I have mentioned this at least once before on similar threads, but it has some relevance here, re the improvement in sound after a finish has been removed.

I owned a Lakewood dreadnought some years ago, and wasn't happy with the contour of the neck, so decided to reshape it.

It didn't need drastic reshaping, I knew I could accomplish it with the aid of a cabinet scraper, so that is what I did.

While I knew it would give increased playability, what I wasn't prepared for was the startling improvement in sound, or maybe I should say "volume", just by removing the lacquer from the back of the neck.

It just goes to show, every single part of an instrument plays its part in the generation of sound.