MIMF

That nut looks really high which would put extra bending stress on the neck. Be careful.

I think penetrating oil would soak into the neck wood which will soften it over time. I use heat from a soldering iron for this.

No. I always use the adhesive film sold by Stewmac for this. I don't use this because it is easier (which it is), but because when the pickguard shrinks in the future, it will not crack the top of the instrument. Also, it will be less traumatic to remove when it needs replacement.

That is coming along nicely.

Remember that you will remove more from the sides as you install and scrape bindings and then during final sanding. Your .065 may turn into .055 sides. I would be tempted to laminate a .023 standard veneer on the inside. This will do no harm and may make the guitar sound much better.

Very clever, Jarno!

Looks good to my eye.

We have addressed this issue many times here. The frequencies will change every time you fret a string so trying to find an optimum position will not prove to be that valuable. Just put a pickup close to the bridge and another close to the fretboard. This will give the greatest variety of sounds pos...

The rods in a curved groove you mean? Then still the rod will need to move a tiny amount relative to the neck. Exactly. The rods will move a bit and if you have glue in there the rod will break free of the glue as it moves. It is not comforting to hear loud cracking sounds when you adjust the truss...

Rods have threads that may not work well if fouled with glue.

I like to build up the finish with lacquer because it is usually compatible with the surrounding finish, and it builds up better than shellac.

Here is one discussion, but there are others.

https://www.mimf.com/old-lib/laminated_ ... plates.htm

Right here in the Mimf Library.

You would have to be talking about a large quantity of guitars to make this practical. You would also probably have to travel to Asia to meet with the people and get all the design details worked out. I think the first step would be to make a number of the guitar bodies yourself to ensure that all t...

Thanks Matthew.

Level the fingerboard and the frets flat and then the string tension will pull the neck into a little bit of relief.

I have never heard that finish would make it worse. Modern plastics are more stable than old nitro so I would not worry about it. I have put nitro finish on nitro plastic many times.

Don't expect your first fret job to be a "world class performer", but yes, you should dive in and fret that puppy.

First thing is do several dry runs. Your idea sounds a bit complicated so work out the bugs before you slather the glue. But I commend you on focusing on "directing the clamping force to the edges". This will minimize the curling of the fretboard due to soaking up water from the Titebond. ...

Thanks Bryan! The color was one thing that I had to work hard for. For one thing, the color Butterscotch Blond is sort of a moving target. It is reportedly the color that the early Teles sort of aged into. They were originally a lighter shade. Also, the color is semi-transparent. You should be able ...