Hand Rubbed Sunburst timelapse

There is no sunburst that is much better than a good, hand-rubbed sunburst (in my humble opinion). Here is my process - sped up to help visualize the changes that are happening. One thing that is great, but sometimes frustrating if I am honest with myself, is that a hand-rubbed sunburst is never "perfect". These imperfections are what makes a good hand-rubbed sunburst look vintage, classic or "full of mojo".
I have had good results with the line of water/alcohol soluble dyes called ColorFX and that is what I used in this video:
link to the products in Canada (not affiliated): www.woodessenc...
Hope you enjoy!
-Zach
#guitarbuilding #handmade #howto

[@Bryant_S]

That’s beautiful! Thanks for sharing your process!

[@treehouseguitars]

Thanks! :)

[@johnlind5819]

Fantastic! I can personally confirm that this guitar is beautiful! Thanks, John Gig Harbor, WA

[@treehouseguitars]

Thanks so much John! I had fun building this one for you. :)

[@jakesnyder9423]

John, do you still have this guitar?

[@johnlind5819]

@@jakesnyder9423 I do still have it. It is quite lovely. Unfortunately, I may need to sell it as I am shrinking my collection due to family health issues.

[@jakesnyder9423]

@@johnlind5819 sorry to hear about the health issues. I don't know of how we can message each other on KZbin but could I contact you privately about the guitar?

[@docsiltanen]

Looks fantastic..!!!... there is something very therapeutic about doing a burst by hand..... the rhythmic swirl maybe....almost hypnotic.

[@redtreecollectiveguitars]

Thanks! Yeah, I agree! :)

[@coloradoredsoxteacher5853]

Nice! Hand rubbed and imperfect are perfect. The guitar is handmade, not another number. Great work!

[@treehouseguitars]

Imperfect is perfect - I Love that! I would say it also makes a guitar more inviting to really play into. :)

[@vincetaylor6126]

awesome, thanks👍

[@redtreecollectiveguitars]

You're welcome! :)

[@GuitaraddictsWorkshop]

That burst looks awesome! What kind of finish did you put on it after?

[@treehouseguitars]

Thanks! I use Osmo oil (polyx) on these guitars. It seems to work really well :)

[@MrResomaker]

Beautiful vid. Thanks for sharing. So are you applying the dye/alcohol stain on bare wood after grain filling? Or is there some type of wash coat/sealer first? Does the water/alcohol cause the grain to lift and feel rough?

[@redtreecollectiveguitars]

@MrResomaker thanks for your comment I am sorry that for some reason we missed it. The stain going on the bare wood, Zach may have done some grain filling but I never have. By the time we get to staining you can put a coat of liquid and sand off the grain that has lifted. I use a water base and Zach uses alcohol base for our stain. I hope that answers your questions please let me know if you want more. - Eric

[@MrResomaker]

@@redtreecollectiveguitars Thanks for the reply. That is helpful. I'm about to try doing a hand stained burst myself. I've done nitro bursts with rattle cans before but thought I'd try the old school method this time. I remember reading a blog post several years back by Todd Cambio of Fraulini Guitars doing bursts this way and it just makes sense to stain the wood rather than having the finish sitting on top in the lacquer. I'm new to your channel and really enjoy your content and low key approach. It's refreshing in this era. Thx.

[@treehouseguitars]

@@MrResomaker - Todd Cambio? I’ll have to check him out. I’m glad you’re enjoying the channel! :)

[@BurninSven1]

But how does the guitar sound?

[@treehouseguitars]

Umm. Great! The sunburst wouldn’t affect the sound though.

[@redtreecollectiveguitars]

In my opinion it sounds great, as is the case with all of Zach's guitars. If you want to hear it he does a demonstration on his treehouse gutiars channel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/goncd5uGZtCtoqs . Thanks for asking. - Eric