Major mess-up on my #3 build. Don't know if I mentioned it, but I made a taper template for the neck, screwed it on, and ran it over the router. Well, the screws apparently weren't as tight as they could have been and the router cut the taper a hair too short. I should have been more patient and used the robosander instead.
Basically, I know I can do better. So the new neck is going to be all walnut, 2-piece, with a 1/16" strip of flamed maple (trimmed down from 1/8" unless I can find a piece that thin) for an accent line. I will be using my Stewmac Hot Rod and rosewood fretboard.
I want this to be a neck I'll be really proud of, so I'm going to take a lot of care in making it look pro. I wanted to do more with the flame maple accent than just the stripe down the back. I was thinking of:
-scarf joint strip - I like the look of Daniel's contrasting veneer strip at the scarf joint. The walnut will be 1-1/4" thick, which would place the stripe beyond the volute. By my measurements the strip should hit the fretboard around the 4th fret. Is this too far down the neck to look good? I didn't want the strip to hit the volute, but I wanted enough meat to carve a good one out with the robosander.
-under the fretboard - I will have a 1/8" lip from the board to the body top, because I don't like the strings resting too close to the body surface. I feel a 1/8" accent may be too thick, but split up between the heel and fretboard might be nice.
I also don't want to go overboard with veneer on the neck, seeing as the body is just going to be plain one-piece mahogany and won't get any special treatment. Any thoughts on veneer placement?