LightninMike

what those pics are revealing is that it was not well sanded .... never assume that the sanding sealer that was on there before would still be there after removing paint.... treat it like it's a brand new project and go from there...

with any of the screw in plates, i'd be concerned that the screws to hold it in would strip out too easily...unless it was epoxied in place in which case there could be sonic dampening created by that

start it as a "reference" and see how it goes.... as you progress, you will know whether or not it is suitable for a real neck..... you might find it will hang up a bit on the grain as you route the neck.... go very slow and take off minimal amounts as you go..... the heavy cross grained areas will be the test of the necks stability....

it also comes down to the type of tele jack plate you use.... here's some Google images of different types, some are meant to be added to the body using a "compression fitting(but only for a thick body)" some are alike, but using screws to hold it, not compression, and others are like a Gibson, with either a football shape or a rectangle http://www.google.com/search?q=telecaster+jack+plate&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=qHo&sa=G&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=s&biw=1280&bih=894&prmd=imvnsfd&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=inN7TqOPLsiSgQeU_8mxAQ&ved=0CF0QsAQ i think you will need to add something to the rib to beef it up to, to use a tele jack .... this is where the new mass would come from.... you wouldn't be adding just the jack, as that would not hold up to repeated use and hold up to the weight of a cable "tugging" on it during play.... now, if you were to use a Switchcraft mono plug, you need a 3/8" hole in the body..... this still doesn't change the amount of tension the cable will add to a fairly light construction.... so, at the least you have light metal set into a 3/8" hole in the side of a lightweight structure

well, the back and ribs are attached to the soundboard.... if either of them were thicker, it would change the way in which the soundboard resonates.... now, would adding mass in the form of a jack plate be enough to change the resonance...highly doubtful.... would the rib be substantial enough to hold up to repeated use, that i really do not know, but have a suspicion that it would not

I get it.... and trying to get a lot of fiddle players to get it is just as hard as trying to get them to change.... i have held Vassar Clement's Gaspar, and was really amazed at the work that went into her... i would like to think it was him that got me into actually listening to the instrument, altho it probably happened years earlier... a traditional fiddle and an electric fiddle are very different animals.... and guys have tried to take the knowledge of a guitar and apply it to a fiddle - they might as well have been applying it to a tuba.... as you have stated there is a lot of bad info out there.... anywho, back to your original idea: it makes a lot more sense now.... unfortunately i think that the conversion would need a bit of beefing up around the jack to make it substantial enough to last... if you wanted to be able to go back to just an acoustic instrument, i think the additional bracing would indeed make a sonic difference

in theory the ribs, or sides as guitar makers would call them, should not affect the sound...but, put a hole in them and add mass in the form of a metal plug and it could affect the sound.... as well, i would be concerned with the structure around the plug being sufficient enough to hold up with repeated use of plugging and unplugging the cable internet sites don't reflect "known" knowledge, only "stated" knowledge.....I wish you had provided the additional info from the start as it didn't seem like you had much of a grasp on the topic, which now doesn't seem to be the case

Balsa is good as an acoustic isolator.... if you want to make a lightweight body, try this http://www.worldpaulownia.com/html/tech.html

if you cut into the body of a fiddle, it will sound different.... not to mention the fact that most fiddles have strings that will not pick up on a magnetic pickup.... you need steel strings to get the pickup to work.... most guys who play fiddle will not use the steel core strings because they do not sound "right".... another thought on this is that a violin has a fairly hard radius on the fingerboard.... how will you get a pickup to fit this radius? with using the same amp as your electric guitar, you will need to set up some EQ and volume pedals in line before the amp or one of the instruments will not sound good.... fiddles and guitars are strung instruments, after that there are lots of changes.... a fiddle will amplify the high end upper order harmonics and drive anyone around absolutely nuts.... i would strongly encourage you to re-think this as sound men will hate you for putting two wildly differing eq's on the same instrument amp.... for the average sound guy out there, they will just cut the EQ to fit the fiddle and leave it there, leaving your guitar sounding like crap there have been a few fiddle makers who made a magnetic pickup.... they are not in business anymore.... there is a reason for this.... just google violin pickups and find something simple and go from there.... even with the simple pre-amp, you will want to use an EQ pedal in line before any amplification....

a piezo pickup on the bridge and the jack mounted to the side of the chin plate is pretty customary any more.... if you can hear a gnat fart, you will hear the difference having those mounted makes.... make sure you have a good pre-amp as the first in line...running a 3 foot cable to a belt pack is the best way to keep it simple.... if you run it through an amp, take your time to find the correct amp first.... a good tube pre-amp is very beneficial

the most recent issue of the Stew Mac Trade Secrets newsletter had them installing a thin post ABR into a Kalamazoo body.... here is the post http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0147.html long story short a thin post will not take away from the sustain or tone.... in the case of a Les Paul, it helps

as much as the parts look like an Alembic, why not drop an email to them and see if it is in fact one of theirs..... it looks rode hard and put away wet, and a poor refinish has been done at some point.... as far as the misplaced side markers, i wonder if it is the original fretboard..... since it has lifted, this brings to mind that it is not the original one as their work is usually above par the logo, bridge and controls look right.... as well does the back control cover which has the screwdriver holes cut in to change the preamp without opening it up

if you look at the space between 21st and 22nd frets, you will see where there is wear.....

since you are gluing the entire pocket, you are taking the strength from each side..... dowels are just gilding on the lilly.... you could effectively cut the neck tenon down on the back side of the guitar and still have more strength than the four bolt neck that was there originally look at it this way, if you glue two pieces of wood together, what fails first on a strength test: the wood or the glue? the glue will hold strength OVER the wood every time