I have an 08 American Standard Strat, and was wondering if there was a kind of adhesive or another product that will make the finish thinner and more breathable. I heard it takes a very long time for the finish to get thinner, and I like the look of semi-relic'd strats, thats what I'm looking for.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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2008 American Stratocaster
Customized Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Fender 65' Twin Reverb Reissue <3
Fulltone Fulldrive 2
Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive
Danelectro Drive
Big Muff Pi w/ Tone Wicker
Dunlop Hendrix Wah

I'd leave it alone if I were you and save up for another guitar that has a light relic finish.

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Hi Camcowx7

You could use Tcut rubbed into the finish, its hard work and will dull any shine right down if not done properly.


If I were you I'd ask myself a few questions about wood/finish breathing. Do you really believe that seasoned, sawed and sealed wood breathes at all? If such a piece of timber does still breathe after such treatment, will a bit of paint stop it?

The whole guitar body breathing thing is hype and a sales pitch in my book.
Your guitar and your choice though mate.

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No no and no

Perhaps not so much a case of the guitar breathing Camcow, as the heavy poly paint inhibiting vibration and resonance - thats the thoeory anyway..

See if you can pick up a Fender Highway Strat. They have the nitro finishes and they wear very easily. Mine is already starting to look patchy and have a few dings that a poly finish would have laughed at. Thats after only 4 months playing.

Hello Camcowx7,

One of these will thin out your
finish rapidly. A it'll be a relic too.

Cheers.

It's a matter of opinion. Personally, I'm one of the philistines who don't buy into the nitro/poly debate (I honestly don't hear any difference between the two kinds of guitar finishes when they're played acoustically).

Some people also claim that set-neck axes are more "resonant" than ones with bolt-on necks; People have these various opinions and are quite within their rights to believe what they wish, but it isn't something that's worth wrecking a guitar for.

As someone has already suggested, if you're that concerned, play a Highway 1 strat and see if you can hear the difference. If you can, then get one!

There is the voice of reason. I do hear a slight miniscule difference acousticaly nothing at all when plugged in though. Yes he same pickups on both guitars.

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No no and no

Sounds like a bad idea...

Your guitar has a hard polyester finish whereas vintage guitars had lacquer finishes. You aren't going to make it more "breatheable" at all, unless you sand it off completely as poly (or even lacquer for that matter) is air impermeable. "Breathalbility" of the wood has no effect on tone, whatsoever. You probably won't be able to make your guitar look like a vintage "relic'd" guitar, because of the huge difference between poly and lacquer.

However, if you REALLY want to go for that look, use sandpaper. Use 150 grit to take the finish down and follow it up with progressively finer and finer grits, 220, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500. Wet sand with a light touch and sand with each finer grit until you can "feel" that it has gotten the heavier wear out. You can feel and even hear this as it's happening. Thats when you will know you need to switch to the next grit. I would recommend starting in a small, inconspicuous area for this, like the curved "tummy cut" line on the back of the guitar.

1500 will leave a dull "matte" like finish which you can then polish out with polishing compound followed by an automotive "glaze" to bring the luster back.

Be aware that doing this will most likely ruin the value of your guitar ...

It's all a bunch of BS and hype. After like 1957 all strats had the poly "fullerplast" coating under the final paint anyway. (Read "The Stratocaster Chronicles") In essence, all of those old vintage nitro-finished srats were just nitro over poly. The wood doesn't breathe and if you hear a difference, it is most definitely your perception changing, not the tone. The paint on the wood of the body of a solid body electric guitar has no perceptible effect on tone. Highway One's are alos nitro over poly, which is why they wear down to that smooth amber color and not down to bare wood. That's the fullerplast. The paint used on the Highway One's is fairly lousy compared to the old guitars and wears away in a couple of years as opposed to a couple of decades.

"It's all a bunch of BS and hype"

I wonder if to wish you a welcome on this Forum is quite appropriate...

Perhaps, but, thank you, it's nice to be here.

Relicing a new Strat is like taking a power sander to a new car....WHY????

The poly finish on an American Standard will probably NEVER wear off with general use. I played an '85 (bought new, sold in 2001) Strat with a poly finish for years and years, in several bands, and while it got nicked and dinged quite a bit there was never any "wear" to speak of.