Official Luthiers Forum!

you can see a lot of thought has went into this...

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member of the guild of professional dilettantes

I keep thinking I'll come up with something interesting but mine is still rudimentary….like my building

Nice job on some of these…Dennis K, I've always admired your detailed artwork; Jay, I fell in love with yours when you were doing the builder's challenge and Casey….really beautiful and unique.

Here's mine, which gets printed on parchment and all the details handwritten in. The main effort went into the round logo, which would also be my headstock inlay if I ever build another guitar without a slotted headstock. It really should have some sort of more ornate border.

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

I just use wallpaper lining paper. I'm happy with the unusual splash of colour, but some of the text is a bit small and no-one can ever read or understand the name/logo.... probably should just use my name like everyone else!

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http://lovanen.tumblr.com/

Sanchopanza,
there is something very nice about your "unusual splash of colour" - your label is just different enough IMHO.

Can anyone recommend a good (free) software for this. I have Windows 8.1. It came with absolutely nothing useful.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

I think they are focused more on their "store". Since one of the "apps" included is actually a link to their online "store", this design is obviously to cash in on the popularity of various apps, in the same way it is done with cellphones.
I'm sure there are plenty out there who love it, but I long for the simplicity of XP, or even the later versions of Vista in a pinch.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Not really software but Dover Books sells lots of clipart of decorative frames you can customize in MS Paint and print onto parchment.

http://search.doverpublications.com/search?keywords=decorative+frames

http://store.doverpublications.com/0486290433.html

Mark, thanks.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Google up "Open Office". It's a free "Office" package that has most of the features available in MS Office. It's Cloud based, and has a word processor, spread sheet, database, and presentation software packages. Works pretty well, and can save files in most formats.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I always liked your branded "label" Rod. Where did you have it made? I know you already said where, a while back, but I can't remember. I'd like to get something made, but the Lee Valley irons are bit limited.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Thanks guys. I too really like the branding iron. Simple.

funny enough, the website is http://www.brandingirons.com/

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I looked at those on the Rockler site, thinking the iron would make a great "label". I see that it really does. Nice one, Rod!

Couple of variants of this...



Though I like the idea of the branding iron!

Here's what I use - bloodwood, laser engraved and cut. This one was a test piece from a while back that I keep around for show and tell.



Right click to download/see the full res version.

Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Mine are not good enough to put labels in yet.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I just got back my first batch of labels made using the same approach. The one below is temporarily in place in a guitar I'm building. The wood is mahogany. You can't tell from the photo, but the label isn't just sitting on top of the back joint reinforcement strip. There is a channel routed into the back side of the label for the strip to pass through so the oval rests on the surface of the back. The blank space to the right of Kingfisher is where I will write the serial number.

The mahogany worked great for the laser engraving and cutting but the piece of bubinga I also gave the guy with the laser to try was a total fail. Maybe too much oil in the wood. I charred a lot and when cutting out the ovals, the wood got so hot it split. Base on the four bubinga labels that more or less survived the process, I like the look of the mahogany better anyway.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

Thats a nice thing to share

Where did all these people go?

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Hi Steve,
When I first reread this thread I thought the same thing, but hesitated to post that question. We do tend to be an older group and some have moved on in one way or another. If you don't try to actively sell your work it may come down to "how many guitars can you eat?"

That’s what I was wondering

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

how many guitars can you eat?"

I can kinda relate to that…

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

People lose interest and move on. Some of these folks have passed RIP. And some make the jump to being commercial and find in time it's not for them. Lots of reasons and it's always been like this on the OLF.

We have far more past members than active members if you look at the member count on the index page that's a far cry from perhaps 200 active members at any given time. The 200 number is a guess I have no data just 18 years of hanging out here.

I'm 2 months behind you Hesh...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com