The next part was deciding on color and finish. My last build I used a lacquer finish just because I read that was a good and classic finish. After using the guitar for a while I decided that since the VP-4 is a solid wood (no cap) and I could sand the living hell out of it if I wanted to, I was going to go with a hand rubbed oil finish so the wood would look and feel like wood, not like wood encased in plastic. I decided I was going to go dark so the chrome would stand out and be the highlight. I was thinking about popping the grain with a black dye and then using a pickling to make the softer wood a lighter gray. So first step, a test with some black ink (to see how the grain reacts and raise it for the initial sanding). On the front there was a crazy solid line between two of the planks used in the body. One of the boards was super soft and soaked up like a sponge and the other.... didn't. There were a bunch of pretty severe glue spots too. The line I wasn't so concerned about since I could cover with pick guard. The glue spots... time for some sandpaper and elbow grease! Apparently I didn't get a good photo of the stain difference on the front, but that will be apparent soon....
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