Finishing question - cherry red on mahogany 335 and filler recommendation style

[ThreeChordWonder]

As you can see from the pic below, the wood stain didn't work out so well. The plywood didn't take up the stain evenly at all.

It's been sanded back, given a double coat of sanding sealer, then hand sanded back again with 320 grit sandpaper.

The StewMac Colortone should arrive early next week. Cherry red as originally planned. Bloody expensive stuff.

It's pretty smooth now, but I might go over it again with some 400 or 600 wet and dry before spraying the color coats.

My question is should I, do I need to, go over it with gray primer, probably acrylic from AutoZone or somewhere, before I put on the nitrocellulose color coats? I'm worried about the acrylic and nitrocellulose eacting, that's all.

One other question.

Will wipe on polyurethane clear over the nitrocellulose be okay?

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Picture:

 

[Securb]

I have never used a wipe on clear coat on a guitar. I would imagine that would add more imperfections and would be difficult to sand down and buff.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ Quite the contrary. It dries quickly and if you put on lots of thin coats with a lint free cloth (I use microfiber dusters) it goes on clear and smooth. A quick once over with 2000 and 3000 grit wet and dry and it's ready for rubbing compound and Macguires (sp).

 

[DCikes88]

The StewMac aerosol can lacquer? Is that what you're using for color coats? If it is, I believe you are safe using it without a primer layer. You say you've sanded it, sealed and resanded. I think you're good to go with color coats now.

Regarding wipe-on poly, never used it so I can't say.

Shame about the stain, it looked like it'll turn out cool. But alas... Cherry is a classic.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Waddy -ya-think?

I kind of like the semi transparent look, even if it's a bit uneven.

 

[GuitarStv]

Looks pretty good!

 

[GuitarDoc]

A couple more coats of the cherry will deepen the color and smooth out the blotchiness.

You can use poly over lacquer but it can be tricky to get a good finish, especially using wipe-on. If you put on multiple coats (which you definitely should) you have to put each successive coat on before the previous coat gets fully dry, within an hour. Three coats of clear poly should be fine.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

One of the things I would say is that if someone else is going for a more opaque finish they might want to put a white primer / undercoat on first. That cherry red got real dark well before the grain was obliterated. Wanting to keep some of the grain showing on mine, Ihad to strip this virtually all the way back and do a do-over.

A white undercoat should prevent that.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

I expect the knobs, bridge, pickguard (if i fit one) etc. will help break up the top enough to help disguise any more blotchiness, but yeah, thank you GD, two extra coats helped. No more though, or it'l l get too dark.

Bought one of these to stick on it today.

Yeah, I know, it's not a genuine Bigsby. But then it's not a genuine ES-335 either.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

This

 

[GuitarDoc]

A Bigsby (or Bigsby-type) tailpiece is a good addition to a 335, if for no other reason than it looks very cool on a 335.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ Makes lining the bridge up easier when the holes for the bushings haven't been drilled too. And of course no tailpiece bushing holes to fill.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Getting there...

Couldn't resist putting the cheap strings that came with the kit on.

One more coat of black on the headstock, them clear coat, final assembly and setup.