Does stripping paint damper the tone?

[Alex6534]

Hi guys,

I'm a complete noob in this section, so apologies if I sound like a 4 year old. I have a 7621 in standard black, I hate black guitars so I'm considering stripping the paint and leaving it as the natural wood grain an just do a clear coat of lacquer or get another paint job on it. My question is will it hinder the tone? I suppose I'll be replacing the pickups soon anyway, but does the paint make a difference? Thanks

[anthonyferguson]

None at all man! If you want a change of colour/aesthetic, look at some of the threads about refinishes in here. There are plenty to look through!

[bob123]

Dont ask this question on strat talk...

:p

[BlackMastodon]

Some tone-nazis might argue that the type of finish will affect the tone but I think that's pretty asinine, especially when it comes to an electric guitar. I think your only worry might be if the basswood underneath looks less than good. I say strip 'er down (have fun with the sealer coat; a power sander of some kind will help greatly) and see how she looks and then go from there!

[Neil]

Unless you're Eric Johnson you won't hear a difference.

[Alex6534]

Thanks guys, cannot stand having another black guitar, already got about 4. Yeah I'm looking at some stripped down 7621's and they don't look particularly.....thrilling haha. Just need to find someone who's got the skills to do a professional job when I choose what I want done.

[mcleanab]

Hijacking a forum here... another noob question:

How does one strip paint off of a guitar? Say, like this one:

FSOT Vintage 80's Aria Maple Neck Superstrat

I have stained and sealed raw wood furniture and would love to the same to a guitar like this one...

Which threads on here should I start reading?

[VBCheeseGrater]

worth noting, PRS talks about the tone of their finishes when describing guitars, so i'm guessing it may have some negligible effect.

But will your audience notice or care? nope. Half the things we discuss here would never be noticed by 95% of the audience.

[toecutter]

I've found that stripping finish makes most guitars more resonant, seriously. If anything a heavy finish dampens. All of the guitars that I have stripped down to bare wood and applied a super thin coat of poly have improved tone. I can't explain it but I assure you it worked for me.

[SpaceDock]

More paint seems like it would dampen and no finish should resonate more, I would think.

I remember reading about Adam from tool using the silver burst les Paul that was discontinued because the paint killed the sustain but he liked it that way.