SAS Transparent Finish

[Malloc]

Curiosity: are the SAS transparent finishes done as stain with a clear coat or a tint added to clear finish (or some other technique my admittedly anemic knowledge of finishing doesn’t immediately conjure up) ?

Say someone wanted to commit sacrilege by refinishing a transparent finished guitar like this. Would it strip down easily enough to change colors completely?

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Watch PRS refinishing video by Big D guitars on YT, before you consider this. Just saying.

 

[Malloc]

To be clear, the actual work would go to a professional

 

[Alnus Rubra]

PRS finishes appear to be quite difficult to remove. As I said, watch the video.

 

[Malloc]

Ya I knew that’s the case with fancy gradients like bursts and dragons, but wasn’t sure about single color transparent.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Can’t answer your tinted lacquer or stain question.

Someone will probably be along soon who can.

 

[JasonE]

I have an 06 SAS. From what I can tell it looks to be a stain on the wood with a clear coat.

 

[garrettb]

Ash isn't typically stained (Private Stock being a big exception, and there are others). The SAS uses a tinted color coat. When you browse used ones on Reverb and such, you'll inevitably find the dinged ones and the paint chips always leave a peek of naked ash.

Dang it, now you've reignited my SAS GAS!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Was thinking the same as Garrett, as Ash doesn’t take stain in the same way that Maple does.

 

[garrettb]

Here's one on Reverb you got me drooling over. You can see all the color is in the finish itself.

 

[jak3af3r]

I have a black one that has some small chips you can see the lacquer is tinted where it goes down to the wood.

 

[JasonE]

Ash isn't typically stained (Private Stock being a big exception, and there are others). The SAS uses a tinted color coat. When you browse used ones on Reverb and such, you'll inevitably find the dinged ones and the paint chips always leave a peek of naked ash.

Dang it, now you've reignited my SAS GAS!

Now that you mention this, I do have a small finish chip on the back of mine and the color of the wood is what you see in that spot. I forgot about that chip.

 

[pipthepilot]

Often a dark stain is applied first then sounded down to emphasis the grain, then the translucent colour is sprayed over that before the clear coat. Typically though, the stain won't effect the refinish, it is still only on the surface and will be removed when the guitar is sanded during preparation.