"Pasquali" by Ken McKay

[Ken McKay]

Varnish has a way of taking on a life of its own. I have varnished samples and said "that looks good" to myself and then varnished a whole bass, only to hate it. I have learned a few things along the way though. Some varnish looks good with some wood while others looks bad. Some varnish uses dyes to color but don't look old italian. Mixing pigments can also lead to surprises when the whole thing is done. For example I once varnished a bass and looked at the instrument at an angle and a funny salmon color shined through. It is an ongoing struggle. I don't know any maker who is fully satisfied with their varnish.