"Harder than you on your first slow dance"... thanks Brad, that cracked me up so hard I now need filler on myself! Lol!

Loved the comment " harder then you at your first slow dance." Great video, thank you for sharing the info.

Thanks for the great videos on guitar finishing, Brad. You never lose sight of the fact that many of us guitar do-it-your-selfers can become a bit confused by the wide number of products available in the marketplace and the incompatibility issues that can arise. I'm beginning a tele partscaster build and your advice on body finishing is spot on to my current needs. Keep up the invaluable content work, buddy.

OMG thank you so much on the shout out and may I say you are an amazing guitar builder yourself and I'm in shock because your brad angrove I ve seen all your videos since I was building guitars keep doing the great work!

another great video Brad, very informative as always, thanks so much, Cheers

Great info. Thanks for sharing.Keep em coming.

As always great video and full of useful information! Keep 'em coming Brad!

Thank you Brad! Working on my first guitar body now and you cleared up alot of confusion. Thank you I like your work and your approach in you're videos

Impressive. I learned a bunch of stuff in less than 5 minutes.

Thank you once again! I've learned a great deal about building from watching your videos. Thanks, again, Brad!

Dude, you have enriched my repertoire of old-man expressions. The funniest thing I've heard this lockdown. Literally laughing out loud. Reliving the dances with my butt stuck way back, I looked like a veloute,

Great concise video. Cheers.

Hello, I'm a rather new fan, but I probably watched 100+ of your vids within 2 weeks. I sincerely appreciate the know-how you're sharing with us - and your great attitude while doing so. I'm also new in guitar (kit) building and I have my hands on a decent Hosco LP kit with mahogany body and maple top. I'm going for a blue-burst finish, and based on the vids I watched and the tools available to me, my plan is 1. water based filler (mahogany part only) 2. multiple water based stain applications for accenting/burst effects 3. Sealer: I'm between water-based and nitrocellulose filler varnishes for this step 4. Nitrocellulose spray cans. Now the problem is - I'm overseas and have no access to the brands you mention in your vids, and I cannot even always find the type of products you mention. For a sealer, my options are limited to water-based or cellulosic wood "filler varnishes" (if I try to translate literally) which I'd need to apply with a brush (other options are acrylic or polyurethane - only sealer sprays available are acrylic). Would you recommend one over the other?

“harder than you at your first slow dance” - lol!

harder than you at your first slow dance!, man that brought back memories from 1978.

Hi Brad, love the channel! I’m about to embark on painting two raw bodies. Basswood = Sealer only Alder = Grain Filler then Sealer or will sealer only be ok? I’ll be using a Lacquer sealer for the basswood as it’s getting Lacquer too coats. Alder is getting an automotive high build primer because it’ll be metallic and my test panels show ridges even at 600 grit. Should I use a different sealer under auto primer? (SEM)

Thanks!

Great one liner! 😂😂😂

Hi, nice video. A question. My ash snooker cue grains become open over time and can be felt on hand. How to close the grains easily and then apply linseed oil finish? Thanks.

Hi Brad! Great video man! What would be your advice concerning wood finish in order to achieve more easily for the nitro to chip off? (Relic). Thanks in advance, Alex.

Hey Brad! I didn't use grain filler on my Alder body Strat since I dont have good options in Israel :( Ive sprayed sanding sealer but since its very thin it demands 6 coats (sanding after the first 3) to close the grain and it also shrinks after a while. do you recommend thinning the sanding sealer less (about 5-10% instead of 20-30%) and make it heavier and brush it on or use a plastic leveler to spread it?

brad, where does prestain wood conditioner come in? i will be staining a mahogany body a medium to dark tone water based stain and an alder body a dark walnut water based stain. would the steps go as follows: 1. sand unfinished body 2. prestain wood conditioner 3. grain fill 4. stain 5. sand sealer 6. finish with tru Oil

I've got a mahoganny body and plan on filling the grain then doing a wipe on poly finish, no paint just the natural wood. Should I use sanding sealer before doing the poly or is it not necessary?

