What type of timber are your test pieces? If it's pine, the stain is going to react differently than on mahogany as it is a naturally darker timber.
I would suggest thinning the stain so you have more control over the shading. It's easier to go darker by adding coats than it is to lighter by sanding back.
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Thanks for the advice. Thinning the stain would be the best idea. I was impatient and tried to speed things along. (And failed). Set me back about 3 days. I’m going to leave it as is and glue the neck in. I will slow everything down and set it up correctly prior to gluing.😀
Wired up the harness last night.
I like the colour. It will look nicer once you've got some clear over the top, levelled it and polished it up. It's similar to my GSJ-1, which went quite dark (I did apply more stain and then some vintage cherry lacquer to help cover up glue lines and marks in the wood), whilst my GSM-1 has stayed a brighter cherry red. I like both of the colours I've ended up with.
Nice neat wiring harness.
Yeah, more often than not that's what happens, but it can also lead to pleasantly unexpected results....I ended up with a top I can live with, but not exactly what I envisaged.
+1 on the tidy wiring too!
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Funny how some builds just sort of emerge organically rather than as planned.
I glued the neck on last night and gave it a coat of clear this afternoon. Also counter sunk studs for the bridge as I couldn’t get the action low enough. The weather has turned cold and rainy, so might have to wait a couple of days before giving it a light sand and second coat of clear lacquer. I’m learning to be patient...
Things have slowed up with the build. I’ve been working, the weather has been shite and I can’t get the finish the way I want it. I’ve decided to stop tinkering with the finish, because every time I do, it gets worse. Also, I ordered Grover mini locking tuners with my build and was sent 6 the same side. Pitbull are sending me out 3 more for the lower side of the headstock but won’t arrive until next week. I’ll let the finish dry for a few days then wire the electronics in.