Here’s a story not metal related per-se, but rather an example of how not to fund your band’s tour. This alt-rock band called the Josh Davis Band has been busted for selling counterfeit high-end guitars. From January 2008 to October 2011, the band stocked up on 165 cheap acoustic guitars and then proceeded to print fake logos and graphics onto said guitars and sold them under the brand names of Guild, Gibson, and C.F. Martin & Co. As the band toured, they sold the knockoffs at pawn shops for around $340 on average. Of course, said pawn shops eventually figured out they’d been duped, so they brought in the FBI and now all four band members have been charged.

The band members were ordered to each pay a sum that adds up to $56,000 to over 50 pawn shops across the country in addition to two members, Josh Davis and Romeo Rondeau, being put under house arrest for six-months and Randy Gray sentenced to one day in jail and three years of supervised release. So, moral of the story here is if you think your band has found a solution to your financial troubles, make sure it doesn’t risk falling into more financial (and legal) trouble. For a more clever and legal way of funding your band’s tour, you might consider following this band’s example.

[via Philly.com]