getting a natural finish out of a painted bass

[uethanian]

i was keeping my eye on a squire p bass, but it sold. i ended up with a squire j bass instead for a great price!

i'd like to do a natural finish on this bass (and maybe trick it out a bit to look like the marcus miller). how do you know if its worth stripping the paint? theres no way u can know what the wood is going to look like (i assume its maple, but thats all i know). i'd be real dissapointed if it turns out that theres no visible grain. anyone ever done this with a squire?

[bassteban]

Aren't squier's usually basswood or some other non-figured species? If the stock finish isn't transparent, it's not likely a very spectacular piece of wood.