[Threealfas]

We were looking at grain more than colour, you can colour timber anyway you like as it all depends on the stain you use. Colour should be of only a small consideration when you are trying to ID timber, look at grain, rays, hardness and cell structure before colour. Colour is variable and besides stain, it can be influenced by sunlight and exposure to the atmosphere as well.

ABW in its natural polished unstained colour is a light grey colour (M1 Rifle stocks were made from ABW, by the way) and doesn't look very exciting, but it all comes down to the stain. Take a look at this image, this is ABW and the grain to me is spot on for the dash veneer on the 1750, just with more red added to the stain perhaps. Also remember your dash veneer has seen a lot of sunlight over the years and is now lighter than it was fresh from the factory.