So if I'm wanting a transparent color on a mahogany body should I seal it or fill the grain? I was told to scallac then stain, and then finish......help I'm getting confused. I am looking for a smooth finish

Hi Brad, for pine wood, do you use filler first before the staining or after? Suppose I use filler and stain, should I still use a sealer before applying varnish? I am confused.

Hi Brad great content. I want to obtain a clear smooth finish on a piece of open grained oak that was previously treated with oil. Can I use a water based filler or is that gonna create bubbles down the line? Can oil based fillers be clear too and are they easy to sand? Thanks in advance

Hey Brad! How do I know when to stop sanding after applying the first coat of Grain Filler? Specifically oil based like the Mohawk Grain Filler.

How would you rate Popler as far as grain? Would a couple of brushed coats of sealer, fill, seal and prep it for smooth paint?

Hi Brad, I'm confused. I'm new to this and doing a mahogany body and maple top LP style kit. Should I use this vinyl sealer after staining the wood? Will use the keda dye stayning powder. It will not affect the colors? Thanks in advance.

I'm going to paint my old ass golden oak cabinets white....don't want any grain showing through (highly doubt it's possible but ima try) anyway I'm degreasing with simple green, sanding, spraying with duplicolor sandable primer/filler (says it can be used on wood) THEN sand lightly again....then finally, painting. My question to you is: Should I use a sealer after my 2nd sand? (basically right before I paint) Would I achieve better results?

Brad, I’m still confused. I am working with a mahogany guitar body for the first time and want to use alcohol based dye for better color. So what order do I proceed; dye then fill, or fill then dye? It would seem that the filler would prevent the would from soaking up the dye if done first, and if filling is done second it would cover up the color. Thank you. Joe.

FYI. I only use Bondo for a grain filler now for painted (not stained) guitars! It does a great job. Dries quick, easy to sand, cheap, and easily obtainable!

For an Ash guotar body with deep grain and dings, I will need filler, but then should I use sealer afterwards, for all the less-deep areas?

Hi Brad. Every time I come across another of your videos I learn something new. I'm trying to highlight the grain in a flamed maple veneer. Would a tinted sealer be good for that since it won't be absorbed as much into the closed grain part of the wood?

Here in India it is really hard to get a clear grain filler like aqua coat. I do have access to NC sanding sealer I plan on using tung oil at the end. Any suggestions?

Brad, I'm planning on finishing a mahogany body with modified tung oil...going for a smooth satin finish like the LP (?) you were working on in your "Poly by Hand" vid. the top looked so smooth after the wet sanding! in an older comment you said, "You don’t need to grain fill before using tung oil. In fact, I’m not sure if tung oil will work properly over sealer." would this apply to mahogany as well? right now the body has a coat of poly sealer (from Solo)...do I need to bring it back to bare wood before the oil? maybe wet sand with mod. tung oil sealer? thanks!

I'm interested in refinishing an alder strat-style body, just going for a gloss natural wood look, nothing super-fancy. Is grain filler recommened? I'm thinking of using Zinsser shellac spray as the sealer, and Watco gloss nitro spray as the clear coat over it, both of which are available from local hardware stores. If I do need filler, is mixing gel stain with sawdust a more cost-effective option?

Awesome video! Quick question about the vinyl sealer. I have some as well as Behlen stringed instrument lacquer. Can I achieve a translucent grain pattern finish on a swamp ash body by doing a grain filler followed by spraying on sealer then spraying on tinted lacquer followed up by clear lacquer coats? Or would I not want to use the vinyl sealer and just grain fill them start laying down tinted lacquer coats to get that patterned translucent look? Thanks! And keep making these videos they’re awesome!

Do fillers protect or preserve the wood, do you have to put a finish over top?

