re: guitars

Bass guitar scales are; 30", known as short scale and 34". which is average for a 4 or 5 string bass. There are also fanned fret multi-scales, but you don’t want to begin there. The scale length is determined by measuring from the fretboard side of the nut to the center line of the saddles. The twelfth fret is the octave, half or center of the scale length. Choosing well seasoned and stable material is imperative for neck construction and quarter sawn is preferred. Laminating the neck blank can add not just a decorative quality, but lends itself to stability. Double acting truss rods and/or carbon fiber rods are common. A truss rod allows for neck adjustment against string tension and wood movement. A scarf joint to produce the headstock is my preferred method. As for connecting the neck to the body blank, there are three common methods: 1.) bolt on neck: a neck pocket routed into the body blank and the neck is attached with screws or bolts through a neck plate or with ferrules
2.) Set neck, where a tenon is formed on the body end of the neck and the body blank is routed to accept the tenon, which is then glued in. 3.) Neck through is where the neck is the entire length of the instrument and the body “wings” are glued onto the sides of the neck. If you’ve never built an entire guitar, I’d recommend buying an already fretted neck, which ever type your client prefers, then you can slab out the body blank according to the scale length chosen, as you’ll want to design your carve around the bridge and pickup(s) placement. I’d also recommend viewing numerous videos on youtube to gain familiarity with the overall considerations of guitar building.