Prostheta, thanks for all that! Like I said I this is my first go around so I can definitely use all the advice you'd like to give haha.
As far as the spalted hackberry it probably wasn't the best choice to go with because it's definitely got some flaws, there's quite a few cracks, knots and rotten places but I believe I have enough here that I can find more than enough to do what I need to do. I've bought some of this from him before so I knew what to expect, I've used it as shelves mainly but once it's planed and finished it just looks so great so I had to give it a go,
this is how I'm planning the body although it will be a single cut, hoping for something along the lines of a ibanez fr body shape. 3/4" thick back 5 piece laminate (walnut/hackberry/walnut/hackberry/walnut), 1/2" thick hackberry for the middle, 1/4" walnut for the top then carved almost exactly like the knaggs guitar that I will post a pic of minus the upper horn area, I will keep all of the walnut top in that area.