I recently picked up a pair of L7s and the finish was a little scratched and peeling, so decided to do a refinish job.
The first attempt involved the use of a combo of chemical strippers and scrappers to remove all the old black lacquer. Underneath is ash. The veneer is thick, but there is virtually no way to get all the black out of the deep, open grain. After a few various attempts at stains and dyes, it quickly became apparent that things were not going to end well.