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Hesh,
I use the gotoh 510's also, but that is all I use. As for your headstock thickness, if you already glued the heel block on and have cut for the 14th fret, then the only way to thickness will be from the back using a Wagner safety planer or belt sander. IMO, thicknessing from a large belt sander that has a jig attached to adjust the thickness is the best method. Like the one John Mayes uses. I have used the wagner safe-t-planer and got some chip out. But it will work if you get it close then use a scraper to take it down to final thickness. Also, if you go too far, just add a thin back strapping veneer on the back of the peghead to hide any imperfections, or to gain back thickness. Hope this helps!
Tracy

Do it from the front. I had the same problem with the LMI neck in a kit. I
didn't realize it until after I'd glued the fretboard on.

The LMI neck has the nut sitting in the same plane on the neck as the
fretboard gluing surface. I took material off the front and instead of
moving the nut and fretboard back toward the saddle, the fretboard
stayed in the same place, but the nut moved down onto the plane of the
headstock. The headstock angle would then start at the fretboard end of
the nut instead of the headstock end. This requires a 15 degree bottom
face on the nut, ala Martin and many others, where otherwise it would be
flat. Plus, you can use a plane to do the shaving (or Safe-T-Planer if you
prefer) if you haven't glued the fb on already, like I did.

Personally, I prefer the angled nut, since the bottom and top faces of the
nut are approx. parallel, and they seem to look nice going the same
direction as the headstock.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I agree with Tracy and the "if you've cut the 14th already, you have to remove thickness from the back of the headstock" statment.

If you have a thickness sander, drum style is what I use, you can thickness the back with it. Just run the backside of the headstock through the sander till you get close to your thickness, now finish it off with some finer paper and your done. Also helps make the nice "smile" volute which some of us make.

Here is a mocked-up pic of the process.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

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The "Luthiers Friend"...attaches to your drill press and does a great job of taking off as much or as little as you please. OFF THE BACK is the way I'd go.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Dang Todd, that's a good-looking start...I have a Walnut neck going out in the shop that was a "practice" one for the new shaft cutter and jig I'm making as well as the new headstock style...thinking now I might need to build a walnut SJ to go with it!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

You could just leave the thickness as is and countersink the washers on the front of the headstoack, which is a nice look. Check out the Everett guitar web site to see what it looks like.

Paul Harrell

Have you cut it to length yet? If so, you'll need to take the material off the back or the fretboard won't sit in the right place. Draw it out on paper and you'll see what I mean.

Depending on how much meat you have in the barrel (and heel) of the neck you COULD take it off the front of the head stock, then plane the shaft of the neck back down so the fingerboard lines up correctly.

But like the rest of you... I would take it off the back. I built one of those contraptions that John Mayes shows in his videos and that thing is my new 1,000,001 use tool.

:-)Brock Poling38650.381724537

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

We need to get these (the sander tabley thingy and the X-brace jig) into the Jigs/Tools section so we don't lose them again!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com