help with stain.

[sir riff a lot]

I bought a cheap 52 reissue style butterscotch tele, to relic and mod.

to get rid of the brand on the headstock I had to sand it back , now the face of the headstock is light maple colour compared to the rest of the neck and fretboard which is butterscotch.

I bought some stain , but the face of the headstock wont seem to take the colour ?
apart from just sanding it back , is there any way to open up the grain so it will soak up the stain ?

 

[Theorist]

As someone who tried to do something like that before, I would say you could tint some clear laquer and spray that on, instead of staining the wood. I think that is the way they are originally done...
I used some cool reusable glass spray bottles for that, Preval I think...

 

[poolshark]

^ That's probably the easiest and most reliable way to do it. Just spray tint coats until the match is close, then hit it with some clear to even it out and lock the color in. Wet sand and done. Dyeing/staining the wood is a great way to get a blotchy mismatch.

 

[sir riff a lot]

thanks guys

 

[swiveltung]

One option: Try some amber shellac on some similar bare wood. If too dark mix with clear shellac until you get the right color. You can apply this even with a foam brush on that small surface if you are good at it. It dries quickly. Then overcoat with nitro or poly.

Another option is if you are using the "black guard" make the headstock black to match!