I watch you alot (and always good advice), so thanks for all the help. My brain can only hold so much info and detail, and there always seems to be alot of side caveates no matter who is explaining wood finishing, so that is where it can get confusing. I am going to finish an ash body in natural color. Just me, but my preferred method is danish oil, then amber shellac, then dewaxed shellac, and finally a wipe on poly. With that said, what is a good way to fill the ash grain first, then apply this particular finsh? Also, I prefer a subdued grain color, and not the darker "pop kind" of a grain look. (The color I get with this method is perfect, but the grain filling needs improvement).

Every time I watch one of your videos Im always trying to guess who you remind me off and I finally figure it out. Disco Inferno from wresting back in the day. His appearance is a bit over the top but the face pretty similar. Sorry, thought I’d share lol

About a year ago I purchased a quart of water based Minwax Sanding Sealer. I didn't open it until yesterday because I had some older oil based Sanding Sealer to finish (5 year old). I applied the Minwax Sanding Sealer on new Maple Stairs as per directions on the can. I noticed that as the Sanding Sealer was drying it started to darken slightly and create a blotchy finish at the overlapping brush strokes. Hopefully this can be cleaned up with some minor sanding. Today I tried to sand the imperfections but the Sanding Sealer was rubbery and could not be sanded. The sanding caused the finish to roll under the sandpaper while clogging it at the same time. It's going to take me 2 days of stripping to clean the wood and get ready for proper finishing. I will never take another chance with this product again.👎

Is it ok to use the Minwax Lacquer Sanding Sealer before using the Minwax wipe-on poly? I noticed the sealer can said not to put a poly over it but didn't know if this was do-able at all, or a definite no-no...

Hey brad, ive been trying to make my own filler and it usually comes out chalky. Ive tried saw dust or baby powder mixed with glue and sometimes paint and water. Ive made a fairly nice gesso, but its not working great as a filler. Should i just stick to store boughr stuff and maybe add pigment as i need?

I'm building my 3rd guitar - 1st time using mahogany and I used grain filler per the instructions. After sanding and applying primer (2 coats) and then sanding I applied black nitro (4 thin coats). The issue is that the black showed a very small area on the back where the grain is showing and I clearly didn't fill enough. My questions is - do I need to sand back to to raw wood or to primer or just back a layer or two of paint? Thanks for your videos - they've been super helpful!

Dont mean to sound stupid but I'm confused some.. I'm going to try colortone powdered grain filler.. when do I put that on before I dry/stain guitar or after stain/dye ? top is Quilt Top maple ( I guess?) and back is Mahogany , its that BYO wolfgang guitar.. now watching this you say I dont need to do maple but just the back as its mahogany.. is that right?

Can I stain the mahogany body and then use neutral grain filler then apply a poly gloss finish after sanding?thanks

Sorry I just found this video but what is the sealer uses for and in what order would you use it?

If I want smooth paint for plywood, then filler or sealer?

So if i have a ash guitar body i can use a wood filler then a seller?

Hey Brad, I got a piece of pine here and want to fill the grain. Am I good to just use grain filler or do I have to seal it first? I am afraid that it will suck up water until the grain is finally filled (I use water based grain filler). Much love!

Very clearly explained, can you put the behlen vinyl sealer over paint or is it just for wood

How does the vinyl sealer sand vs Lac sanding sealer?

Harder than you at your first slow dance. Lol perfect. Hey Brad say you had oak and want to tru oil finish is there a clear sealer that will fill the grain but keep it visible under the tru oil.

What would you use on spalted maple? Great videos! Thanks

Cool video... Yah, I need a filler to fill up a crack in my ash, people keep putting pencils in it when I take a knee, LOL.

If you want to apply transparent paint so you can see the wood pattern, you don´t use any of those?

