thinking about stripping my poly finish

[rumblebox]

my MH-350NT sounds great with the current pup combo (PG+/BB1), but i feel there is room for improvement. compared to my other guitars, it isnt very resonant unplugged and sounds slightly compressed. i'm thinking the thick poly finish may be the reason.

so basically i'm thinking about taking all the finish off and leaving it natural except maybe changing the top color before doing a thin satin nitro finish or simply using tung oil.

i had considered changing the top color anyway, since the burst isnt very subtle. so i may as well just show all the wood. what do you guys think??

i'm thinking maybe a blue or green with black highlights on the soft grains.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

What kind of blue or green are you talking here?

 

[rumblebox]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

medium to dark. or a mix of both blue and green.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

OCEANBURST!!!!!!!

 

[uOpt]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

I would expect this to not make a decisive difference.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

Honestly, I'd just get rid of the finish and leave it bare.

wood DOES breathe!

 

[rumblebox]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

if it's as thick as it looks, it will sound different. there is no denying that too much finish affects tone.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

I'd go with a PRS shade of green.

 

[rumblebox]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

I'd go with a PRS shade of green.

that's kinda what i'm thinking. or aqua. also thinking of attempting their charcoal color without the burst.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

if it's as thick as it looks, it will sound different. there is no denying that too much finish affects tone.

Honestly, I believe any amount of finish affects tone.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

I would expect this to not make a decisive difference.

Agreed. Its not so much the finish as it is the wood, and that wood aint nuthin to write home about.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

Strip poly for looks and for feel, but don't expect any sonic differences. That's a good looking guitar; I'd leave it alone.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

That's your call, man.

Honestly, I would touch a beaut like that. Let it do what it does. Go get another guitar to sound the way you want.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

Stripping Poly from a carved-top, set-neck guitar with neck and body binding is going to be a huge task and will almost undoubtedly leave some damage unless you are going to be able to handle weeks of slow and tedious hand sanding.

Every option is nullified until that finish is off, except the option of leaving it as it is.

There is a thread somewhere by Jesse's Ghost (or Jesse Sammler) about removing the finish from his LP. I remember it illustrated the enormity of the task.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

I have a guitar very similar to that with a thick poly finish and it resonates like crazy.

Im of a mind that the guitar is what it is and stripping the finish off isnt going to make much of a difference. While I really like the idea of a natural finish guitar, I really like the look of that finish as it is.

One thing you could do is replace the graphite nut with a bone nut. That should help transfer string vibration to the body better.

 

[rumblebox]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

i probably wont do anything to it if i dont strip it. i like the way it sounds now.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

From the OP I gauged that you were looking to increase resonance and thought there was room for improvement in sound.

 

[rumblebox]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

From the OP I gauged that you were looking to increase resonance and thought there was room for improvement in sound.

it sounds great the way it is, but i can never leave well-enough alone. everything has room for improvement.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

Dont strip it unless you never want to resell it. It's only a maybe it it will sound better and even then the difference will only be subtle.
There is a reason LTD's are cheaper than ESP's and a lot of that is to do with the quality of the wood. A thin finish is not going to change that.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: thinking about stripping my poly finish

'll be into Satan Tonio tommorow. Im not really a military guy..I mean, my dad was a=carrer Air force high ranking officer, i'VE HEARD YA, AND YOU ASRE DAMN GOOD, but if you wanna get torched , I can accomadate ya.