Someone needs to clarify exactly what they are referring to! There is no true **Ebony** in Madagascar. "Madagascar ebony" is a Diospyros, and it IS getting scarce, and it may well be that Gibson didn't have the proper permits/certification for importing it, but whether this was intentional or a bookkeeping error is not clear. Perhaps the company Gibson bought it from misrepresented where they got it...or perhaps Gibson misrepresented the actual source.

(There is no 'Rosewood' in Bolivia, either...no matter what wood dealers try to sell you!)