Acoustic Guitar Construction

No processing? Sounds pure and simple to me.

'nuther clip:



and a ladder-braced parlor by the same luthier

How would one go about getting the coloring correct as in this picture? Toner in the finish? Stain? Any suggestions are welcomed!!

That's a high contrast effect. Toner would not be the way to get it, though light toner might be used after the contrast was established to get the amber effect on top. If I had to say what was most important, I would say first find wood like that, then secondly, bring out the contrast with stain on the raw wood. TransTint is a good choice. Use a dark color first to soak into the soft part of the wood. If there is not enough contrast, sand it down and reapply, perhaps less strong. A third sanding and reapplication might help. Sanding the dark off the harder wood, in other words, to keep the contrast, while keeping control of the darks so that they don't lose their wood like character. Of course, keep some scraps to try it all out on. It is a subtle teeter-totter to manipulate.

Matter of musical taste -- the Martin sounds pretty good to me -- The Brentrup is way too stringy and harsh -- I like to hear some mellow, woody resonance.

We used Minwax oil based stains on all our (Woodland Inspirations) Oak home furnishings. It was always totally consistent in regard to color expectations and an even application really very easy to achieve. The pamphlet color charts are surprisingly accurate in regard to color match. Letting it dry for a few days before applying any lacquer product is a must.

Side bar -- the Minwax water borne stains manage to "kill" the appearance of the wood while the oil base version adds glisten and depth.

I'd say Minwax Wood Finish "Gunstock" would be the one

http://www.minwax.com/wood-products/stains-color-guide/