LightninMike

simple version i saw: Take a pencil and cut it in half... run it along the first 3 frets to set a mark on the nut.... you will do this when the neck is still flat from doing the fret leveling.... just above the pencil line is where you cut to for the start...

Very nice

Or find someone who wants some drums made and give them some seriously beautiful shells

As far as that being a lacquer, it is, but it isn't..... if it were a traditional lacquer it would not be ready to final finish in 36-48 hours..... BUT, the Duplicolor paints do blend well with each other..... Be careful using a traditional clear lacquer to top coat; it would be best to use the Duplicolor clear (I dig this guitar and the time you have put into it, and really want to see it be everything it can be)

To mirror what the others have said, you will want to refinish the entire top.... if you use automotive paints and then go to polish them, you can wind up with witness lines from the different layers.... Take your time and get the finish you want.... the one that makes you say: Yes, I MADE THAT

The reason for using the primer is to give the paint a consistent finish to stick to.... it has less to do with making certain that you use less to cover any filler ..... In looking at your finish as it is, there are a few areas that seem raised.... set up a light and look at the shadows and the way they fall across the body.... this will help you getting the finish you really want..... and be certain that it is flawless.... with all the work you have done so far, and very high quality work i might add, you will want to ensure that your finish is perfect or you won't be satisfied.... You have time to work on it... Keep up the great work

Cut that body in half and route it out..... other than that, you have what you have

This has been done before, and involves a certain amount of prep.... as well, you will go into this knowing that the parts will wear and will need to be retouched in the future (specifically the parts that get touched more than the others on another site, a fellow built a tele with a paper plan theme... so, the pickguard and control plate needed to be clear, with all the hardware white.... he stripped the majority of the chrome off and then sprayed the parts with a white etching primer.... http://www.tdpri.com/forum/2012-tdpri-tele-build-challenge/317940-kwerks-2012-challenge-build-thread-completed-4.html#post4075763 this is the specific post where he shot the etching primer on, which you could then use a clear topcoat on to seal the color in Good luck and post up what you wind up going with

Here is a plan for this guitar that is very accurate.... when you scale it up, you can get the proper dimensions.... http://www.tdpri.com/forum/other-guitars-other-instruments/335630-jerry-g-guitar-templates.html to further research the guitar, look here http://www.wald-electronics.com/wolf.html good luck and happy building!

The only issue will be in the cutting as the different woods will take to a blade in their own way... other than that it should look great..... make certain the woods are well acclimated to the same humidity before laminating them and that they have ample time to acclimate after the glueing process, you should be just fine

Wood filler will shrink under temperature changes and expose the area in time as mentioned you can sand the entire area down and then add wood to build it up and reshape... or along the same idea, cut it off on a table or band saw and add the wood Good luck

That site is great.... maybe a pearl white would fit the bill.... with a lightly dyed top it would look very nice.... altho you would have to dye, seal then fill the designs so it doesn't bleed through and do a wipe of the product before it sets up so you don't have to sand too much... a nice clear and Bob's your uncle

I am helping a friend replace some gear that Fed Ex lost.... spcifically an Original Floyd Rose NON FINE TUNER Trem.... send me pics via p.m. i am not buying this for myself, but am playing middle man - and yes, I place full trust in this man

Looking good... from the photo you showed, be certain to use some caulk/silicone around the truss rod as it looks a little loose.... it may be the photo, but you do not want it to rattle around once she is all finished

Don't worry about thinning them down as the "weak point" right now is right at the adjustment point.... you can thin the saddle down and give it some style as long as you don't go any thinner than the portion that goes under the adjustment screw

Option 2....

