I always use a rag rolled into a ball and give it a squeeze to remove any excess before applying any stain. Seems to work as I haven't had a problem doing my stains. It also tends to equalize the amount of dye being applied. It's better to add little by little than doing it all at once. Check out my TL1-Q and ES330 tribute.
Thanks for the tip ILR going out to give it a go now. Thanks for steering me onto those two beauties of yours this forum has too much depth to find them all ,that ES330 tribute is a inspiring build. Cheers