Acoustic Guitar Construction

I have a beat-up neck that is pretty nice except for being...beat up. At one time I had tried to stain it, but it's a kind of maple and the stain did not work out well. So I've had it hanging around and now I could really use it for an all-hog guitar that is ready for a neck. It's a 12 fret long scale with a slotted headstock.

Anyway - it will never be a thing of beauty but I'm wondering if painting it could give it some better uniformity. I've never used paint on a guitar. Do you have any suggestions?

Rather than paint it, maybe a tinted transparent finish. Given that the neck is already sealed, you would be using the tinted finish as a toner rather than as a stain. You can use something like the rattle can mahogany lacquer that stewmac sells or some equivalent from a hardware store. It would end up a lot darker but still look like wood. Depending what is on the neck now I might seal with shellac before spraying.
https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_S ... cquer.html

Thx.
What's on the neck now is just aniline dye. No sealer other than that. Paint does not appeal to me, but the maple absorbed the dye unevenly - I did not know much about it back then - and gives that mottled unsightly look.
A dark mahogany might work, I'll check it out.

Sorry, Dave, but "unsightly" is in the eye of the beholder. I think the neck looks really nice. I like the accentuation of the wood characteristic. But then, I don't like the polished, "plastic" look of the traditional nitro guitar finish. So, . . .

Hans, you're absolutely right about that, and that's my philosophy as well. I don't want to make this perfect, but also don't want the eye to go straight to it and ignore the work I've put into the box, y'know?
I've put on a couple of applications of Fiebing's leather dye, and the color of the neck is approaching that worn-in, seasoned, well-played look.

That is, to my eyes, one gorgeous neck. I think it would look stunning finished in satin lacquer (thanks, Mr. Minwax rattle can). Any kind of opaque/dark finish would look so wrong to my eyes. I don't see blotches, I see variations in grain, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Well thanks for that! I'm encouraged. I'm done sanding it and will Tru-Oil it and when it is done I will post a pic.