Remove Finish Mod

Ok, so has anyone ever heard of a mod where you remove the finish of your guitar in places where it doesnt show? Like under the pickguard, in control cavities and under the bridge.

Its supposed to let the wood "breathe" and you get a more open, airey tone. I heard about it somewhere a while ago and I tried it on a strat I have, and I have to say, it did make a difference.
Just wandering if anyone else has tried this, or even heard of it.

i've heard of it. from what ive heard control cavities and under the neck (including the heel of the neck) should be bare wood. not so sure about under the bridge however

Placebo effect bro. Wood doesn't have lungs or the need for oxygen. If anything it should be sealed tightly as possible to avoid moisture getting into it.

Assuming that the basic premise (that wood "breathes", and said respiratory activity improves tone on an electric guitar) is correct, don't you think screwing a big sheet of plastic down over the stripped area might counteract the effect?

I think you tried something that you heard would improve your guitar's tone, and voila, your brain told you you heard an improvement.

Thanks for the opinions guys. But now when I think back on it im pretty sure the stripping of the finish under the bridge was to create a more direct connection between the bridge and the body creating more resonance. Which sounds pretty logical, thus might explain the tone improvement.

And If it is true that bare wood under the pickguard helps anything I dont think putting a pickguard back on would effect it. Think about putting your head under water(the finish in this case) and you cant breathe at all. But put your t-shirt(pickguard) over your head and you can still breathe.

And i know a guitar doesnt have lungs but it does expand and shrink like lungs.

I wonder how many of these 'improvements' are a by-product of new strings?

I fold.

Thanks for the opinions guys. But now when I think back on it im pretty sure the stripping of the finish under the bridge was to create a more direct connection between the bridge and the body creating more resonance. Which sounds pretty logical, thus might explain the tone improvement.

And If it is true that bare wood under the pickguard helps anything I dont think putting a pickguard back on would effect it. Think about putting your head under water(the finish in this case) and you cant breathe at all. But put your t-shirt(pickguard) over your head and you can still breathe.

And i know a guitar doesnt have lungs but it does expand and shrink like lungs.

If you covered your head with pick guard material, you wouldn't breathe. Now maybe if you made a pick guard out of a t-shirt....

Snake oil tastes great with a side of horse feathers, doesn't it?

I dropped my guitar once and decided to change the strings before playing it again. I swear the tone was much improved! So I started dropping all of my guitars before changing the strings!

If you covered your head with pick guard material, you wouldn't breathe. Now maybe if you made a pick guard out of a t-shirt....

its just an analogy, there is a difference between a coating and a covering.

anyway, im not saying it worked i was just wandering if anyone else had tried it and noticed a difference. but i guess not

and i found the sight were i read it, #6 and 7
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Aug/10_Easy_Strat_Mods_to_Improve_Primary_Tone.aspx

This kind of rumor has its origins in acoustic instruments (including violins and other orchestra strings, as well as guitar). On those instruments, the sound relies on the resonant vibration of the top of the instrument, and, to a lesser extent, the back. Anything that inhibits those vibrations will adversely affect the sound, and that includes a finish. The thinner the finish, the less it affects the sound.

A solidbody guitar does not rely on the resonant vibration of surface of the plank of wood. The whole thing resonates, and you have to put a heck of a lot of finish on there to dampen that enough to matter. The bigger issue is probably a thick layer of finish between the bridge and the wood.

So when John Lennon had his Casino stripped, he probably could notice a difference. When you strip parts of a Tele... not so much.

This kind of rumor has its origins in acoustic instruments (including violins and other orchestra strings, as well as guitar). On those instruments, the sound relies on the resonant vibration of the top of the instrument, and, to a lesser extent, the back. Anything that inhibits those vibrations will adversely affect the sound, and that includes a finish. The thinner the finish, the less it affects the sound.

A solidbody guitar does not rely on the resonant vibration of surface of the plank of wood. The whole thing resonates, and you have to put a heck of a lot of finish on there to dampen that enough to matter. The bigger issue is probably a thick layer of finish between the bridge and the wood.

So when John Lennon had his Casino stripped, he probably could notice a difference. When you strip parts of a Tele... not so much.

If you need an example between rumor and wisdom this is a good one; here we have wisdom.