I understand that Gretsch finishes were not always consistent back in the day. And I know there isn't one perfect stain that covers all the different walnut shades out there . I'm just looking for something close ( in the ballpark ) color match wood stain for my 70's Gretsch walnut kit. A common brand from Home depot will do. I plan on getting a raw maple hoop and staining and poly coating it myself.. Anyone out there have advice on stains and polys?
Gretsch 70's walnut stain color match please
You could try and take the shell to a paint store that carries stain, they can play and try to get a close match, you have to bring in a sample of that wood (go to a place that carries maple unless your like me and have lots of stuff laying around the shop) and sand it like you were finishing a shell. They can usually get very close, only problem with that is you have to buy a quart so you have enough to do more than a whole set.
i was on the Minwax site and seen a few colors that may be close. I only planned to do a single 22" hoop so having leftover finish products may not be cost effective. I have the shell kit fully disassembled , easy to take a sample shell along with me ,thanks for the tip
Just remember when your looking at color on your computer screen it's RGB (red-green-blue) and printed sample color swatches are just that and printed in 4 color CMYK (cyan-magenta-yellow-black) and can vary from actual color. They do try to get them close as possible to actual color though so as a basic color guide they are ok. Just something to keep in mind from your friendly forum printer LOL.
Not a guru just havin fun with some old dusty drums.
Bring a piece of maple in to Home Depot and they will sample the Minwax finishes for you. Wait for them to dry and see if one matches up. If there are 2 that are close, you can buy the small cans and mix them to get the exact right color. This is usually the cheapest way without going to a custom mix. Worked for me and it cost under $10 for the 2 small cans of stain.
thanks for the great tips guys!
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