I'll blame DVM

[FrankenFretter]

Unless you're going to do your own dress and level, it's probably not worth it unless you're going to hold on to it. Not a cheap thing to have done at a shop. If you're looking for a thicker sound, you could try some stacked 'buckers. Or completely ruin your resale value and throw some P90s in there!

I think that by nature, the Strat is meant to sound relatively "thin". You can thicken it up with some overdrive, or maybe an EQ pedal. I think that making the neck satin will be an improvement that's worth the risk of losing a couple resale dollars. Just my .02, which is about what that's worth.

 

[Eric]

My two cents (feel free to ignore all of this):

I would imagine you already have this in there, but make sure you accept offers. Whenever someone says "firm" in their CL ad, I keep moving unless it's something I really really want. Leave it dead stock, and re-post it for sale every 2-3 weeks.

Based on what you've said, I don't think you're going to end up loving this guitar, and modding it would just kill the resale value and postpone the inevitable. Have you tried posting it for sale on this forum? Seems like someone might want it. Also, didn't something happen to the PG when you were trying to remove the sticker? Just curious if that's affecting interest or the price or something.