How far are you planning on going on the grit?
I've had poor results when going much past 400.
I tend to stop around #400 grit.
In general, I tend to use #180 to #220 for leveling with a block. This keeps all the hand-carved bevels sharp. On this guitar, there were sections where the multi-ply laminate neck planks were lower than the body, so I had to actually reduce the thickness of the body to bring everything level.
Today, I have set some time aside to start smoothing everything out with #320 and then #400 in preparation for the penetrating oil stain.
I have helped my Dad with gunstock and some furniture refinishing, so I am going to use some of those old methodologies on this project.
I don't like applying any kind of water-based product to wood. This will be penetrating oil stain, followed by amber shellac, hand-sanded between coats and top coated with nitrocellulose, 'vintage amber' lacquer
The stain will be applied, allowed to penetrate and then be wiped away with a cloth. This will be repeated until the desired color is achieved. Coats will be sanded lightly for smoothness in between applications.
Amber shellac will then be applied, most likely with a brush, and then allowed to dry. The shellac will be sanded smooth with #400 and then re-coated to achieve depth.
The final topcoat will be amber-tinted NC lacquer.
