneered the production of SmartWood guitars--instruments made from SmartWood certified by the Rainforest Alliance. These instruments include the world's-first SmartWood guitar, the Les Paul SmartWood Standard and the newest Gibson SmartWoods-- the Les Paul Exotics. The Exotics are made from six of of the world's most prized, rare, and beautiful tropical hardwoods harvested from managed, renewable forests in Paraguay.

Crafted from certified Mahogany backs and Curupay fingerboards, the Les Paul Exotic guitars feature exquisite carved tops made from Taperyva, Guasa, Cancharana, Peroba, and Ambay Guasa. Gibsons luthiers highlight the woods beauty by leaving it to its natural texture and color, completed with a UV-cured matte finish to bring out every nuance and detail.

"Gibson's inventors and craftspeople have always been the leaders in innovation... from Orville H. Gibson and Lloyd Loar to Les Paul and Chet Atkins. Today, we mark a new era in the production of cost-effective musical instruments whose manufacture does not jeopardize the life-giving rainforests of the world," says Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Musical Instruments.

SmartWood is a program of the Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization. SmartWood is the first and most extensive timber certification program in the world. Utilizing innovative methods, exotic species of certified forest products are now being produced on a perpetual basis, since tropical hardwoods such as these are elsewhere moving swiftly towards extinction. Smartwood is produced so that craftspeople and customers alike can be confident that their use of these exotic products will strengthen the forests from which they came.

See the Les Paul SmartWood Standard and SmartWood exotics at your nearest authorized Gibson dealer or call 1-800-4GIBSON for more information.

Gibson Musical Instruments will select a winner based upon creativity and adherence to contest guidelines. All entries must be received no later than May 24, 1999. You may only enter by filling out the online form. Void where prohibited by law. Employees of Gibson Musical Instruments are not eligible to participate. Winners will be announced online on June 1, 1999.

Enter your essay now!