What is a safe wood stain to use with Universal?

[RalphL]

I have a Fender Stratocaster neck that I would like to refinish. It's bare wood now, but the stain will be maple. I was concerned that the oil in the stain might cause fisheyes or other adverse reactions with the clear.
Any recommendations on the type of stain to use?

 

[Barry]

Minwax or sparvar I hear the most, let set at least 24 hours and prefer 48 but never have heard of an issue either way.

 

[strum456]

I've never had a problem. SPI UV Clear works amazing for a gloss finish on wood. For medium to fine grain wood, I do 2 coats, sand with 320 or 400, then 2 more. If it is a table top or something, it really pays to give it a quick sand and buff. You'll have all the Minwax / Deft guys asking how you did it. There is absolutely no comparison!

 

[Jim C]

for simple over the counter stains, minwax or any comparable stain is fine. these are all mineral spirit base so they soak in and dry very slow. as barry said, wait 48 hrs then apply the clear of your choice. some faster options are candy dyes mixed in alcohol or urethane reducer. you can even use basecoat mixed into very slow reducer or xylene to make your own colors if you dont have raw pigments around.

 

[jlcustomz]

A faster option I use on wood under spi matte is Lenmar lacquer base wiping stain. I have done some stuff in less than 1/2 hr, also sometimes mix a little in spi clear for shading & never noticed any adverse reactions from it. Tighter grain woods such as probably the maple commonly used in guitar necks shouldn't over saturate itself, especially with a simple wipe on & wipe off within a few minutes, & even with the oil base should be more than safe after 48 hrs. Had to use minwax stain recently to match existing product. Adhesion issues would be a major issue without enough stain dry time. Here's minwax stain under matt clear.

 

[EddieF]

is universal best choice for necks?

 

[jcclark]

I've used Minwax with good results but be aware, some of their colors take a lot longer to dry than others.
I have waited a few days to a week to get it good and dry first and you can usually feel it, not feeling gummy anymore.
Open pour woods like oak take longer so it's best to give a little more time for them too,
the stain collects down in the pores and takes a long time to dry.

 

[David Dansky]

General Finishes water based dye stain. Drys super fast, much better than min-wax stains which are a combination of oil based dyes, and pigments.
Universal Clear shot same day.

 

[rdransman]

I've used Minwax with good results but be aware, some of their colors take a lot longer to dry than others.
I have waited a few days to a week to get it good and dry first and you can usually feel it, not feeling gummy anymore.
Open pour woods like oak take longer so it's best to give a little more time for them too,
the stain collects down in the pores and takes a long time to dry.

X2. I used the Minwax oil base stain on truck bed wood, followed by SPI 4000-1 Universal Clear. Got the Minwax stain at Lowes.