If you continue this as a series do a dogshair fill on some ash - those look really cool, and lots of guys ask about the "look"

Your first slow dance…. STOOPPPPP!!! 🤣

Hey Brad. You're videos are amazing. I'm looking at finishing body #3 and I have some questions. So on body#1 (pawlonia or something like that) I started with dark dye sanded back to bring out the grain and then applied the main colors. I applied a couple of coats of MinWax WipeON poly with sandpaper to grain fill, then finished with many coats of the WipeOn. The results were pretty good. On body#2 (limba) I started with a darkened grain fill then many coats of WipeOn poly. The results were pretty good. Body #3 is swamp ash. I want to bring out the grain and use a nice rich blue dye for color. I am tending to lean towards using a colored grain fill to start then applying the blue dye after. Should I then be applying a sanding sealer before going with the WipeOn Poly. I don't have access to any spray equipment but could go with cans if that would provide a better result but the WipeOn approach has worked relatively well for me. Thoughts?

Hi brad I’m on a build at the moment body wood black limba with a walnut drop top originally I was going to oil finish it but changed my mind and want to use 2k spraymax aerosol I’ve grain filled the body but should I use Behlen vinyl sealer first thanks for the videos really help cheers

man, no more behlen vinyl sealer on amazon canada..... does wood filler = grain filler, like lepage wood filler ?

Is it possible to buy Surf Green or Surf Pearl Fenders paint colors? Thanks!

Ok I just sealed my bare alder guitar body with a spray can of bullseye shellac only to find out by research online that it contains wax. My goal was to paint some acrylic enamel designs over part of the body and then clear coating the entire body with 2K spray can clear coat. Did I screw myself by not using dewaxed shellac?

What spray sealer do you recommend for a poly finish on a stained guitar

If I want to use a semi transparent stain should I still use a grain filler? Material is English ash which is similar in grain structure to swamp ash.

Hi. Nice video !, with what do you sugest to start , grain filler, sealer ? Thank you very much !

Ah I guess this is my answer... shouldn't necessarily need sealer on maple. I can't believe you have don't more subs... you got me into painting man. Your channel alone has cost me thousands lol.

What kind of sandpaper grit do you use after you use your Grain Filler?

I put on my 2nd coat of black and let it dry for 2 days. It doesn't pass the nail test so it hasn't dried entirely. Should I still proceed with wet sanding or wait a little longer?

Idk why but I can hear high frequency noise in the video

you need to seal a maple top before applying paint or stain?

Hey Brad! Thanks for helping me last time! I was hoping to ask. You’re help once more if you can recommend me a clear sealant for plastic that isn’t glossy that it looks “plasticity”. Trying to paint something to look metallic but fear it looking like a toy, you know? Any advise you can share? Thanks Brad! You’re awesome dude regardless!

What should I use for a plywood guitar body?

Brad if I wanted to use Swamp Ash for a guitar body what would you recommend if I still wanted to see the grain but also wanted a smooth finish?

What was that sound at 4:14?

This is harder than you at your first slow dance 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

If I use filler on flame maple will it hender the figuring movement?

I'm assuming that this only applies to bodies... With necks, its not necessary?...at least I wouldnt think so because necks are usually getting a different finish. ...I'd guess this would only apply to necks that were getting the exact same glossy finish as the body. "Harder than your 1st slow dance" lol!

“Is that a rattlecan in your pocket, or are you just happy to be dancing with me?”

Can i use nitrocellulose varnish as a sealer? Please reply

Slow dance comment, ha ha I'm old

Bit perplexing. Especially when at the end you recommend a ‘sealant’ when the main body of the video was taken up with advise about filling open pored wood with a ‘filler’. So who is confused now?

You did not provide a process. Example: For old antique wood with cracks, say bay windows on your Victorian house.. 1. Sand (remove lead paint), 2. sealer, 3. wood putty, 4. sand, 5.Sealer, 6. Paint. Note: each step needs correct drying time. etc. etc. Thats what people need to know, the sequence and layering process. Most everybody already knows they need to use products to do the job, and that wood soaks paint up. I'm sure this video helped some, but sequence of layers so that a 160 year old board does not rot would have been nice for me. Thanks.

This was so disorganized as to be unusable. People want to know how to prep and build to a great finish depending on the type of wood, and the type of color (eg stain, dye, paint, transparent or opaque lacquer, etc). Maybe some kind of chart. Categories of wood, what kind of color options they can take successfully, and how to go from raw wood to perfect finish.