debating: Logo, or no Logo...

[Strat Avenger]

I'm debating on whether or not to put a Warmoth decal on the headstock.

My question is; if I decide to put one on, should it be applied to the wood and then clear-coated... or should it be cleared first, decal applied, and cleared again?

 

[DavyDave53]

I say no logo. 

Why? 

Because if Warmoth had wanted a logo there, they would have put one there.

QED

 

[Colin007]

No logo. If anything, create your own.

 

[Cagey]

I'm debating on whether or not to put a Warmoth decal on the headstock.
My question is; if I decide to put one on, should it be applied to the wood and then clear-coated... or should it be cleared first, decal applied, and cleared again?

Warmoth doesn't really have a "decal" available. They have a sticker, which is too thick to bury in the finish. If you put it on top of the finish, it looks cheesy.

They used to have embossed metal logos, but they're all gone except for the gold ones. Those look good on top of the finish, but you gotta want gold.

I'm sure the decals/embossings aren't any kind of money-maker for them and so have a low priority, but you'd think it would be in their best interests to get the name out. Maybe we should have a write-in campaign. Tell Ken and/or Rob to get a move on and do the company a favor.

But, if you find another waterslide decal that appeals to you, then yes - the headstock should be cleared first, decal applied, and cleared again several times with sanding between coats. That'll bury the decal in the finish and it'll look professional.

 

[MortenB]

Maybe we should have a write-in campaign. Tell Ken and/or Rob to get a move on and do the company a favor.

YES - YES  :icon_thumright:  I really think they should give these higher priority..! Those metal stickers are really nice, and as you mention they go over the finish, or on raw wood as in this example. Personally I prefer the headstock with a logo on it.

When I did my latest build those metal stickers were no longer available in crome (and I don't like the gold ones) so I decided to have my own waterslide decals made. It's different, but also cool IMHO, but more work though considering the finish that needs to be applied etc.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I'm debating on whether or not to put a Warmoth decal on the headstock.
My question is; if I decide to put one on, should it be applied to the wood and then clear-coated... or should it be cleared first, decal applied, and cleared again?

Warmoth doesn't really have a "decal" available. They have a sticker, which is too thick to bury in the finish. If you put it on top of the finish, it looks cheesy.

They used to have embossed metal logos, but they're all gone except for the gold ones. Those look good on top of the finish, but you gotta want gold.

I'm sure the decals/embossings aren't any kind of money-maker for them and so have a low priority, but you'd think it would be in their best interests to get the name out. Maybe we should have a write-in campaign. Tell Ken and/or Rob to get a move on and do the company a favor.

But, if you find another waterslide decal that appeals to you, then yes - the headstock should be cleared first, decal applied, and cleared again several times with sanding between coats. That'll bury the decal in the finish and it'll look professional.

Thanks, Cagey.
I appreciate the other opinions as well, but that was the question I most needed answered at the moment.

So now, I can get back to deciding whether I want to apply the gold logo or not. I am really on the fence about it right now, as I think it would look good either way.

 

[MortenB]

On my Gecko there is a gold Warmoth logo (because the crome ones are gone). To be honest I only think it looks ''in place'' with gold hardware... But what to do with no crome logo's left..!? And as mentioned earlier: I clearly prefer a headstock with a logo.

If I were Warmoth I would order a truck load of those logo's and give them away with every purchase. This is marketing for them..! But they don't seem to think that way...

 

[Tony Ounsworth]

There are places like Rothko and Frost in the UK who do excellent custom designed decals in familiar fonts. I got this one for my only Warmoth build to date:



Applying the decal itself was easy - my neck was already coated in clear gloss poly, which is what you need for it to adhere. The more difficult bit was coating and sanding between coats, as I'd never done it before. I sanded down too much and wiped out half of the 'Toneblaster' bit, so had to start again. The other bit was ok, so I left that in place, but even on my final attempt I still ended up taking away a tiny amount of some of the lettering (you can see it most clearly on the 'E'. I decided it was good enough and called it a day, but I reckon I can do better next time.

 

[Edoardo]

What if the headstock is made of unfinished exotic wood?

Are Waterslide decals fine anyway?

 

[swarfrat]

The W is cool, and we love em, but they sell parts, not guitars. I'm surprised that 1) they are even allowed to sell them 2) after you do all of whatever work you chose to invest, be it screwing together or finishing and fret dressing... that you would want to put someone else's logo on your creation. After all, the only thing that separates you from half a million guys trying to do this for a living is volume. (And the fact that you have sense enough to do something practical to put food on the table)

 

[Fat Pete]

What if the headstock is made of unfinished exotic wood?

Are Waterslide decals fine anyway?

No, that won't work - even if the decal stayed attached, it would look horrible. Something cut out of metal or plastic would probably be the way to go. Someone on here did a nice one recently.

 

[Edoardo]

What if the headstock is made of unfinished exotic wood?

Are Waterslide decals fine anyway?

No, that won't work - even if the decal stayed attached, it would look horrible. Something cut out of metal or plastic would probably be the way to go. Someone on here did a nice one recently.

Thanks a lot. there is any kind of paint I can use? not for finishing the headstock, just for writing on it

 

[jackthehack]

If you have artwork, many trophy shops can laser cut a logo into the wood, need to do it prior to attaching tuners, see the below, colored in laser cut logo with a black sharpie. No issues applying whatever finish or no finish on a raw neck...

 

[Strat Avenger]

The W is cool, and we love em, but they sell parts, not guitars. I'm surprised that 1) they are even allowed to sell them 2) after you do all of whatever work you chose to invest, be it screwing together or finishing and fret dressing... that you would want to put someone else's logo on your creation. After all, the only thing that separates you from half a million guys trying to do this for a living is volume. (And the fact that you have sense enough to do something practical to put food on the table)

That's the best point I seen made yet.

 

[Ddbltrbl]

The W is cool, and we love em, but they sell parts, not guitars. I'm surprised that 1) they are even allowed to sell them 2) after you do all of whatever work you chose to invest, be it screwing together or finishing and fret dressing... that you would want to put someone else's logo on your creation. After all, the only thing that separates you from half a million guys trying to do this for a living is volume. (And the fact that you have sense enough to do something practical to put food on the table)

That's the best point I seen made yet.

ccasion14: