Logos (Again)

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 11 May 2006 7:11 pm

There have been a couple of discussions about logos in the past. With regard to steel guitars, I've always loved that beautiful script that Sho-Bud used. It was really classy looking. Of course, Emmons used script also. Others that I can think of are Fessenden, Franklin, Rains, Mullen, Williams, Marlen (With Speedy West in script, also), and of course the new Show Pro guitar. Zum, while not in script, uses the two long lines on the Z and S and looks nice. I'm sure there are others that use script. Which ones did I miss?

As far as amps are concerned, the Fender script logo is a classic. Evans also employs script in their logo. I believe there was a short time that Evans used a form of slanted, block letters. That was short-lived, though. Of course the old Sho-Bud amps had that beautiful script logo. Are there others?

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

Mullen U-12, Excel 8-string Frypan, Evans FET-500, Fender Steel King

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 11 May 2006 7:41 pm

Derby with the big "D" and Derby written several different ways. Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel, GFI Ultra D-10

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 11 May 2006 7:43 pm

I love how Zumsteel uses the long lines for the Z and the S. That's really awesome. Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel, GFI Ultra D-10

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 11 May 2006 8:30 pm

I said before and I'll say again, I feel steel guitar logos are all too BIG. Someone once pointed out to me that bad and amature art work (paintings and such) usually have large, very noticable signitures while great works of art usually have tiny, hidden signitures. Classical guitars have their logos on the inside of the body. That's where they should be. Steel guitars should not be billboards.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 11 May 2006 8:44 pm

"Steel guitars should not be billboards."

No, but a tasteful logo is essential in a commercial market. Audience mmbers..some of whom may be players...sometimes want to know what instrument is being played.

It can't be compared to the classical world (on a professional level) where the higher-level instruments are commissioned builds by small one-man shops. Your average classical player isn't going to even be alowed to buy one of those instruments. It's a different ballgame.

Commercial instruments need identification like any other product.

I also Like the Zum, Sho-Bud, Fender (on amps and guitars - that "script" is one of the most recognizable musical "signatures" in the world) and Emmons logos. I like Lone Star's as well. Two that stand out as, IMO, rather unattractive are Dekley and Peavey. Fessenden is in the middle - just kind of bland. But they are ALL recognizable - and the only bad advertising is the thing you don't recognize later. You often forget good or bad - but name recognition alone can lead you to the cash register....

Jack Francis · Post by **Jack Francis** » 11 May 2006 9:15 pm

I am gonna talk on this subject from the only frame of reference that I have. I'm an old signpainter.

Logo's that are the most effective are the ones that are easy to read and are pleasing to the eye.

The script logos that you refer to Fender,Sho-Bud, Etc.and I'll throw in the Ford script came from another era...I would venture to say that, from the look of the styles, they were probably created by an
"Old School" signpainter that the companies did business with. Those old folks knew what works and what doesn't

Some years back NBC spent 1/4 of a million $
to have an advertising agency come up with a new "N"...after they made a big deal about thier new logo they found out that an affiliate in a small market, I think in the midwest, had a local signpainter come up with the IDENTICAL logo some years prior to that at a cost of around $100 or so. NBC then had to pay them for the use of thier "NEW" logo.

Generally, people buy a product because of the quality of that product and it's ability to do whatever we want it to do. However..as when we were looking for our spouses, we were attracted to a pleasing
"PACKAGE". So THERE!

IMHO

[This message was edited by Jack Francis on 11 May 2006 at 10:19 PM.]

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 12 May 2006 2:26 am

I don't really think about a logo - it's just there. However, I gather that some took a lot of thought and time to come up with what they considered an appropriate logo for their product.

Then there are some that change and then go back to the original logo. e.g. the first Peavey Nashville 1000 amps had a new style logo but later it was changed back to the original "Peavey" logo at Hartley Peavey's request (according to Mike Brown).

Dan Beller-McKenna · Post by **Dan Beller-McKenna** » 12 May 2006 5:31 am

I'm always surprised when I see a picture of my Dekley to find that there's a log there at all: never see it from behind the steel!

Dan

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Dan Beller-McKenna
Big Red
Durham, NH

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 12 May 2006 11:52 am

Don, how do you feel about logos in general, like on cars, or soft drinks?

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 12 May 2006 12:13 pm

Just a bit of trivia for you here. Our ol' non-pedalin' buddy,Billy Robinson,is the guy that designed the Sho~Bud logo,maaany years ago. Billy is,also,a very acomplished artist.(painting)

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.</pre>

[This message was edited by Smiley Roberts on 12 May 2006 at 01:16 PM.]

Paul Norman (RIP) · Post by **Paul Norman (RIP)** » 12 May 2006 12:51 pm

Without the logos the guitars look too plain.
I think they really add to the looks.

Jack Francis · Post by **Jack Francis** » 12 May 2006 1:10 pm

KUDOS to Billy Robinson on the design of the Sho-Bud logo.

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 12 May 2006 3:12 pm

Because the 1974 D-10 Emmons was my first great pro level guitar when I purchased it over 23 years ago (and still have) that logo has a very special meaning to me and I sure always will.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 12 May 2006 3:24 pm

No-name guitars in the 6-string world are know as "Partscasters", with a comparably poor resale value.

Calvin Walley · Post by **Calvin Walley** » 12 May 2006 4:57 pm

the logo is like having that finishing touch of trim on anything , it's just not finished till the logo goes on

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Mullen SD-10[This message was edited by Calvin Walley on 12 May 2006 at 05:58 PM.]

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 12 May 2006 5:10 pm

Barry, Honestly I think most logos are too conspicuous. They scream at us. But I don't csre as much about other things as I do pedal steels. Some logos are nice looking I guess but MSA guitars used to have 3 logos on the front of them! One on either end of the front and another on the pedal bar. All of them different and all too big IMO . I thought that was really overkill. Don

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 13 May 2006 4:55 am

The new Jackson guitars have a script logo. (At least they will whenever they start production.)

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 13 May 2006 8:02 am

It took a lot of research and cash to come up with the logo on my first couple of steels, indeed it cost more than both of them !

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 20 May 2006 8:35 pm

The new Jackson steel guitars can be added to the list.