I hope I don't regret not taking the finish all the way off...but I haven't had problems with it on my other builds *except* on the sides and bottom of the neck. I have had a little experience using the Crystalac Brite Tone and the General Finishes High Performance together without issue... So hoping for the best.
After taking the back and sides down to bare wood, I gave those parts 6 coats of wiped on blonde shellac which brought the color back to being the same as the rest of the neck.
I then put 10 coats of Brite Tone on the back and sides. I spent all 10 coats refining my technique and experimenting with brushes. I think my technique still has a ways to go. I did manage to get the finish on without brush strokes or bubbles..but I got some disconcerting runs and drips, particularly in the early coats.
I auditioned 4 different kinds of brushes. What I have used in the past is a 50mm synthetic sash brush. Essentially a short but ordinary brush that you'd use to paint the window sills inside a house. That got eliminated first, since I couldn't keep off brush strokes. It got relegated to brushing after sanding duty. Second was the foam brush. One of the people at the mfg uses one of these, but I could not lay down a thin coat with it, and could not eliminate bubbles.
That left art store 50mm wide brushes. One was a "golden" 50mm Taklon brush... very fine, very soft, synthetic bristles developed in Japan. The other was a "hake" brush. Same idea but with even finer, even softer goat or sheep bristles. I had less control with the Hake brush so most coats went down with the Taklon brush.
I got much thinner coats with the Taklon brush...but kept getting small drips on the sides or small runs. The mfg told me that was likely because my coats were too thick. I got better at getting them thinner over time, but the breakthrough came when I began to prime the brush with water before dipping into the Brite Tone. That got is considerably thinner and much reduced my drip/run problem. It did not eliminate the problem, but I at least got to the point where I could sand or scrape with a razor blade the small mistakes. With practice I am hoping that I won't need the razor blade.
At the moment it seems to me that the way to develop good brush technique is a bit like the old joke about how you get to Carnegie Hall... Do you have that joke in Australia? Has it been adapted? (e.g. How do you get to the Sydney Opera House?). I think I should stay away from the paint fumes for a while...
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