I refinished an old Takamine F360S. (Solid spruce top, Rosewood laminate back and sides) I bought it very cheap. Someone had put some stickers on it that left very noticable Tan lines. Because it had was looked to be a very thick epoxy like finish I did use some liquid stripper against the advise of my luthier playing buddy. Like he warned me leaving the stripper on any length of time would cause the plastic binding to "melt". Worked great on the top and the laminate sides and back. I did use scrapers and sandpaper however to finish the removal process. I also had my friend remove the bridge so I could scrape the top. I was able to feather out the damage done to the plastic binding and the guitar came out great and is my main player/beater guitar. I put a Tru oil finish on it (about 15 coats) and it has a real nice satin finish. Also taking that heavy finish off seemed to improve the sound in both my and my friend's opinion. Smart to start off with an inexpensive guitar as a learning tool.
Good luck Jim!
