What color stain is the trad gibson red like a doublecut jr?

[it's me HHB]

Tons of options. I'll be staining and finishing a 58 dc jr . looking for the closest to the gibby red. Any ideas?

[Jeff R]

On a possibly related note, I picked up one of these last week for some touch up spots on that 70s Hummingbird neck reset/shenanigans reversal I'm doing. I'll let you know what their "cherry red" looks like spectrum wise, i.e. is it RED red or is it warm hued. I'll be using it this week. I can send you some reference photos on scrap.

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Finishing_Supplies/Colors_and_Tints_and_Stains/ColorTone_Touch-up_Marker.html

If you look in their website's "how-to" section, they have some useful flowcharts for the steps for waterbase and nitro stains/finishes too (of course with handy links to their applicable products). Look like they may be useful blueprints to have handy to make sure steps don't get left out. And they're free.

 

[it's me HHB]

Great thanks Jeff!

[Steve Haynie]

I think Gibson had a colored wood filler before the sprayed finish. 

[Jeff R]

Cool reading in this thread ... http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?32037-Steps-for-doing-Heritage-cherry-on-Mahagony

[Bloozguy]

Back when Hamer was still in Illinois I bought a used trans red P90 special in pretty rough condition -- lacquer chips on the top from big screws used to mount a synth pickup, finish sanded off the back of the neck (down to the bare mahogany), etc.

Someone in Hamer customer service sent me a small bottle of the cherry red liquid tint they used in their lacquer and told me that the factory used grain filler (not tinted)  followed by spray on sealer followed by tinted lacquer followed by clear lacquer. When the guy that shot it for me was done it looked exactly like the typical Gibson (and Hamer) trans cherry finish.

Sorry I can't be more specific, but that's all I know about the finishing stuff.

[Duplex Dave]

14 hours ago, Jeff R said:

On a possibly related note, I picked up one of these last week for some touch up spots on that 70s Hummingbird neck reset/shenanigans reversal I'm doing. I'll let you know what their "cherry red" looks like spectrum wise, i.e. is it RED red or is it warm hued. I'll be using it this week. I can send you some reference photos on scrap.

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Finishing_Supplies/Colors_and_Tints_and_Stains/ColorTone_Touch-up_Marker.html

If you look in their website's "how-to" section, they have some useful flowcharts for the steps for waterbase and nitro stains/finishes too (of course with handy links to their applicable products). Look like they may be useful blueprints to have handy to make sure steps don't get left out. And they're free.

 

Yep on what what Jeff said here. There is also that book from StewMac that has some recipes in it, I keep meaning to confiscate it from my friend at work...

Make sure you can test your colors somewhere hidden on the guitar or, try to score a piece of mahogany to practice on. Also remember your end grain is going to suck up more color so you may need to seal it with something to keep it from getting too dark compared to the flat grain areas.

[it's me HHB]

I do get the impression that the color was in the pore filler. I am not going to try for some historic restoration at this point. Ive seen so much finishing vid and commentary that Ive developed a strange plan....

[Jeff R]

1 hour ago, it's me HHB said:

I do get the impression that the color was in the pore filler. I am not going to try for some historic restoration at this point. Ive seen so much finishing vid and commentary that Ive developed a strange plan....

[it's me HHB]

Not that crazy lol

[Bloozguy]

4 hours ago, it's me HHB said:

I do get the impression that the color was in the pore filler. I am not going to try for some historic restoration at this point. Ive seen so much finishing vid and commentary that Ive developed a strange plan....

I had a '68 SG Standard that ended up with a broken headstock and a '93 Hamer P90 Special with a bunch of large chips in the lacquer on the top. Neither of them had tint in the filler. Just a few coats of tinted lacquer with clear on top.

[murkat]

aniline dye

[scottcald]

On 10/25/2016 at 0:39 PM, it's me HHB said:

Not that crazy lol

This crazy?

 

[it's me HHB]

Im thinking of staining the top only and in something more vivid than the back and sides. Pore filled and laquered Headstock black of course, neck unstained and tru oiled. I already have a Faber bridge and some cool open back tuners w small buttons. Its not a restoration at all. Stock 1958s pup pots cap and wiring

[gtone]

On October 28, 2016 at 11:33 AM, it's me HHB said:

Im thinking of staining the top only and in something more vivid than the back and sides. Pore filled and laquered Headstock black of course, neck unstained and tru oiled. I already have a Faber bridge and some cool open back tuners w small buttons. Its not a restoration at all. Stock 1958s pup pots cap and wiring

 

Late to the party (again!), but here's my DC Jr build in Tru-Oil finish over red aniline dye.  The dye was a single coat, mixed with alcohol so the grain wouldn't get raised, applied by cloth.  Followed that up with about 10 coats of Tru-Oil.  Really cool part was that with the first coat or two of Tru-Oil, you could "move" colour around a bit in case your dye was applied a little heavier/lighter in spots or to make up for variations in the underlying wood coloration.

Don't know if this is the colour and/or finish you're gunning for, but thought you might be interested all the same...

Good luck!

 

[gtone]

Another pic which perhaps better represents the true colour as the eye sees it.  (In hindsight, the one above appears a little more orange than the guitar really is).