abrasive

If you want to do it with power tools, you can get a RO sander with a pad that has some cushion to it. This is what I have: http://www.dewalt.com//ProductImages/PC_Graphics/PHOTOS/DEWALT/TOOLS/LARGE/2/D26451K_K1.jpg Conversely, a drum sander that attaches to a drill press or drill can be very handy. The one I have is an inflatable bladder spindle. You fill the drum spindle up with as much air as needed (less air=more flexible) and that allows the sanding sleeve to conform to the curves. Works well, but you've gotta be careful. http://www.sawbird.com/drum_sanders.htm I've heard chemical strippers don't work well on poly. I have, however, heard that liquid electrical tape will strip poly very well, but I haven't done it, so I can't verify that. If you're going to give it a try, test it before you slather it all over your guitar to make sure that it works, and that it doesn't leave anything undesirable behind.

Orbital belt sander? A belt sander isn't going to work too well, but a random orbit will. I used a 5" RO sander. Might have to experiment with grit so you don't gouge too bad, but it should have enough cushion in the pad to conform to the contours pretty well.

So that was you... Well thanks again. Yeah, aside from a couple walls here, and a couple decks there, this was the first time I'd really ever painted anything. If my dumb ass can do a passable job, anyone can.

^Looks great BoneNut. I did the exact same as BoneNut, except I used acrylic lacquer. ~2 cans. Picked it up at Home Depot. Electric Blues has a great writeup on this site showing how he did it, and he was kind enough to answer a couple of my questions when I was doing mine. I attached a piece of lathe to the neck pocket, and the drilled a hole in the end of it, and hung a piece of mechanic's wire from the ceiling in my basement. That gave me something to hold onto, and something to hang it from. It was cold here when I was spraying, but I just grabbed it, went outside, and brought it back inside between coats and after spraying. It takes like 1 minute to spray a coat, and that's really not enough time for anything to cool down enough to be a problem. I couldn't find anything finer than 2000 grit to do a final wet sand, so I rubbed two pieces together for a bit until they were worn down, and then used that for a final sanding. I didn't use a clear coat either. I finished with NuFinish, which is what I use on pretty much all my guitars.