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I have just put the first coat of finish on my first guitar, and I was disappointed to see an irregularity in the color of the wood I used.

I did my "final" sanding a week ago, and did some touch up sanding today before finishing. the wood I used is Padauk, which I know to be notorious for fading in color from bright red to reddish brown, but I did not think that this difference would be so apparent in just a week's time. My question is whether or not it is reasonable to hope that the recently sanded area will fade to the same color as the darker wood, or if I should sand off the finish I just applied.

Thanks in advance for the advise.

That's a good question. I've been wondering that myself. Does paduk oxidize under finish?
Hopefuly some people will wonder in that know the answer.

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Ben: Have had two paduak guitars finished for almost two years. Can't see any sign of fading and if there is a slight amount it certainly is not uneven.Filled with zpoxy,sanded to smooth even surface,wash coat of thin zpoxy and then shot with nitro.Your problem may be the time between sanding and finishing.

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I wonder if finish type has anything to do with it?

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"Preoccupation with an effect gives it power and enhances the error"
from "Your Owner's Manual" by Burt Hotchkiss.

i've built two with paduak and found that the freshly sanded wood has quite a different appearance. i'd sand the whole surface back and wipe your sealer on the whole surface at one time.
phil

I tend to agree with Phil.

Sand it back to bare wood. Get a nice even look about it, let it oxidize to the shade you are looking for, then finish.

I like Padauk fully oxidized. Some like it fresh sanded.

Good Luck.

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I've used Padauk as a wood in various non-guitar projects, with various finishes. It always goes from orange/burnt red to brown. Exposure to sunlight will expedite this. One thing to try is to let it sit outside (pending temp and RH) before sanding and refinishing to see if it evens up.

Those who haven't had this problem may have used some UV protection, haven't exposed the guitar to sunlight (Goth Metal?) or grabbed the bloodwood by mistake?

Danny R. Little