so, a little history. I got this guitar when i was about 12. I think it's a 79 or 80. My stepdad got it for me to play in his bluegrass band. I did for a few years then it just went with me off to college(s). One day i come home from studying in the library until 8pm (masters work) and water is flowing out my front door. Bathroom sink line broke. This guitar was sitting on the carpet at that time. It soaked up a lot and the cracks show it. I didn't really start playing it a lot again until 2 years ago and thought i'd try and glue the cracks but that didn't hold. I was doing an open mic night in a friends backyard and tripped and fell on it, poking a tear in the back shell. I used fibergalss epoxy on that which turned out ok. While repairing it, i bought a balladeer to play in the mean time. So now that i had a nicer guitar, I thought i'd attempt a refinish on it, Now having a little experience with lacquer, I decided on a blue metallic so I could nto find a Poly like that, i went the lacquer route. Getting the poly finish off was a pain though, Had to dremel near the edges. The rosette (i hate to even call a colored plastic circle connected to the pick guard a real rosette) came off and so I started sanding away. The photos show the cheap wood under it, and how badly i had to sand down to get the cracks out. I won't be surprised if it doesn't hold string tension when i'm finished but at this point, its all for fun anyway. With the cheap wood used, I could have just gotten hardware store metallic paint then did poly over that I guess. So far i love the look but need more clear coats to make the rosette (laid on top, not inlayed) level enough with the clear.