TimS

I know I should have flat and curved planes, but where can I get them? Is there a particular size that I need?

It's still in the raw wood phase, I still need to get all my tools together.

It will be a neck-thru RG/JEM style body; the neck will be a 5 piece mahogany/rock maple laminate, body wings will be mahogany, and the fretboard is macassar ebony. I'm trying to track down an Ibanez Edge FX bridge, but I'll probably end up with either a Rose or Tonepros setup. Pickups will be EMG - 81 in the bridge, and I haven't decided between the 85 and the 60 for the neck slot.

should be a fun project.

Laminations do not a stronger neck make, not unless you add a stronger wood into the mix. I can't see how a laminated all-mahogany neck would be stronger than a solid all-mahogany neck. Possibly a little more stable, yes, but if you're building with seasoned wood it's a bit moot.

My neck blank is one piece mahogany; i'm going to cut it into thirds and sandwich a piece of rock maple between each piece of mahogany, mainly for stability's sake.

I scarf, because I think it's better that way (short grain issue), I use CF reinforcements because I like what it does with the neck (even stiffness, I like the sound, still easily adjustable with a HotRod or similar), and I laminate if I want the aesthetic appeal, but not because I worry that a non-lam neck is too weak.

This raises another question for me. I've seen the CF reinforcements on stew-mac's site, but I don't quite understand how they work. Do they run alongside the truss rod? In a separate cavity? Can someone post a pic of how they look installed?

It was originally going to be one-piece mahogany, but after doing some research I decided is was best to slice it up and throw some maple into the mix.

Thanks for the input.

New to the forum, and I have a question about making a headstock. I couldn't find anything with the search function, so no flames, please.

I'm currently planning out my first build. It's based on the JEM, but with a few changes. Anyway, here's my question.

My plan for the neck is to make a 5-piece mahogany/rock maple laminate; am I better off making the neck and headstock one piece, or should I make the headstock separate and join them with a scarf joint? It seems to me that one piece would be stronger, but the truss rod nut cavity might weaken that, making the scarf joint a better choice.

Thoughts?