Gibson raised-letter headstock logos

[Tortious]

Anyone know how they are attached? I got one similar to this, and the 'son' part is pretty loose. Were they glued in place, or is there some secret I need to know?

Are reproductions available if I ever break it? I kinda doubt Gibson would sell me one.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Looks like they have pins that come out the back:

https://reverb.com/item/12263281-gibson-flying-v-moderne-headstock-logo-historic-gibson

[Tortious]

Wow, that much for a broken one? 

I don't want to bend the loose end any further than it already goes, or try to pry it up, but I guess I may have to and try to find the spot where it's broken from the post and get a drop of glue in there. Or just be careful with it. 

May have to embark on the repro search. 

[Dutchman]

That's how I'd fix it. Drop of super glue squeezed in where you can, try a feeler gauge to lift it ever so slightly, insert whippet a couple drops and put a popsicle stick on the logo and wrap rubber band around it for pressure. 

[crunchee]

There's always the parental approach: don't pick at it.    But seriously, if anybody would know, it would probably be Murkat,  for advice on either repairing or replacing.

Lotsa early '60's Gibson amps (like the blond Tolex Skylark, basically similar to/the equivalent of a Fender Champ and probably the most common one of the early 60's Gibson amps to find) had similar plastic Gibson logos that either got broken or 'borrowed'.  There's bound to be repros out there, but I'd bet that they won't be cheap.

[topekatj]

This eBay seller's ad shows the 'pins' on the logo.

 

NOTE: This ad copy also references "REAL GOLDEN BATH". I hope that's not like 'a golden shower'.😂

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393177232701?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=393177232701&targetid=1264870805264&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9032001&poi=&campaignid=10454521883&mkgroupid=120142078937&rlsatarget=pla-1264870805264&abcId=2146002&merchantid=6296724&gclid=CjwKCAjwhuCKBhADEiwA1HegOSeF3mwcp3r0jnjpiMzjgXZFAKIRZM3nC7To3FxmAiW7Ap6vqbiHRxoCLLkQAvD_BwE

[tbonesullivan]

On 10/1/2021 at 11:05 PM, Tortious said:

Wow, that much for a broken one? 

I don't want to bend the loose end any further than it already goes, or try to pry it up, but I guess I may have to and try to find the spot where it's broken from the post and get a drop of glue in there. Or just be careful with it. 

May have to embark on the repro search. 

Are you sure the post is broken, and not just that the glue around the post has come loose? But yes, I would say glue is your best chance. Stew Mac makes these little "whip tips" that are fantastic for getting however much glue you want into nearly impossible to reach places.

[Tortious]

Don't know what's actually broken, but it feels like the back of the logo broke away from the post, so it may just be that I need to lift it up without breaking it (easy for me to say) and getting glue in there. I was wondering what Dutchman was referring to with the whippet thing. Was thinking I had to go huff whipped cream propellant again. It's been awhile since I did that. Thanks for clarifying, I'll look into it.

That $30 one on Ebay also comes in gold, will get one in case I am not adept at lifting/gluing/whippeting. 

[tbonesullivan]

1 hour ago, Tortious said:

Don't know what's actually broken, but it feels like the back of the logo broke away from the post, so it may just be that I need to lift it up without breaking it (easy for me to say) and getting glue in there. I was wondering what Dutchman was referring to with the whippet thing. Was thinking I had to go huff whipped cream propellant again. It's been awhile since I did that. Thanks for clarifying, I'll look into it.

That $30 one on Ebay also comes in gold, will get one in case I am not adept at lifting/gluing/whippeting. 

The logos are made of pot metal / white metal / zinc alloy, and are cast. Unfortunately even if you manage to get the whole thing off, re-attaching it probably won't work. I work with military antiques, and a lot of the logos, even in WWII, were pot metal. Glue is the best fix, because trying to solder it will usually just melt it.

You can find super glue whip tips all over the place, even on amazon. They are pretty much considered disposable.

[Jeff R]

StewMac also makes adhesive sheets to safely stick on pickguards that would be ideal for this job. Any liquid glue - CA or otherwise - will be messy and there's a very high likelihood you will get it permanently in and on places you don't want it.

 https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/materials/pickguard-materials/3m-pickguard-adhesive-sheet/  It's a very thin layer of adhesive goo between two sheets of teflon-like paper skin.

Remove one skin to expose one side of the tacky stuff. Slide under the logo exposed-goo-side up, push it down to stick it to the exposed goo, trace-cut with exacto blade, remove the cutaway. Then delicately lift the logo's edge just enough to remove the other skin to expose the other goo side. Stick it down. Done.

You don't need to get it under the entire logo, just the "n" should be plenty sufficient to hold the logo down and in place.

[Tortious]

^^ That sounds cool, but I think it requires talent I do not possess.  Me with sharp devices trying to cut sticky goo paper in a small area of a loose logo would likely amount to a broken, mangled logo, goo and stab marks all over the headstock.

The German version does not have the posts, but looks nice. The much cheaper Argentinian one has posts. If one looks rather closely, it seems slightly less nice, but I doubt very many would ever know the difference. Yes, I got both, just in case. 

So I got those, the glue whips, and some cans of whipped cream. I will actually attempt something at some point. 

[Jeff R]

If you use a liquid glue, consider using a gel so the flow is more controllable.

Practice application techniques on scrap MANY times before you commit to the real job. A little adhesive will go a long way on this job.

Also, a thin layer of paste wax around the CA work area will help to make any unexpected squeeze out a little easier to remove. Apply the wax with a Q-Tip. Remove with naphtha when the job is complete. This is what I use.

 

[Tortious]

Finally got to this last weekend. The 'practice' part was valuable. I'd like to think I would have thought to do that on my own, but probably not. So thank you for the suggestion. 

It was hard to see under the logo, even with lights and lifting it gently. I got where I thought the post was in the 'o'. The 'n' was still a little loose, so I just put a small spot under that, too, and it's stable now. 

After looking at it closely while doing that, I kinda suspect it has maybe been glued a bit previously. Hard to tell, especially with my shitty eyesight. But it's done, looks fine, doesn't move. Thank you all.