I am often asked by first time finishers if a novice can really achieve a professional result. This strat was the first finishing project by Hiep Huynh. When asked the question again I will refer all to this picture. Here is Heip's description of the project,

"The back was dyed with a mixture of GRDWLNW and GRDRMW water soluble dyes. The top was dyed twice (with a light sanding in between) using the GRBLUW water soluble dye.  The binding is just bare wood masked with a 1/4" 3M nylon tape (blue).  It's actually part of the Swamp Ash back since the quilted Maple top wasn't thick enough to use as the binding.  The dyes partially bled through the nylon tape, so I bleached (Clorox) the natural binding and was able to get rid of the browns but was forced to scrape the blues.  Finally, I used the aerosol nitrocellulose lacquer from ReRanch and Behlen for the clear glossy finish on the body and on the natural birdseye maple neck."

As I told Heip, "Absolutely Gorgeous!" Thanks Heip for the pictures.