I know you said it needs a little tweaking, so IMO: the lower horn is too heavy.... the pickguard sets your shape well, and trimming the body to better fit that line will even it up to the eye.... as well, i'm sure you were thinking about the neck pocket area, once that is trimmed up - refer to the above... it's a nice stylistic version of a classic guitar shape

Cocobolo is very oily as you found out.... Sandpaper will almost always get loaded up quickly, and the dust balls up with the oils.... will the tops be fine? yes.... use a scraper that is very sharp and you will be ok.... take long strokes and don't cut into the wood, but allow it to pull.... if you haven't used a scraper, practice on offcuts first then just go for it

"The idea with this guitar is to have low action and thin strings for easy playing" i don't really buy that.......case in point, just helped set up a Gibson with a tailpiece that got raised and the bridge lowered with 12's on in a drop tuning.... very smooth and comfy.... no buzz and no slop.... just a good playing guitar..... and intonated correctly.... WezV was very right in suggesting you step back and take a breather..... I know that sometimes the problem is that I am looking at it too closely.... Relax, breathe and take a day or so away from the guitar, then step back in fresh and take a look

as WesV is suggesting: start at the beginning..... here is an excellent tutorial for doing your fret level: http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/201556-fret-leveling-yer-tele-101-a.html once done, you need to set the intonation, this involves making sure the nut and bridge are set correctly, as well as the relief of the neck....

Fret the second fret on any string, the string should just about 'kiss' the first fret. If it's laying on the fret, shim it at the nut, if there's any measurable distance, lower it. Having the nut set right will only affect buzz on open notes. As soon as you fret, the nut could be non existent, it's irrelevant. For the action on the first to 10th frets, this is what the truss rod does. Fret the 2nd and 10th fret and look at the 5th. Again, the string should just kiss. If its laying over the fret, loosen the truss rod, which adds curvature and relief, if it's any measurable distance over the fret, tighten - straighten and lower the action. From 10-12th (depends on guitar) upwards, this is adjusted by the height of the bridge. You should aim for about 1.5-2mm relief over the 24th fret of the high E and no more than half a mm difference on the lower strings - which should be higher. Or 0.75-1mm over the 12 fret.

Thanks...here's a simple breakdown of the unit i built with a friend back in 2000.... the diagram i can't get sized right so i'll describe it better... starting in the upper left of the picture in from the switching (on/off of each pickup) into a buffer then into the tone controls (designed around the mids) into a summing amp then either: a) out to the straight guitar volume to final summing amp and then the output out to another buffer then into a stereo plug (tip send, ring return and sleeve ground) back into the effect level volume then into the final summing amp this pre basically pulls line impedance out of the circuit so there is no tone suck by the gear, and in reality, the gear always sees full input so you don't have level driven influences on the effect

Thanks.... those knobs and switches only control this guitar, not the whole band.... the first guy to play her was Jim Hamilton.... he sat with her plugged straight into a Clean Soldano head and 4-12 cabinet.... the more he played, the more she showed him what she could do... and so on, for about 30 minutes.... when you watch a guy who builds for a living get lost in your creation, it makes it all worth while.... he handed her back and asked me to play for a bit and i replied "i don't play, yet" he then asked how many guitars i'd built "this is my first".... after he scraped his jaw off the floor, he stated his 50th guitar didn't sound this good.... Sometimes we find out the gifts in us when we just try to see what will happen.... I think i was given a gift, and intend to build another guitar having taken the lesson from this one... a lot simpler setup and simpler body style, but truth be told, i do like the horns "'cuz it's the Devil's music".... my little inside joke built in

Thank you, and no she isn't a usual first build.... i tend to grade high on the curve..... part of the inspiration for this build was coming from a sound man's perspective.... i see guys have a great tone that gets lost in the gear.... or they have to switch guitars to get a subtle nuance.... enough! make a guitar that accomplishes a wide variety of tones that a player can wear all night.... you want a tele, you got it ....you want a strat, you got it.... you want a rick, sg, acoustic overtones, mandolin chunk and bell ring... it's all there at your hands..... the preamp allows the signal to come out at line level and run into a DI before the amp and then you can run house gear efficiently with no tonal coloration..... I still have to build the rig for this guitar, the layout is in to a preamp section of a rig then split going to 2 true 20 watt amps with a set eq on each side with a "W" curve on one side and an "M" curve on the other....this then goes into a 10" and 12" on each side.... 2 mics, one on the left one on the right.... mic the 10 on one side and the 12 on the other.... now you have a single line guitar producing spatial effects without gear introducing it.... yeah, i think a little bit too much sometimes

And the two out puts are for the Effects loop - stereo plug; and the main output