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hi folks, trying to get together my materials and I would like your thoughts on necks.do I use 3x4 billets for1 pc necks or 1 inch and cut the angle? I can do it both ways. I am wanting to build for sound first,playability and then beauty.My first two will be based on early D-18.Thanks in advance for all the help I will need. Donny

Either will work fine, and have no effect on sound or playability (assuming the wood is well dried, and stable).

If you have a bandsaw that can handle the job, I'd recommend sawing from the larger billet on your first build. A scarf-joined head is not a difficult joint, but making sure that the scarf is hidden in the the neck-head fillet requires some careful layout measuring. (If you screw up, a backstrap may cover it up.)

If you want a challenge, go for a V-joint at the head, no backstrap. Practice this on lumberyard wood, then maple, before you try it on mahogany, Spanish cedar. (If you pull it off cleanly in maple, the other neck woods shouldn't pose a problem.)

Or you can use a trick I saw at a museum in Paracho. I was viewing a copy of a Renaissance guitar in a glass case. I'm fond of older guitars. The workmanship was excellent. I was particularly impressed by the head joint--an impeccably clean V-joint in maple. That's not easy. I looked closer. It was a one-piece neck, with the "V-joint" added with a scribe.

thanks guys for your help,regards Donny