Mounting Car Nameplates to Pedal Steels?

[John McClung]

On my backburner of to-do projects is mounting metal automobile emblems/nameplates to the front of a pedal steel cabinet.

I have obtained several, most come with metal spikes that fit into auto body holes for that mounting purpose.

Anyone have clever ideas for mounting my nameplates: without cutting off the spikes; that don't damage the psg cabinet; are easily interchangeable (possibly using a velcro or other clever mounting system)?

As a professional graphic designer I've always lamented the rather poor logo designs of virtually all pedal steel brands, and would love to add a beautiful and classy ID badge, even if it's not the steel's actual brand name! See photos of the Volaré (Plymouth, 1976) emblem I have to work with. I also have a Skylark (Oldsmobile) nameplate, and hope to eventually get an Avanti nameplate, that car being my all-time favorite American auto.

I feel the Emmons logo is the best we've ever seen, primarily because its chevron below the rather generic script logo at least gives it an identifiable SHAPE, easily recognized from any distance, in videos, etc.

While we're at it, please nominate other psg logotypes you feel stand out that I may have overlooked, and include photos please.

Also, anyone know a reliable vendor that can create chromed metal or plastic nameplates? That Avanti nameplate may be hard to source, as it was only produced by Studebaker in 1963 and 1964.

[Clyde Mattocks]

When Al Collins was building his Capri pedal steels, he used Chevy Caprice badges and cut off the the last C and E.

[Andrew Goulet]

I love the Marlen logo!:)

[Chris Lucker]

Buddy Emmons said he going after the Cadillac look with the V below "Emmons".

I added a ROADMASTER badge to an AJ Smith pedal steel. I used contact cement, which of course would melt the lacquer finish, but the finish was flaking off anyway.

I always thought that the 1966 Ford Ranchero longhorn badge that was on the tailgate around that time would look good on a Fessenden.

[Pete Burak]

David Wright mounted a Sierra truck logo to the pedal bar of a Sierra Steel. You might ask him how he did it.
For the Volare, I would mount it to
Plastic or Wood backing, then mount it onto the Steel with a removable Mounting Putty like LokTite Fun-Tak.
Or maybe use a clip like you use to hold a tape-measure to you belt, to clip it to the front apron.

[Fred Treece]

Speaking of Sierra, the new logo is a vast improvement over the old one, although it does borrow something from the Emmons. And why not.

[Pete Burak]

Speaking of Sierra, the new logo is a vast improvement over the old one, although it does borrow something from the Emmons. And why not.

This one?
I was thinking... New Riders album-cover looking

[J Fletcher]

Hey Volare ! I built an amp and have that exact nameplate on it . I epoxied two machine screws to the nameplate , and then fed them through the grill of the amp . Then attached with nuts on the machine screws . So far it is holding , though it doesn't go anywhere much . Jerry

[Jack Hanson]

If I was gonna do that, I'd merely chop off the studs and attach with double-stick tape. It's not like those nameplates are particularly scarce; most every junkyard on the planet is teeming with 'em.

For years I had the logo from a Jackson commercial dishwasher (it looked like an overgrown R2D2) on the front panel of my old Emmons D-10. I attached it with double-sided carpet tape. In the eighties, people would make comments like "I didn't know Jackson made steel guitars, too." Well, neither did I! I had never heard of a Jackson guitar. Did a little research and discovered they were typical 1980s pointy-looking Stratty-like things. So I pulled off the Jackson logo, and reinstalled the Emmons badge.

Probably wouldn't get away with it for long nowadays, because there actually are beautiful steels marketed as Jackson guitars.

[Fred Treece]

Speaking of Sierra, the new logo is a vast improvement over the old one, although it does borrow something from the Emmons. And why not.

This one?
I was thinking... New Riders album-cover looking

Ha, maybe more that than the Emmons now that you mention it, Pete. Much better, at any rate. Of course, EVERYTHING about the new Sierra appears to be an improvement over some aspect or another of pedal steel design and construction.

[Brendan Mitchell]

I made a couple of speaker cabinets and also dropped a small amp head into a vintage speaker cabinet . On both of these I put the Bronco name plate and the bucking horse logo . I only had 1 of the horse logos but was able to buy an after market one on eBay . Good thing is the aftermarket one had no spikes just peel the paper off and press on .

[John McClung]

I KNEW all you smart guys would have great ideas, even stories to tell! Keep 'em coming!...

[Scott Denniston]

I've got a red Peterbilt emblem off an old truck hood I've often thought about mounting to a speaker grill. I don't think I could do that to a steel though.

