Major progress on Kens guitar this week- i got it all sanded out and prepped for finish. The coloring is done in a bunch of steps. First i apply different stains to get the base color starting with a golden brown dilute ground. Then a darker brown, then a yellow. Its all rubbed in by hand until it looks right. Stain work is fairly forgiving- if theres too much on you can take it away with clean solvent. I like how it looks a bit rustic on the spruce- the little natural “defects” in the wood grab the stain in a real earthy way. After the stain, i apply a layer of sanding sealer and level it all out with finer grit sanding. Then i apply a bit of darker color around the perimeter almost like a sunburst and seal that off with a coat of clear. The body edge is masked to give a bit of a binding effect, and the headstock logo is masked off to keep it clean. Then i mask off the rear of the headstock to paint it black. The guitar looks awesome! Now i will apply the topcoat, let that dry and buff it all out. AWESOME!
