I have an American Jazz 5 that I am refinishing and I need some advice on how to get the finish I want.
The Body is sanded down and my goal is to apply a transparent white/cream satin finish so that the grain shows through. First of all should I do something pre-paint to bring the character of the wood (ash or alder) out more so that it is more visible through the finish? If so what should I use?
Also, I'm very inexperienced with paint and need to know what type of finish to use to get a satin, transparent white finish. Luckily I'm not in this alone and my father (who is a great wood worker) is helping me but I really want to do the job right.
Any help putting together a list of what I'll need as far as supplies is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

One method would be to use a black epoxy and sand it back so the grain shows, which should allow it to be visible beneath the white. I'd probably try it on a piece of scrap first, because I don't know how it would look.

You might have good results with dye and lacquer. Go to the Reranch website, I think they have an article on such a technique.

Good luck and keep us posted.

what you want is called "pickling" it's a simple process of applying thinned paint to the wood, allowing it to dry, then using a satin clear. You can get "pickling" paints pre mixed from your local home center; Home Depot, Lowes etc. This may be the easiest way for you to go.
Good Luck with it

I've seen pickled ash furniture before. It looks nice.

Thanks for the help guys! I'll post pics when I'm done with the project.