It’s quite possible that nobody knows more about the Fender Stratocaster than Eric Johnson. When Fender decided to build a signature model in his honor, Johnson came up with a few tips that he asked the company to incorporate into his namesake guitar.
First off, Eric removes the paint from any location of the body that can’t be seen, which allows the wood the “breathe.” Naturally, with such a large pickguard, that’s one good place to start, but Johnson also removes the paint from under the bridge and anything that’s inside the pickup cavities. Following Eric’s advice, Fender sands away the paint on top of the inertia block (or tremolo block) on his signature edition, thus allowing for improved tonal transfer. Try removing the plastic plate over the tremolo springs, too. PRS Santana owners know there’s no cover on the cavity of that guitar and this may be one good explanation for it.
WARNING: We are not responsible for any damage incurred while attempting these or any other modifications – you’re on your own! Performing any of these modifications to a guitar of any type is a quick way to void your warranty.