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I'm thinking that the discoloration on the other side of the neck is where the little bug gnawed it's way in and then the tree healed over time causing that spot to look different.

He doesn't necessarily want a 5 PC neck. He just wants a stripe down it like one. I may just rout a slot and inlay a strip down the neck.

Yeah but it still seems like it might be a structural issue. Looks like an area of weakness to me.

That is possible but you would have to make up a jig to hold the router and slide it down the neck. Might be just as easy to make a new neck.

It sucks to redo something as time consuming as a neck. I have redone bridges, neck, fretboard, sides (just before attaching the top and back), neck block, tail block and rosette (after box was done). But, every time I have bitten the bullet and rebuilt a part that just wasn't up to my standard I am always very glad that I did it. Not saying you should but it is something to consider.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

If i do the inlay I'll just chuck the neck up in one of my mills and use that to rout/mill the inlay cavity. Sometimes it comes in handy to have a machine shop lol.

It doesn't take that long to remove a headstock veneer or a fretboard on an unfinished neck. I wouldn't use that neck myself. Doing it over is good practice.

How does your friend feel about double racing stripes? If cut into thirds with a dadoe blade or something, you could remove the defect areas completely.

If you've got a mill, you could use that to inlay double stripes without having to remove anything.