# Alder guitar body



## stevetxbc (Dec 30, 2010)

I have this guitar body made of alder that i stripped, I had originally planned on using tung oil to refinish it with, however when I finished sanding the front of it I noticed the color variation where the two halves of wood join(pictures included). You can tell there is a definitive line down the middle of the front, but can't tell it's two pieces of wood on the back. What I'm wondering is if it would still be possible to finish it with a oil finish semi-gloss look and have a uniform color? If not, would using Minwax's "Red Mahogany 225" cover it up better? I want to stick with the woodgrain look if at all possible, if not I guess I'll have to repaint it :thumbdown:.


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## frankp (Oct 29, 2007)

Personally I like seeing it that way, but everyone is different. I'd stain it then use the tung oil on top of that. You may still have some slight variation in color but it will be closer than it is right now.


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## dat (Nov 11, 2010)

I wouldn't worry about the difference, I would like it oiled and looking more natural with or with out the line over being painted


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Steve,
Try some tung oil on a spot to see if you like it. Don't put anything minwax on it. Their stain products are crap IMHO. If you want to stain it, either go to sherwin williams and get some stained mixed up in their house brand, believe it's called 'woodscapes', or use an aniline dye. 
Mike Hawkins


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## stevetxbc (Dec 30, 2010)

Thanks for the replies guys, I think I will proceed with experimenting with tung oil anyways. I know when you stain something and you do not like the outcome you can sand it off, is this the same with tung oil, or does it soak in deeper? I'm going to pick up a can of oil tomorrow and play around with it, I'll take more pictures to keep you guys updated.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Some years back we had a regular poster 'Corndog' who made guitars in his flat until got stopped by the landlord. might be worth looking at some of his posts.
johnep


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## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

not sure there is much you can do to mask the difference in the wood. what was the original finish?

I work with alder a LOT, and one thing I can assure you of, is that when you oil it, all the variations will be highlighted, including the obvious variation between the two pieces of wood. Oil on alder looks great, the grain really stands out, and it is such a varied grain that I think it looks fantastic

Below is a picture of my dining table... alder and walnut. This has BLO and then a varnish top coat. I just ran with the differences with each board that made up the slab (as has been suggested already). The second picture shows alder using dye to change the color. You can still see the differences in the various boards, and this alder was much more "clear" than that used on the dining table. It is also BLO, but with a water based lacquer topcoat




















I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it would take a seriously skilled finisher to shade and tone the two pieces so that they looked the same. rather than try to hide it, as suggested, you should consider highlighting it. 
the seams in the three piece desk above were highlighted by adding a router bead down them... rather than make it look like there weren't seams, I just highlighted the seam and frankly I think that ended up looking better.


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## Firewalker (Jan 3, 2011)

I tend to like the variations. Nothing wrong with book match pieces but I have seen people playing guitars on stage that you can see an obvious line where it was joined. Sometimes a mineral spirit wipe will tell you what to expect when it's finished. Anyone feel free to correct me if this is not a good idea. It may be the reason it was painted but I say go natural....will look great IMO. Best of luck to you. Post up pics when you get her completed.


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## stevetxbc (Dec 30, 2010)

Firewalker said:


> Nothing wrong with book match pieces but I have seen people playing guitars on stage that you can see an obvious line where it was joined. It may be the reason it was painted but I say go natural....will look great IMO. Best of luck to you. Post up pics when you get her completed.


Thanks and yes I have seen high end guitars that have a distinctive line down it as well. I'm going ahead as planned using only oil, the look of natural wood is better than paint whether it has flaws or not, nothing is perfect. Thanks for everything guys and I will be sure to take some pics when I get her finished, still have a quite a bit of sanding to go.


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## stevetxbc (Dec 30, 2010)

wood4fun, The original finish on mine was that 1/8" thick 80's lead paint. thanks for the pics it doesn't look bad at all, I think the way you accented the seams instead of covering them up helped to bring out the beauty of the piece that much more, great work! Thanks for the suggestions, I will be sure to keep them in mind during this project. After this I may try taking on the build of my own guitar, just have to find some wood to work with first, luckily there is a wood barn here that sells all kinds of crazy woods (I'm in deep East Texas, shouldn't be too hard to find wood right?)


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