diff --git a/ethereal/gui.go b/ethereal/gui.go
index 6d16ec484d..5e87f7464d 100644
--- a/ethereal/gui.go
+++ b/ethereal/gui.go
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ type Gui struct {
 
 	plugins map[string]plugin
 
-	miner *ethminer.Miner
+	miner  *ethminer.Miner
+	stdLog ethlog.LogSystem
 }
 
 // Create GUI, but doesn't start it
@@ -559,6 +560,7 @@ func (gui *Gui) ToggleTurboMining() {
 // functions that allow Gui to implement interface ethlog.LogSystem
 func (gui *Gui) SetLogLevel(level ethlog.LogLevel) {
 	gui.logLevel = level
+	gui.stdLog.SetLogLevel(level)
 	gui.config.Save("loglevel", level)
 }
 
diff --git a/ethereal/main.go b/ethereal/main.go
index dd4f1245af..4fb9e2a9c9 100644
--- a/ethereal/main.go
+++ b/ethereal/main.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ func run() error {
 
 	utils.InitDataDir(Datadir)
 
-	utils.InitLogging(Datadir, LogFile, LogLevel, DebugFile)
+	stdLog := utils.InitLogging(Datadir, LogFile, LogLevel, DebugFile)
 
 	db := utils.NewDatabase()
 	err := utils.DBSanityCheck(db)
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ func run() error {
 	}
 
 	gui := NewWindow(ethereum, config, clientIdentity, KeyRing, LogLevel)
+	gui.stdLog = stdLog
 
 	utils.RegisterInterrupt(func(os.Signal) {
 		gui.Stop()
diff --git a/ethereum/main.go b/ethereum/main.go
index 9d07ab0d41..ab6ce18b21 100644
--- a/ethereum/main.go
+++ b/ethereum/main.go
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ func main() {
 	err := utils.DBSanityCheck(db)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Errorln(err)
+
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
diff --git a/utils/cmd.go b/utils/cmd.go
index 3f3948d603..83f3ec0b68 100644
--- a/utils/cmd.go
+++ b/utils/cmd.go
@@ -100,18 +100,22 @@ func InitDataDir(Datadir string) {
 	}
 }
 
-func InitLogging(Datadir string, LogFile string, LogLevel int, DebugFile string) {
+func InitLogging(Datadir string, LogFile string, LogLevel int, DebugFile string) ethlog.LogSystem {
 	var writer io.Writer
 	if LogFile == "" {
 		writer = os.Stdout
 	} else {
 		writer = openLogFile(Datadir, LogFile)
 	}
-	ethlog.AddLogSystem(ethlog.NewStdLogSystem(writer, log.LstdFlags, ethlog.LogLevel(LogLevel)))
+
+	sys := ethlog.NewStdLogSystem(writer, log.LstdFlags, ethlog.LogLevel(LogLevel))
+	ethlog.AddLogSystem(sys)
 	if DebugFile != "" {
 		writer = openLogFile(Datadir, DebugFile)
 		ethlog.AddLogSystem(ethlog.NewStdLogSystem(writer, log.LstdFlags, ethlog.DebugLevel))
 	}
+
+	return sys
 }
 
 func InitConfig(ConfigFile string, Datadir string, EnvPrefix string) *ethutil.ConfigManager {