Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi

I know this has come up before but cant find old links

Want to put a logo on my next one.. can anyone give me advice on it

Open to ideas ie pearl inlay ,transfer, sticker,laser

Just some advice on pitfalls and perils on different choices

Thanks in advance

It really depends on the look you are going for. To me a traditional style instrument pretty much dictates inlaying shell or some other similar material, (wood, bone, reconstituted stone, etc.) Beyond that the sky is the limit.

Each medium has its own perils and learning curve. To me, whatever you do, try to do it well

By the way, what kind of cable do you pull? I am a retired utility guy

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

All the methods you mentioned have been used with "class" I would highly recommend that you use your real name, after all that is what you want others to remember. Nothing will better associate "you" to the work.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I'm terrible with pearl so that pretty much rules it out for me. My head stocks are blank just like some of the finest classical guitars ever built

I keep trying to get good at inlay but it's not easy.

I too have naked pegheads. I tell myself it is because I like the simple yet elegant look. In truth, it is some combination of 1) I like the look, 2) my I lay chops are not up to an acceptable level and 3) I have yet to find the inspiration for what I would I lay on them.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

A unique and tasteful headstock inlay is a really nice way to finish a guitar. If you are building an instrument for a friend -- inlaying their first name or surname in a tasteful font is a nice touch. Google "free fonts" some sites will let you write the name or brand and give you a visual. Download the font and play with it in WORD and size to the pitch that works on your headstock.

Cutting mother-of-pearl isn't all that hard and requires a minimum investment in equipment. (Good ventilation is a must as the dust can do nasty things to your lungs). If you search the archives -- look for Craig Lavin. Years ago I bought Larry Robinson's inlay book and bought the VHS tapes (yeah that long ago) and learned from there.

A surname like "Bear" is a great one to brand a guitar. Try working with mine, not exactly inspirational

Thanks Anthony
Good advice will check out fonts

You can get a nice branding iron from Rockler and put it in the back of the headstock . I use them on my builds. Martin used them for years and decals.
Be careful of stickers. Also you can get a nice custom head inlay in pearl for less than you may think. Call Custom Pearl Inlay or Andy Depaulle

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Ditto what John said. And keep it simple.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Inlay isn't that hard, especially if you can use straight lines.
Simple works for me. Not my best work, but you get the idea.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Rodger, that's a handsome and striking inlay.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

I did a simple inlay of an initial in the doc-u-build section and posted the whole process. Starts about halfway down pg 3 and finishes on pg 4.
http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10130&t=44821&start=50

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Come on, your initials are perfect for wordplay... A to Z Guitars. And the headstock logo could be a big A-Z. Or replace the dash with whatever shape you like, to make it more personal and recognizable. Or even if you don't like that name, just a single Z would still look cool.

Mine is a fancy looking D, so it doesn't look too plain, but doesn't take very long to do either, and because I sometimes get the nickname "Big D". I thought about going with all 3 initials, which is how I sign paintings, but it just doesn't have the same impact. And I considered just my last name initial, but it coincides with my brother's first initial, so D has always been the letter I identify with myself. DK could be cool too though, since it coincides with Donkey Kong, and I like monkeys and video games. But more work to cut, and still not quite as elegant as the single D.


If I had your name, I'd do a bear paw print, with no further explanation other than your full name on the inside label. Recognizable enough alone, and easy enough to inlay. Make a shaped stick to cut slices off of for the toes.

Dang Dennis, I like the way the right hand side of your brain works.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Steve, I keep forgetting about the docu-build section. I can't wait to sit down and go through your thread in detail. I like your work and it will be nice to see one unfold!

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Hi Bryan, Thanks! It reminds of the challenge we did a year or so ago. I find documenting the build helps keep me motivated too

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Yeah I got a lot out of that challenge. I kinda wish there was another one. It really forced me to work quickly. I lack confidence in my chops and tend to procrastinate; With the deadline, I couldn't really spend much time worrying and just had to get to it.

Following everyone's threads in real time was inspirational too.

Back on topic. . . does anyone have any tips on turning a picture into an inlay? I see pictures I like but my brain just can't figure out how to make it work in sections and limited colors/lines. Then I see really cool inlays that started from photos. . .

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I vote Dennis in as the OLF logo artist

I'm with John especially on Andy DePaulle. He and his son are great guys to work with, are reasonable, and prompt. I designed my logo about 10 years back and provided him with artwork which he cleaned up and sent for my approval in short order. Thumbs up for DePaulle for sure.

Below is an example of my logo. The "R" at the top is representative of my brand. The word Rhapsody is not my 'brand' but one of the models within my brand.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Denis, do you mean something like this? Another option is Custom Inlay http://shop.custominlay.com/Custom-Logo ... fq1000.htm

Hi,

type your initials in a software like Word, and try all the fonts.
I did that for my Q:


You will surely find a style that suits you!
Then you copy/paste the initials many times and print it, glue it on shell or wood and cut around it with jeweler's saw!

Typically Artists use the squinting eye technique to simplify information. It works well. Another option is to use a computer to simplify it. Years ago I consulted on a video game where the designers wanted to use photographs of characters and each frame (think cartoon animation) had to be small enough to be fluid enough for internet speed. I suggested using the Trace Bitmap function of Adobe Flash to do it. The idea worked very well. Trace Bitmap reduces the number of colors and lines to a specified average. Since then there have been many commercials and the movie _A Scanner Darkly_ that have used this technique. Google a screen shot of that movie for an example.

Assuming you don't have a copy of Flash, just send the pic to a web designer and have him play with the pic. It shouldn't take more than five minutes of experimentation. Or I suspect Photoshop has a similar feature but I don't know what it's called.

-j

Anthony Z, I think Z is one of the neatest letters in the alphabet so I feel like you're lucky. There's so much artistic potential in a Z.

-j

Whaat!! Thats genius - it works perfectly! I've been trying to figure out a way of doing that for ages. I'm afraid I'm not artistic enough to do it by eye, but this does it all for you. Now I just need to work out where to get all the different coloured materials from!

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"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
Pablo Picasso

https://www.facebook.com/FenskeGuitars

Glad I could help. Have fun!

-j