Mary Kay White Finish Questions

[Cherryburst]

Warmoth has a finish called "Mary Kay White" (Fender has "Mary Kaye") which they call a "transparent" finish. Doing a Google image search, you can find a few like this: (its not a Warmoth)

Here's a color chart from another company that sells finsishes (found on Google)

http://www.sgcrafts.co.jp/color.html

The point is that it's a finish which makes light-beige wood look white while still allowing the grain to be seen. But what is this stuff considered exactly? Is it a tint? A dye? Pigmented? What?

And what other brands sold are an equivalent to this? Has anyone reading this finsihed a guitar like this? (to have a white finish, but still see grain)

(I have another question related to A/B wood bleaching but I'll save that for later)

Edited June 6, 2007 by Cherryburst

[Southpa]

Here is something quoted from Fender Vintage guitars its good reading.

"Shell Pink

Lacquer Source(s): DuPont 2371L.

Low VOC Source(s): DuPont 2371K.

Probably the rarest Fender custom color. Originally used only on 1956 DeSotos, this color was replaced by Candy Apple Red on the Fender custom color chart in 1963. Before the original Shell Pink again became available from DuPont, I went through all the paint catalogs from the 1950's and choose the 1958 Buick color "Reef Coral" as the closest lacquer replacement. Interestingly, this 1958 lacquer replacement color is also known today as "Mary Kay Pink", DuPont #2864L and Ppg #DDL70748.

Adding a yellowed tint coat dramatically lessens the "pink" look of these colors, making a much more flesh toned color."

[Cherryburst]

Thanks Southpa - that's certainly a lot of good reading which I'll get through.

BTW - something that may be confusing - Mary Kaye (with an "e" ay the end) was a guitarist who was famous in the early Las Vegas scene, and was known for playing a Strat with this white finish. Mary Kay (without the "e") is a cosmetics company known for giving Pink Cadillacs to their top sales people.

Here's Mary Kaye, and the Fender re-issue Strat below:

You can see that Fender does a slight solid-white "burstover" around the edges.

But just getting back to the original questions - is this finish considered a "transparent finish" or a dye? Has anyone worked with it? Who else supplies something similar?

Edited June 6, 2007 by Cherryburst

[ihocky2]

I am not sure where you can find it, but check ReRanch. Also look through their forum. That is a color a lot of people try for over there.