stain suggestions for a cabinet build i'm doing

[thinskin57]

i am converting my Fender Supersonic 60 from a combo to a head version. i just purchased some medium-light (in color) African Mahogany for the project. the figured maple stuff was cost prohibitive. anyway, off the top of my head i am considering a red dye/stain to give it that red Gibson SG look. wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions as to what else may look cool color-wise that i haven't thought of. i'm considering foregoing the grill cloth on the front panel and sticking with the wood. my game plan is to maybe put a bunch of circular holes of various sizes that will offer some cross-ventilation, as well as give it a funky look of its own. my brother is an experienced wood worker and has all the toys. i'm just the designer i guess, but if there are any of you that have done builds such as this fire away with any tips or suggestions. thanks in advance!

 

[rocksalt7]

Hey thinskin....some years back I refinished an antique mahogany table (small), and I got it to turn out almost just like an SG, but a little bit lighter when I was done. I used hot lacquer with cherry stain/dye mixed in until it looked just like cherry Kool-Aid. I swear,I just needed to add some ice cubes!! Anyway, it turned out really nice after about 4 coats of color and 2 of clear and then buffed out. I personally would have made it darker, but it was for someone else at the time.

Of course you can always go with the natural deep brown that's typical of most mahogany, but I think your choice of red will be really stunning.

Hope this helps, and good luck...let us see some pics when you're done! 8)