Process of sanding down a guitar body?

[Phoenix75]

Hi could somebody explain the process of sanding down a guitar body to help with resonance? How would one or myself go about doing this! I don't mind if the guitar looks a bit rough. Let me know this is something I want to try

[Osage]

Originally Posted by Phoenix75

Hi could somebody explain the process of sanding down a guitar body to help with resonance? How would one or myself go about doing this! I don't mind if the guitar looks a bit rough. Let me know this is something I want to try

Not to rain on your parade but 99.9% of the time, this is a bad idea. Most builders take the finish into consideration when designing/building a guitar and while true that a "thin" finish can allow a guitar to resonate a bit better, the risk is basically never worth the reward. Many guitars, including vintage guitars and guitars built today have very thin finishes to begin with and the finish is there for a reason.


If you're dead set on it and don't mind the risk, use zip-strip or a similar product to remove the bulk of it and then lightly sand afterwards. It's so easy to go too far into the wood when you just hit a guitar with sandpaper. I've seen plenty of instruments literally ruined by overzealous sanding.

[The Bard Rocks]

He's right except for one thing: the figure quoted should be 98.79% instead.

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by Phoenix75

Hi could somebody explain the process of sanding down a guitar body to help with resonance? How would one or myself go about doing this! I don't mind if the guitar looks a bit rough. Let me know this is something I want to try

The presumption is you're starting with a guitar that produces a sound that doesn't please you, and you'd like to end up with a sound that pleases you more.

The first question that springs to mind: what's it worth as a trade in on a guitar that produces a sound you like? I ask because - sight unseen (unheard), I have very little confidence you're going to end up in a happy place.

Sanding off the finish doesn't get you very far down this road, so I assume you're talking about reducing the thickness of the top. Certainly you want to do hand sanding and use a sanding block. The grit of the paper will depend on how much wood you want to remove vs. how much sweat equity you want to expend.

While my curiosity is definitely piqued, it sounds like an adventure fraught with peril and questionable results in the end.

Good luck with your decision.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Phoenix75

Hi could somebody explain the process of sanding down a guitar body to help with resonance? How would one or myself go about doing this! I don't mind if the guitar looks a bit rough. Let me know this is something I want to try

No.

Sanding down the finish of a guitar prevents you from trading it in or selling it to fund a better guitar.

You're in Ireland. Check out Avalon Guitars.