Seagulls can be excellant guitars you'll miss out If you dont consider them, as regards refinishing them,its not that straight forward.Over thick finish does limit tone, if a guitar has an over thick finish its very likely that the top is overthick, and that is likely to have a more profound effect,but doing much about that is extensive work as taking too much material away will compromise the structural integrity of the guitar,some of the best sounding guitars are on the verge of collapse.Why not appreciate Seagulls for what they are and for their robustness