ColorTone Liquid Stains

My son is the builder and I'm the finisher. He built a bass and was looking for a bit of 'retro' look. The maple neck and rosewood finger board are finished in a single coat of Behlen Tung oil (the maple is clear coated in clear Behlen Poly. The body was stained using Vintage Amber applied by hand. It's extremely easy to use. I used two coats (flood the surface) following the directions. At first it looks way too yellow. Don't worry about it,after two coats it will mellow perfectly. The nice thing about staining the wood, as compared to adding stain to the clear coat (tinting) is you get a true authentic look i.e. The natural grain and character of the wood comes out. You can see the high lites and low lites. Love it!!

I used the process recommended in this Stewmac article with the cherry red stain and it worked phenomenally. The picture doesn't do her justice.

Excellent color consistency from batch to batch makes for low risk when replicating a specific color combination.

I recently did a gretsch / tele hybrid modeled after a fender gretsch-o-tele. Dead on Gretsch orange color. Looked great on a curly maple top with a mahogany base.

For a long time I had trouble finding transparent pigments to tint lacquer with. Everything I tried was too opaque and covered the wood figure I was trying to enhance. These stains are just what I need. They mix with just about any solvent, including water, are simple to use. They are great for candy and flake finishes as well, letting the sparkle shine through - as in this leftie bass I built for my son.

Had to replace a bottle of vintage amber, it goes a long way with dilution but all good things come to an end. I had used the first bottle on over 20 instruments so its a winner, people seem to like its effect on woodgrain. I had also ordered the 5042 orange as well and it is a dead ringer for Gretsch's flagship color, its my new favorite color. The red mahogony and medium brown are in my kit as well which gives a LOT of possibilities. These are bright, vibrant colors that are permanent and haven't faded in the least over time. I've mixed them in with just about every medium from lacquer to varathane, sanding sealer and super glue with equal sucess. These are some really great stains.

Very good quality, perfect for vintage guitars restoration! Highly reccomended

I have used the amber, black, lemon, and cherry stains from this product line - all excellent. They should mention in the instructions that most common guitar woods (esp. alder, maple, and ash) need to be prepped with a wash coat before applying the stain - otherwise your results will be very blotchy (esp. on alder). I have had good luck with just wiping maple with a damp cloth first before applying stain, but alder needs a shellac wash coat; a damp cloth is better than nothing, but it doesn't adequately prep alder for a very even stain application. I suggest sanding to 220 or 320 and then one coat of a 1 lb cut of platina shellac applied before the stain on alder; much better results.

I used the vintage amber stain on a spalted maple top. It was a little too yellow so I added about 5 drops of red mahogany to 2 oz of VA and it made the perfect deep rich amber I wanted. Good product.

Color Muy buena. altamente recomendado. da un Nivel superior al Instrumento