[Per Berner]

Just design your own vectorised logo in Illustrator (or similar software) and send a pdf file to any reasonably capable signmaker. They can rout your logo from a sheet of aluminum. That's what I did for my Ben-Rom #009. Since I originally designed the logo for Bent Romnes, I already had the file, and it wasn't very expensive; around 30 dollars or so. Have it polished or brushed or whatever, stick on with double-sided adhesive tape.



BTW John, I totally agree that the majority of pedal steel logos are dreadful. Especially those that include "Steel Guitar" – you don't see that as part of the logo on ANY other products. And using decals on a $5000 instrument – what a joke! If you buy a $500 6-string guitar, you will often get a neatly inlaid logo. Granted, it won't be real MOP, but it will look nice anyway.

Acceptable-to-good ones in my not so humble opinion (after 37 years in advertising and design): The present-day MSA in 3D, Emmons, Bigsby, Clinesmith, Excel and Sho-Bud. The rest need redesigning, some more urgently than others.

[Stu Schulman]

I thought that Avanti's were Canadian?

[Glenn Suchan]

Buddy Emmons said he going after the Cadillac look with the V below "Emmons"....

I remember reading something about Buddy being inspired by the logo on Viceroy cigarette packages:
https://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/010459.html

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

[Jack Hanson]

I thought that Avanti's were Canadian?

Nope. Matriculated from the Studebaker assembly line in South Bend, Indiana in 1962 and 1963 only. Weren't they just lovely?

[Erv Niehaus]

They were still being built in Indiana a few years ago.
I don't know about at present time.
There was a dealer for them in Austin, TX when I was down there.
Erv

[Bill Sinclair]

Anyone have clever ideas for mounting my nameplates: without cutting off the spikes; that don't damage the psg cabinet; are easily interchangeable (possibly using a velcro or other clever mounting system)?

The "without cutting off the spikes" without damaging the cabinet is the hard part. Only thing I can think of would be to make a nice little chamfered hardwood block that is at least as deep as the spikes and mount the nameplate to that. Then you could attach that to the guitar with a thin double faced tape.

Here was my automotive tribute to my Sano amp that was missing the badge from the grill. I took half of an Alfa Romeo logo and stuck it on there (with the spikes).

[Colin Swinney]

Per’s list is definitely the best of the best. I’d add Linkon as well, love the top of the “L” dotting the “i”.

Nothing makes an otherwise perfectly good guitar seem so undesirable than a cheap looking logo. You designers should reach out to some of these modern manufacturers with some prototypes, if only as a service to the rest of the pedal steel community.

[Per Berner]

You designers should reach out to some of these modern manufacturers with some prototypes, if only as a service to the rest of the pedal steel community.

Yeah. why not? Bring it on. No charge! But be prepared for something 21st century, no curly scripts!

[John McClung]

To Per, Colin, Bill Sinclair: it might be fun to collectively redesign the poorest of PSG logotypes, just for fun. I once offered to redesign Carter's original hideous design with the letters all stretched to fit inside an oval, but couldn't come to terms with John Fabian. They come up with at least better typography for their final logo, and at least the oval is a shape to help you know what brand it is.







Infinity logo with oval:



To Stu: I have an undying love for 2 cars from when I was 11 years old in 1963; that year's Corvette Sting Ray with the split rear window; and the Studebaker Avanti. The latter had a sad and weird history of many owners when Studebaker folded; but man, that car has looks that still make my heart sing!

[Erv Niehaus]

Studebaker hired an Italian designer to come up with the looks of that car.
Erv

[Dave Mudgett]

Plymouth Volare? I had an early one - I was working at Chrysler at the time. Worst car I ever owned. First new car for me, too - what a disappointment. Should have bought a Duster with a 318 or 360, it was the last year for the model. But it was "the latest and greatest" compact. Sure.

On attachment without messing up the front of the guitar, this -

The "without cutting off the spikes" without damaging the cabinet is the hard part. Only thing I can think of would be to make a nice little chamfered hardwood block that is at least as deep as the spikes and mount the nameplate to that. Then you could attach that to the guitar with a thin double faced tape.

On logo aesthetics - beauty is strictly a matter of taste, and there is no accounting for taste. I have no interest in being dragged into the 21st century, with respect to that kind of stuff. Definitely nothing Goth. YMMV, and that's the point.

For car logos on a guitar, this is more to my taste -

[John McClung]

Dave Mudgett: ha! I love guitars with personality like that.

Erv Niehaus: Raymond Loewy was the designer. He did the Coca Cola bottle, and some famous logos. Such a beautiful car the Avanti!

In my fantasy world I'd have these 3 cars parked in my driveway:

Studebaker Avanti
Corvette Sting Ray
Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

There's no accounting for taste!