DIY guitar staining

[AGuex616]

Hello all,

I am considering re-straining/re-painting my Schecter C-7 deluxe. It has a bass wood body and is currently painted white. I want to either swirl-paint it or stain the guitar to reflect its natural wood finish. For the later? I am considering the idea of first staying with a dark color (like black, then sanding it before staring it another color (like a green or blue). The idea here is that the black will add depth and dimension to otherwise flat color. However, my question is what should I look for look for in staining products, lacquer, and other basics of guitar staining. Should I stick to water-based products? Is it worth waiting for a nitrocellulose finish? Thoughts on RIT dye? Is there a certain kind of lacquer that I need/want? Other suggestions?

 

[AGuex616]

I really like these designs

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I highly recommend angelus leather dyes if you stain it. Basswood generally does not have the most attractive wood grain, so staining it might not look that good. Generally if you're staining you can use water based products but they will lift the grain (which can be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of look you want). Angelus are good since they're alcohol based and offer very rich colors, plus the colors blend well. If you use water based stains then you want water based poly. nitro would be fine too. If you use an oil based stain/varnish then you should finish with oil. You can use the angelus dyes with either oil finishes or poly/nitro finishes, and they won't run (provided you don't spray too much at once).

Here's some stuff I've stained with angelus dyes. The guitar body was covered with tru oil to protect it after I stained it.