As a summary, I took an Ibanez GAX 70 and stripped it down. The grain was really substandard which would explain why the opaque paint. I tried dyeing it with cherry red stain and a spray can lacquer. I wasn't really pleased with how it was going so I decided to strip it all back to the wood.
I am learning that so much depends on the sanding process. I think that the single most fundamental concept when re-finishing electrics is the sanding process. I have read this so many time, but it wasn't until I got to the final product that I saw why. Part of the learning process.
I have also learned that the wood may look fine to the eye, but the moment you put dye or stain on it scratches will show up. I am in the process now of trying to do my best job sanding with the lower coarse grits, at this level you can see most of the areas that need addressing. Then I advance to the medium grit, when I think I am ready to go to the fine, I dye/stain the wood at this point. This brings out most of the scratches right away.
Most of the time the following areas need to be re-addressed: the horns, area around the bridge posts, the slopes near the horns on the front and on the back. End grain needs to be addressed slowly and completely.
I have also noticed an issue with the horns becoming slightly angled or 'sharp'. I usually need to spend a little time with the medium grit to smooth these areas out.
I decided to try a black leather dye. The wood is agatha and reminds me of a low grade mahogany. It seems to be a fairly soft wood which is difficult to deal with when you are trying to get things perfectly flat. The dye was very easy to apply. I just took a cloth, poured some dye on the cloth and rubbed it in. I rubbed it in the direction of the grain. It has just a hint of red/purple in it. My initial thought was that I would dye it as a base coat and then put an opaque paint on top of it. But the color is starting to grow on me...
to be continued...
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