When I posted pictures of the end-graft on instagram there was some confusion as to how the pickup cover was held when "open" so hopefully this helps clear things up. You can see below that there are two sets of magnets -- one visible set in the recessed area next to the jack and another set hidden beneath the honduran rosewood currently holding the cover in place...
I finally got around to making a template for my sound ports on a recent build and it's such a treat to use!
Gluing some hardwood strips on either side of the tenon. The grain of these strips runs perpendicular to the grain in the neck which gives something for the barrel nuts in the tenon to pull against. Otherwise the barrel nuts would only be held by end-grain which is definitely not ideal!
Once the neck angle is set and the mortise/tenon cut, it's time to glue on the elevated portion of the neck. This is essentially a long scarf joint that goes from the body to about the sixth fret. Because the elevation is cut from the same blank as the neck and is essentially just slid down towards the sound hole (keeping the grain in the same orientation) it can make a very clean and nearly invisible joint. This is also a perfect time to use hot hide glue since it quickly tacks to keep things from sliding around and pulls the joint tighter as it dries...
