to resonate better than others that I pick them up and play unplugged. Some seem very dead and mute and you can tell by strumming the strings that they do not resonate with the body of the guitar nearly as well as some others do. I have noticed that with MIM's and MIA's as well. Why is that?

Pieces of wood vary even ones from the same tree.

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Music's the only thing that makes sense anymore, man. Play it loud enough, it keeps the demons at bay.

Well some guitars do seem to resonate better than others. That's definately a quality I look for in a guitar. I like to feel the body and neck vibrate when I hit a note or chord.

I think (in stores at least) it's probably mostly due to strings. Some guitars may have just came in and the strings are still fresh while others have been hanging around for a long time with the original old dead strings.

I would have thought the variance in wood density/quality would be looked at before they pick the pieces they use for making these guitars. Maybe I am expecting too much. It didn't occur to me that the strings being old would be enough to make a pretty noticable difference. Maybe thats it.

Yep..and maybe because some haven't been played/tested/demo'd as much as some of the others?

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

Now you are asking for a production line to be hand-picked and tone tapped as a custom shop luthier would do, to match both halves of the body or in the case of one piece (Expensive) as well as matched to the neck. bear in mind also that on any finished piece of wood, the parts as well as the thickness and type of finish are going to affect the resonance.
It also depends on what style of music you are going to play.
If you check out Fender's catalog and compare the specs of players guitars to their respective music you'll notice that one players panacea is not necessarily another player's.
BUt that's the FUN of IT!!!!

I think at least part of it is the strings, the setup, and I really believe you have to play them in before they are at 100%.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Good point about the expense with regard to wood selection and matching. I guess I was thinking more in the line of some basic/simple wood density testing that could be done on the blanks prior to routing out the body. Something like a weight test for each blank depending on the wood type and not actually checking the tone on each blank, but I guess that wouldn't be the only factor for tone since I am sure there is more to it. I will have to take a closer look at the strings the next time I test drive a couple of strats at the store. Is there anything in the setup process that would necessarily kill some of the resonance? You think playing it longer lets it work itself into resonating better? Is this kinda related to older strats eventually sounding better over time or do you mean it just needs a couple of hours of playing time before it settles and resonates better?

Tone as many here will tell you is subjective. It makes sense that when the setup is done properly that the angle of the neck and the break of the strings over the saddles when all set properly will allow the guitar to function properly and possibly resonate better. Each of my Strats had something when I bought them that just didnt seem quite right to me. My latest purchase had a dull sounding 5th and 6th string. After changing the strings, and setting the floating bridge properly it now sounds great. I was lucky enough on this one that no other adjustments were necessary. Also after playing it for several hours it seems to sound better and better. I dont know if its partially the electronics getting worked in or a combination of things. Perhaps Ceri, Nikininja, Martian or one of the other guys here who is far more technically adept than I am can throw in their opinions.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...