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How to Give a Vintage Finish to a Guitar

Everyone has his own preference for how a guitar should look. For some, a natural or vintage look is the way to go. Unfortunately, this look is hard to find in music stores because of modern manufacturing techniques. Instead, finish your own guitar to give it a vintage look with a little wood dye and some sandpaper.

Things You'll Need

Yellow, brown and red wood stain
Scrap maple wood
Eye dropper
Clean rags
Sandpaper
Clear varnish

Instructions

- 1
  Pour 1 tablespoon of yellow stain into a bowl and start adding warm water 1 tablespoon at a time. Stop when the yellow color almost blends into the maple wood scrap.
- 2
  Add drops of red and brown wood stain with an eye dropper until the stain has an amber hue. Always test the stain on the scrap wood before adding more ingredients.
- 3
  Let the test wood dry and apply a coat of clear varnish. This will reveal the actual color. Once you have a color you like, you are ready to stain your guitar.
- 4
  Put some of the stain onto a clean rag and start gently rubbing it into the wood grain. Always travel with the grain for the most even tone. Wipe away any excess stain after the application is done.
- 5
  Sand off almost all of the stain so that only the grains are stained.
- 6
  Wipe off the guitar with a rag to remove any sawdust.
- 7
  Wipe on the clear varnish with a clean rag and let dry.

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