In a couple of weeks I'll be in Austin and I might have a chance to meet a certain guitar player (not telling who since it probably won't happen, but there are less than ten people in the world who I'd let mark on my guitar so I know I wouldn't regret it) and I think I'd like him to sign my guitar. I asked one of my favorite bands to sign my guitar a while back, but I made the mistake of asking them to sign the pickguard, which is not nicknamed a "scratch plate" for nothing. I was always adjusting my technique so that I wouldn't hurt the autographs, so finally I got fed up and took it off.

So I've figured out the prefect spot for autographs, the headstock! It's not too obvious, and it's harder to scratch than the pickguard or the body.
But what should I use? I know sharpies fade and a sharpie may even sink into the wood and leave terrible looking stains all around. And also, how should I protect the autograph, if I get it? Some sort of clear coat?

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I'm not sure of exact products--but it does depend on what type of finish your guitar has as to what you can cover it with--and of course you should test it out first on some part of the guitar not normally seen.

There are few guitarists I would have sign any of mine.
(Les Paul signing my Les Paul is one.)

I recently had a chance to have one of my favorite guitarists sign one of mine--he liked the the guitar as well, but I decided not to ask him (He signed a CD & a book though). I decided against it as the guitar has no real association with the guitar. But Les Paul signing a Les Paul? that fits.

Or if Leo Fender was still alive and having him sign my Mustang--sure--even if it is a CBS era one--as are most Mustangs--Leo did design it before CBS took over.

Here's hoping you can get the autograph.

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It wasn't Willy-Nilly, it was at crows.

Just get your photo taken with them and have them sign something else. Don't' deface your guitar.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

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Mine is a Mexi Standard Strat, the neck seems like bare wood to me. Nothing fancy. I was thinking of letting him sign my Squier, but since it's my main guitar it's bound to get beat up more easily than the Fender. I'm also notorious for accidentally banging my headstock into things, just ask anyone in my band. But I don't really know which of those guitars I'll have with me at the time.

I think my primary concerns are finding something that won't bleed into the wood (in a bad, ugly way) and something that won't fade. Then finding a clear coat that won't cause some kind of chemical reaction to the signature.
I could test it on the neck heel, no one will ever see it there. The wood is pretty much the same on both my Strats, so I'll probably test it on the Squier first.

Would I need to prep the headstock in any way? My Fender's headstock is fairly clean but the Squier is downright dirty.

The player does have a strong connection to Strats, so it wouldn't seem weird. And I've thought about it long and hard even though the chance of meeting him is only about 50%. Like I said, there are less than ten people alive who I'd let sign my guitar, all of whom have had a profound impact on my playing and most of whom I'll probably never see let alone meet. It would definately not be a defacement.

If it does happen, I'll let ya'll know who it is and even post pictures.

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See if you can get an automotive touch up pen from an auto supply store near you. they should have a few colors, like black or red etc. Then you could do a light mist of clear to protect the autograph. They're pretty cheap. I am not sure how well they would write, but might be worth a try.

For sure you want to clean the headstock before you do this, but that would probably be all it would need.

For the record though, I would try get a photo together, and get something else, like a CD autographed. I have a stack of signed CD's I bought at gigs. Much rather have that than have someone else's sig on my guitar. Personally I wouldn't want anyone else's name on my guitar. Maybe see if anyone you know has a polaroid still kicking around. then you could get a shot of you and the celeb in question, and get that signed.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Just an idea why not have him sign the backplate of the guitar?

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Guitars: Hamer Daytona, 1995 MIJ Fender Tele, Squier Bullet Strat, Dixon Se, Fender Acoustic

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Sorry about the double post guys I hit submit twice

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Guitars: Hamer Daytona, 1995 MIJ Fender Tele, Squier Bullet Strat, Dixon Se, Fender Acoustic

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Hi texasguitarslinger - what color is your guitar? Kind of a crucial detail...

Any sort of pen with the word "indelible" in the name is likely to be as good as anything. Like this:

http://paintandinkmarkers.com/index.asp ... ProdID=112

If the bod is white or similar you could have him simply sign the back of the guit, then you can choose whether others are to see it or not. Bit cheesy to play a gig with someone else's name all over the front of the instrument, but on the back you can glance down and take private inspiration from it if you want.

I notice that even Derek Trucks appears to have stopped gigging that SG with all his famous buddies' names written across it...

Cheers - C

Some people get autographs on the pickguard and then replace the guard and keep the autographed one as a souvenier.

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You can look at this in a lot of ways and none are wrong as everyone has a valid point. To me a photo with the person has always been the way to go as it puts you there with that person. On the other hand what some guys said is true about guys not liking that artist. I had someone make me a fair offer on a thinline some years ago but I passed as it had this big signature of Johnnie Lang on it who I think is talented but I am not a huge fan so I passed. Then again Jeff Beck plays that strat sighned by Little Richard a lot. Tex if it is someone you respect that much then just go with your gut instinct.

+1

More specifically the inside part of the backplate. That is seriously the best thing you could do for a number of reasons.

1) It's protected from damage.

2) You can decide to put it on display without putting the guitar out of commission.

3) People won't see the autograph unless you show them, thus not giving thieves another reason to steal it.

Well, my Fender is that lighter blue they discontinued a few years ago. I don't think that it's light enough for a signature to show, plus I'd be scared about it rubbing off. I know of someone who had SRV sign the back of their guitar, and it's been sitting in a display case ever since. That just seems like wasting a perfectly good guitar to me. Anyway, and my Squier is a dark purple. A signature might show up if it were silver, but the Squier's my beater guitar. I stopped trying to be careful with it several dozen scratches and dents ago.

The backplate would be a very good idea except that I sort of lost it because of my "I want a painted guitar like Jimi Hendrix" project. Turns out I'm not a good artist at all and it looked like a three year old got loose on it. At least the backplate was the only thing I ruined. I'll see if I can find a new one between now and then. Or I might try to get a pickguard specifically for it to get signed.

I was actually thinking of getting the back of the headstock signed, not the front. So 99% of people wouldn't notice it unless I pointed it out. Plus if I ever get really sick of it on there for any reason, I can just replace the neck. But I don't think it'll ever come to that, and I don't think I'm even going to have to worry about selling my strats either. I'd have to literally be starving to death with no other options.

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Whatever you choose to do, I hope you get to meet this "mystery guitarist". Hope you two have a fun time together!!!!

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"If it's planned, it's boring." - Freddie Mercury