Peri

Thanks. Hadn't considered laminating... that does sound like a better idea.

Just planning my first build, which I'm hoping to be able to do on the cheap (as I'm currently broke and unemployed) using up some spare bits of wood from an old project. Particularly, I have some maple pieces that'll make a neck and fretboard, except they're a touch on the narrow side at the bridge end. Will I be able to find any realistically priced hardware for the bridge that has 8.5mm or thereabouts string spacing? If so, how badly would playability be affected versus the more common 10.5mm types I see on ebay etc? The spacing of the strings would be wider than the spacing at the nut on my old strat copy, and I don't have any trouble fretting individual strings there, but I'm not sure how necessary it is for the spacing to increase towards the bridge - I presume there's a reason for it, but don't know what it is. (In case it's relevant, I'd most likely be looking for a fixed bridge, as I'm optimizing the design for sustain)