Hey All --
Looking for some feedback here -- When finishing a guitar body, which is the best method to obtain a natural finish so that the grain shows through? Is it better to stain with an oil based stain as opposed to water based? Should the stain then be coated with poly or something similar? Can just tung oil be used? I'm getting ready to finish a bare wood body (alder) and I have read varying opinions -- leaving me unsure of whom to believe. So I figured I'd ask the pros! All feedback is appreciated --thanks!

--Bud


Keep on pickin' -- what else is there?

I have a mahogany body that is bare and I am also trying to figure the best route on this.

If your just staining I think you could stain and then sand with a real fine paper and leave it be, or coat it with a layer of clear nitro spray.

Personally, I would not start putting oils on the wood as the body is going soak it up and you wind up with wood in-pregnanted with a lot of oil. The tone of the guitar would probably suffer and if you every decide to color it, or just nitro clear it, the oil may effect the bonding of the spray.

I will probably stain mine mahogany and coat it with a clear nitro spray. I am tempted to just leave it bare, slap a neck on it and go with it, but something tells me the wood would start to crack over time.

Check out the aerosol nitro finishes here:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supplies.html

These are my thoughts on the matter and its my first go with a bare strat body so my opinions are my no means expert.

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I remember when we were free!

hi , i recently just sanded down my old 89mij strat as the paintwork was mangles , after sanding all the poly off i found a rather nice bit of wood so i gave it a few coats of danish oil , the strat sounds better than it ever did , hth
Alan

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