Mahogany Guitar Finish, ES335 Kit Finish

The Method Used

To achieve this mahogany guitar finish on the body and neck of the ES335 kit, both crafted from mahogany, the following products were used, taking care to sand the neck beforehand:

• a mahogany grain filler
• a black nitrocellulose aerosol spray
• a yellow dye
• a gloss water-based varnish (1L)
• a refillable aerosol can and one refill

For the body, I mix the grain filler with yellow dye and apply it over the entire body: 2 coats with a light sanding between coats. Then I sand again and apply the yellow dye, 2 coats. Next I lay down a gloss varnish, 3 coats (with P1000 sanding before and between coats), which is at the heart of this mahogany body and neck finish.

For the neck, I apply grain filler to the back and the headstock, 2 coats (with sanding between coats). Then I paint the headstock black, 2 coats. Finally I apply gloss varnish, 3 coats. For the body I spray the varnish using the refillable aerosol can, and for the neck I brush it on.

The siren on the headstock is done with a stencil and gold paint. As the fingerboard is Jatoba with fairly open pores, linseed oil is applied to the fingerboard, 4 coats. For more techniques and inspiration, see our guitar finishing range.

Expert Comment

A lovely technique: simple and effective for an understated result on this es335 kit finish. You can replace the linseed oil on the fingerboard with mahogany grain filler to seal the pores, since Jatoba has a fairly similar tone. For the headstock, if you don't have black paint, I would tend to use yellow dye, or instead reach for black dye, which is cheaper and easier to apply. Finally, using polishing product #10 can be worthwhile if you want a higher gloss. PS: for this type of finish it is better to work the body and neck separately.

The Products to Achieve This Finish

This mahogany guitar finish can be reproduced by choosing our finishing kit for guitar kits, WATER-BASED FINISHING KIT - DYE AND NATURAL, and selecting:

• a black mahogany grain filler
• a liquid dye in Yellow
• a gloss water-based varnish 1L
• a refillable aerosol can (if you don't have a spray gun)

We also recommend an aerosol can refill to simplify applying the 1L of varnish. A Polishing #10 is always welcome if you want a higher-gloss finish. Note that, if you prefer, the varnish can be replaced with polyurethane or nitrocellulose varnish.