Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a cheap Indian Rosewood back and side set that I want to use...The Back is a lot lighter than the sides....I am going to try and stain the back to the same color as the sides...I will be using Z-Poxy and French Polish as the Finish.....Should I use a water or oil based stain or does it matter......Thanks

IMHO, it shouldn't matter as the stain should be sealed under shellac for the FP. Matching will probably take some experimenting, so hopefully you have some off-cuts that you can play with prior to committing to the guitar.

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

I'd use a water based stain, as both the z-poxy and the shellac are alcohol solvent, then there is less chance of them reactivating the stain and transfering it to bindings, purflings etc.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

I'd think that this is a reason to use oil based.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I use StewMac stains in alcohol under Z-Poxy. No problems, been doing it for years.

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Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com