How To Test Finishes On A Guitar I Did Built

[TheCross]

hey... bought a jazz guitar kit from evilbay. gretsch setzter style. flame maple lam body... I wanted to go for a green see through finish... my question would be:

how should I test the colours w/o having wood left from the built... ? should I go n try to get some flame maple from somewhere or doesn't that make sense as it isn't the same wood anyways?

cherrio

[erikbojerik]

Yeah, you have to find something to try out on. Go to woodfinder.com and type in the kind of wood you need (and your ZIP), and it will spit out the local lumber dealers near you.

[Maiden69]

Is it sealed? You say flame lam, does this mean veneer top or a solid cap? If it is sealed, then all you need is to find a nice transparent green that you like and just shoot with it. Or you can get stains or candies that you can mix to your clear and shoot until you achieve the desired hue and clear on top. If it is a cap and is not sealed then I would suggest doing a light green solution and adding more stain to it until you achieve the desired tone. remember that what it looks wet when you apply it is how it is going to look once the clear goes on top.

[TheCross]

from close it seems to be plywood with a flame lam on top

http://i13.ebayimg.com/05/i/000/ag/32/bb26_1.JPG

I will do it by hand cos I neither have a spray gun n nor the money for it at the moment.

I guess I'll stain it n then put some clear coats on it... so should I start with rather weak stains n go from there? Didn't find a green stain so I chose a rather neutral one n bought some green n yellow pigments... can I mix it with the stain, apply it n then add the clear coat?