At least I think that's what happened. I found the cabinet of this console
quite attractive, and newer looking than it had a right to be for its age
and the way it was displayed, all jammed into a corner. Sure enough, when I
took a close-up of the dial with the flash, it showed that the person doing
the refinishing hadn't filled the wood's pores.

I believe that even with this nice a wood used in the cabinet's
construction, a very light toner sprayed on would have blended the different
panels beautifully, without losing the grain patterns.