I want to decorate my new steel. WE HAVE A WINNER

[Mike Perlowin]

I've never added anything to the front apron of any of my steels before, but I think this one is too plain looking, and I want to do something to it to make it more attractive.



I think this will look very cool.

[Bob Blair]

Dingle Balls?

[Jeff Hyman]

A sign that says:
I wish I was a SHO~BUD

There's room on the front right for it.

[Stu Schulman]

Mike,Take a trip to Michael's crafts store...they got all kindza bling.

[Ken Byng]

What about thin stick-on chrome strip?

[Ken Metcalf]

Bobble Head hula girl on top is always a classic.
I was thinking of putting on some reflective diagonal stripes on mine like 3 inches wide but can't find them.

[Jim Underwood]

my son is a drummer. I think it was a friend of his that occasionally would wrap the shells of the drums with wallpaper. He could find some really nice patterns and some funky ones also. It made sense. He could have a different looking set of drum everytime he played. Remove logos on the front of your steel, apply wallpaper, them put the logo back. You can find gloss, sparkle, and almost looking hologram wall paper. It can be put in easy and will remove with mostly water without damaged the mica on the steel.

just a thought

[John Billings]

My three Dano 6-strings all have clear plastic pickguards. Every gig I would cut something out of a magazine, or whatever, in the same shape as the pickguard, and put it on the guitar under the clear plastic. Maybe you could make a clip-on piece of clear plastic, and do something different when you felt like a change. An underwater scene, an Hawaiian beach scene, a city scape, what ever. Nothing permanent.
I can tell you that my guitar became quite a crowd pleaser, sorta part of the band's act. People came up to the stage first thing when they came in, to see what the crazy guitar player had on his guitar that week! Of course, I put some pretty strange pics under there!

[Marc Mercer]

Eye of the beholder, I guess...

I think it's really nice-looking, reminds me of a Fender Olympic White finish that has aged well.

[Tony Rankin]

Here's an idea for you. This was painted on...not tape.

[Doug Earnest]

Mike, I think your idea about the pinstripes would do a great deal to enhance the appearance of the guitar, not that it looks bad as is. Silver might even stand out more than one would think. Or maybe a pretty leaf of some kind...

[b0b]

Since you live in L.A., why not get a local graffiti artist to spray it for you?

[Bill Ford]

Never put anything on that can't be removed and leave no traces/marks.

[Lee Baucum]

You can go to an automotive parts store and buy pinstriping tape. They have lots of colors, even chrome. You could put a chrome stripe next to a black stripe.

[Mike Perlowin]

There's a Michaels craft store less than 5 minutes from my house. I'll certainly stop in and check them out.

Guys. please bear in mind that my goal is to perform for, and introduce the steel guitar to, the classical music audience, and I will be using this guitar for that purpose. These people have, for the most part, never seen a pedal steel guitar before.

They are also quite conservative in their tastes and would be turned off by anything too far out. I need to keep this very simple, tasteful, and elegant.

[Mike Perlowin]

Tony, I like what you did, although I would want something simpler. What kind of paint did you use?

[Mike Perlowin]

I’d like to have it painted with a fractal design like these, but I think my intended audience would not appreciate it.

[Tamara James]

[John Billings]

Very cool TJ!
Well Mike, I guess my idea is out, unless you'd put scenes the Bluebloods would like behind the plastic. For instance, pictures of tuxedos, wine bottles, jewelry, mink coats, or maybe classical music scores! Just kidding!

[Marc Jenkins]

There's a Michaels craft store less than 5 minutes from my house. I'll certainly stop in and check them out.

Guys. please bear in mind that my goal is to perform for, and introduce the steel guitar to, the classical music audience, and I will be using this guitar for that purpose. These people have, for the most part, never seen a pedal steel guitar before.

They are also quite conservative in their tastes and would be turned off by anything too far out. I need to keep this very simple, tasteful, and elegant.

The only answer, then, is f-holes.

[Mike Perlowin]

The only answer, then, is f-holes.

Cool idea. But Gretsch might get P.O.'d at me.

[Geoff Cline]

Hi Mike:

Not sure where you are in L.A., but contact a local hot rod shop/speed shop. They will know all the guys who do old school, real pin striping by hand. In my experience, these painters are superb; like unusual (and quick ) jobs and can be as simple and tasteful or as complex as you want.

There is nothing like hand painted striping...a relatively lost art that should be supported. Good luck.

p.s. You could probably get someone to put the first few bars of the Firebird Suite on there...

[Nathan Golub]

Seems like it would be pretty easy to have a sign shop print up some designs on clear vinyl, then you could try a few things. White space is always classy. here are some patterns from this clipart site ( I did a search for flower designs)-

http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php

Or you could get something done by a local artist.

[b0b]

Wood-grained peel-n-stick shelf paper.

[Bill Miller]

my goal is to perform for, and introduce the steel guitar to, the classical music audience

Aha...well in that case how about some mauve shag carpeting on the apron and some multi-colored pom-poms?