Finishing Help And Ideas

[Jake]

Okay, here is the deal. This is my fist guitar project.. and so far its gone well with only a few minor problems. But I know that it all comes down to the finish when it comes to aesthetics.. and I want to get this right the first time. So I want all the help I can get.

Okay, first of all, here is what I have. The neck is constructed of mahogany and bubinga?(to be honest.. don't remember what wood that is). The body is swamp ash. Hopefully I'll post a pic of what I have so far at the end of this.

Now here is what I want.. so far. Beware.. I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to woodwork.. so I'm going to try and explain what I want as best as I can. I want to dye it or maybe stain it a fairly dark reddish color. Like a redwine, vintage cherry, maroon sort of color... possibly darker. I also thought about highlighting the grain of the swamp ash black also. I don't want it glossy.. and I want it to be finished in way that when I run my hand on the surface of the guitar I can still feel the wood grain. Basically like how it feels before I would finish it.

Okay, well.. here's the fun part. These are just ideas really..,, I'm looking forward to suggestions and ideas. I want your input.. and what could make this guitar look better. I'm fairly open to this and I am willing to hear what you have to say. So please, help me make this look freakin' awesome.

[Mitch]

Go with danish oil. You can get a bottle for quite cheap and it will last you ages (keep it in case you need to repair the finish at some stage). You just wipe a few coats on (it will say the drying time on the bottle but i would leave it a little longer) and it should only take a day or 2 (depending on how many coats you put on). It has a satin (semi-gloss) finish and it shows off the grain beautifully. It is also very thin so the wood shouldn't feel a huge amount diffrent.