Q: I have an old guitar that I am partially re-finishing. The peg head has what appears to be a very dark rosewood veneer. It was originally stained with some form of opaque stain that lightened the color substantially to a very warm brown color, yet emphasized the wood grain very nicely. The stain was compromised in places and I have gently removed it via sanding. When finished I will re-spray with lacquer. Can you suggest what type of stain might have been used?
A: Even though I have not seen it, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that what you are seeing is not what you think it is. Opaque stains do not work well on rosewood, and it is for good reason that no one attempts that. However, when rosewood is exposed to light, it fades to a light brown, but the darker figure lines remain. What results is exactly what you have described. The fading is relatively shallow, and sanding it re-exposes the original dark color; again fitting in with what you have described.
There are three things you can do, and all three require complete removal of the current finish. Sand the rosewood headstock overlay until it is all dark, and let the fading process start over; bleach the rosewood, then stain whatever color you want; or stain the rosewood with a very strong yellow orange dye. That third one may or may not get you all the way to the color you want, but it will mimic sun fading at least to a limited degree.
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