I have something similar on the 8 string (sir not appearing in this film) it is a pita to do. All access is overrated. Heck I so rarely need to play all those high notes...
This will be the first color top I have done in a while. I just felt that it wasn't stunning enough on its own and it needed something. Lets hope it turns out good. I am not as good at color as Drak.
I disagree about the pita part. It really should be no more difficult than the carves you do on the top and you can get every bit as fast with repetition. I agree that all access is overrated...there are way too many Fender and Gibson players for that to not be true. However, as you once told me, attention to detail and the ability to execute those details is the difference between a backyard builder and a high end luthier. Access aside, a smooth contoured neck join looks much better than an assembly line heel. And it feels a ton better whether it ever gets used or not. You are working on building a brand. This type of join should cost you no more than a couple extra hours--if that, and all by itself will set you apart from 80%-90% of the other custom builders out there. There are more than enough of us out here that can build perfectly playable custom guitars. Your headstock is part of your brand. It does not make your guitars any more playable than Gibson's open book. But it certainly looks cooler and makes your guitars more attractive and desirable. Don't miss an opportunity to set yourself apart and add value to your work (if you don't add a whole lot to the cost, it makes your stuff even more desirable). And really, I'd say your shallow carves on your super thin tops are a lot less forgiving than contouring a neck join would be. There's no reason for it to take a long time or be a pita; hell it's probably my favorite thing to do.
.....Rant over. That perhaps may have been better suited to a PM, but I think it's good advice in general to all aspiring builders. If you don't make what you build unique or better than what's on the market, you might as well buy your next guitar. Lord knows it would be cheaper. (In most senses of the word). RAD's builds are a great example of individualism and improvement on what's available.
As far as not being as good as Drak is at color....who the hell is. His stuff makes a great target to shoot at though.
SR