Transtint is a good and versatile product. Jeff Jewitt of Homestead Finishing developed it. If you're going for the bright red like guitar you've shown, I think Perfect Red or Bright Red would be a place to start. I'm guessing what you've got is Bordeaux or something else.
If your friends are willing to work with you or loan you a gun the process in essence is:
1. Get surface flat and sanded to 180 or perhaps 220
2. Dye to desired color and intensity. Sneak up on it, get to saturated in color and it's hard to unwind.
3. Tint next few topcoats, clear the last.
I've also dissolved Transtint in lacquer thinner and feather sprayed in between topcoats. You can do bursts or darken edges and lots of other effects by concentrating in specific areas or even over stencils or frisket paper.
The nice thing about using dye to tone coat is it doesn't cloud grain so you don't obscure all that's going on in that grain. The lens analogy is a good thing to keep in mind. Pigment in lacquer is more opaque.
Jeff's got some good info on his site and I think a forum, although I don't visit often. I have several of his books, but I suspect the web and YouTube have all but replaced them.
https://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/