A while back I followed some advice I heard about improving the sound of a Strat. I sanded the finish off of the neck heel and from the neck pocket (removed a sticker too). I also sanded out the electronics cavity as best as I could and also removed the finish under the bridge and pick guard. Finally, I threw away the trem spring cover. I was just sitting out on my deck having a cool one and strumming away unplugged and it really struck me - this guitar is the most resonant Strat I have ever had - and I have had a few. It is especially resonant in E and B. The body and neck are more vibratory alive than they were. I don't know what improved it the most, but I suspect removing the finish under the bridge. Nonetheless, acoustically this MIM is a singer.

Cool discovery TrapperDoo.

That plastic coating can dampen a guitar's resonance. The newer thinner finishes are better to some degree, especially the nitro. Do you have the bridge decked or floating?

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Did you remove the sheilding paint from inside the electronics cavity?

Removed the shielding paint and re-lined with copper foil. It still hums, but not any more than it did before.

I'm happy for you if you achieved, or further approached, "your" sound. It sounds like you really went through some hard work to get there!

I hope you don't mind this question- but do you rest your arm on the upper bout?

As a fellow strat-player, I've found that resting my arm too heavily on the instrument dampens the resonance a bit. Typing it out, it seems so obvious... but I had overlooked that for so long! I picked up the tip that by lifting your arm a bit you will gain more pick control. More resonance (and more HF content, to my ears at least) was a byproduct.

My resonant Strat experience:
Although I haven't played tons and tons of Stratocasters, my MIJ Aerodyne Stratocaster, which I equipped with SCN's, was by far the most resonant. Actually, it was too resonant and mid-rangy for my taste! Incidentally, I have the one with no pickguard. It's also made of basswood, FWIW. As a result, the pots etc. are all accessible from the back of the guitar, so a bit of the guitar is chambered out to accommodate all of it.

Unfortunately, all that resonance without a lot of high frequency information is not what I'm looking for in a Stratocaster.

At any rate, I'm happy for you! I assume that since your guitar is (most likely) made from a different wood that it still has those high frequencies should you need them. I didn't have that with my Aerodyne. Lucky you

I absolutely agree re the sticker!!! Why on earth do they put a piece of paper between neck and body? Every time I buy a Strat, the first thing I do is have the neck off and remove it. (If it's still in one piece I stick it on the back of the scratchplate).

I avoid using anything that interferes with the neck/body joint. Wood-to-wood is, for me, the only way to go. I've occasionally had some rather strange tones otherwise.