Mary Kay finish on Alder or Swamp Ash

[jamshaman]

Hey folks, just wanted to give some feedback on the Mary Kay finish, something I wish I knew before I started..

I didn't want the pinkish "warmer" color look that you often see on MK finishes, I wanted the "cooler" (temperature in color theory) look that the Fender Eric Johnson model had. I thought that if I got a very light piece of Swamp Ash it would be more white rather than pink. So I chose the lightest piece of Swamp Ash laminate I could find on the Warmoth builder, on top of Alder.

What I found out after receiving it is that the Swamp Ash looked slightly pink, and the Alder looked like a very light grey (almost with a very subtle blue-ish tint). I actually really liked the way the Alder part looked. I returned the body and re-ordered another body, an in stock Alder body again with MK finish. I don't mind that Alder doesn't have strong grain lines, I'm just a fan of transparent finishes.  It should turn out great.

 

[Senecahighlander]

I'm the same way about translucent finishes, and also about white guitars with gold hardware. Preferably very bright white, often called "arctic" or "alpine" white.  I'll usually top it off with a white pearloid pickguard, the whole scheme being like Steve Vai's "Flo" guitar.

Unfortunately, the pearloid pickguard does not look very good against the pinkish Mary Kay finish. So naturally, I would love a translucent white that showed the wood grain while remaining white. That's the only reason I don't have a Mary Kay guitar.

I thought a dye that would make the grain pop out more while making the finish a little thicker might work.

 

[musicispeace]

I know what you mean about the MK white finish. I have two guitars I got as unfinished Warmoth bodies and had MJT finish them. I requested "translucent white" rather than phrasing it as Mary Kaye White and got results that are indeed white. One was poplar, one alder. I was worried the alder was going to look too putty colored through the finish but turned out great. They called it a "creamy white." Bless Warmoth for providing arguably affordable finished bodies but if their take on Mary Kaye White is less white its good to be aware of that. And its good to be aware of good partners to work with like MJT if you really want translucent white. Also things like the hue of a pickguard can influence the perception of the body color, I think.

 

[Toulouse_Tuhles]

My first new guitar was a 72ish Telecaster with a "blonde" finish, which was standard.  It is what is known as Mary Kaye in Warmoth terminology, and was slightly pinkish on the ash body.
Since the finish is translucent, it will pick up some of the wood's coloring, and as you already noted, the grain.
On the other hand, that body was "slightly" pink... and I mean ever so slightly.  Nobody said "hey pink guitar!".  It was more of a warm white than anything else, but not a yellowish warm, more of a reddish tint warm.