Yeah, I'm gonna get some crappy wood to practice on. I looked at my dad's LP, and I love it. I AM going to have the back and sides natural, as was his. His top was at least 1/2" though. So would that be really hard to make sure it's 1/4" (or width of binding) all around the edges??? Also, where do you start when you carve? Cause it starts at the edges does a dip (moving toward the center), climbs up, takes a dip, then levels at 1/4". Thanks, for your patience with a Rookie like myself.