I bought the cheapest kit I could find on eBay - let's see if this was a good idea

[Fretworn]

On the subject of neck sizes/profiles, kits will usually come with a fair bit of wood to the neck so you can sand them down to the size and profile you like. You don’t have to be aggressive and attack the neck with a rasp, I find spending some time with some 80 grit sandpaper is usually enough to sand the neck how I like it. I suppose if you like a V profile you may need to use some more serious tools, but to get a comfortable C profile doesn’t generally take too much work.

[McCreed]

Like Fretworn, I'm pretty sure P80 is where I started for initial material removal.

Interestingly, and this may well be the power of suggestion at work here, but yesterday I picked up my TLA-1 after reading this thread, which I built in 2018 and have played regularly and... holy crap!!! - the neck felt huge!!!

My first thought was "Oh great, now I need to pull this apart and re-profile the neck!"
This was first thing in the morning with less than a full cup of coffee in my system and my hands were cold.

I picked it up today (after two cups o' joe and being up for several hours) and all is well . Crisis averted! I can put the sandpaper away! Phewww!

[dozymuppet]

What an emotional rollercoaster!

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[Simon Barden]

The more guitars you have with different neck profiles, the easier it becomes to acclimatise to a new neck. I can normally do it in a few seconds these days.

So simply own more guitars and the problem goes away.

[jugglindan]

The solution is "more guitars".

That's going in my build tips file for sure!

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[McCreed]

"More guitars" and always play adequately caffeinated

[fender3x]

In the words of the great German philosopher Peter Fox "Hey, wenn's dir nicht gefällt, mach neu" (Hey, "make new" [start over] when you feel like it)

[ThatCluelessGerman]

Guys, thank you so much for your kind words!

Today, my new nut arrived in the mail. I found a TusQ nut that works, I just had to sand it thinner and remove some width on the left and right.
I noticed that the nut slot on the guitar wasn't perfectly level, so I filled the bass side of the slot with wood filler, and sanded it level when it was dry.

Now the new nut is in place and it's already a big improvement. I was able to get all strings to a decent height. Still a tiny bit of fret buzz but nothing compared to how it was before. I think I'll leave it this way, it works well. Maybe I'll change the strings on the bass side to a thicker gauge but let's see.

Before taking any drastic steps and alter the neck, I'm trying to get used to it first :-)
I've been playing it almost daily and it's already better now, I only have problems reaching the low E and A with my pinky, which is too short. I have to twist my wirst a bit more than I'd like to, but I've been spiderwalking the neck and I hope it helps me to get used to it faster.

And while I still admire the feeling of the tru oil, I think it's too delicate as a finish. I know it can be fixed really easily compared to other finishes, but I can already see many fine scratches just from gently using the guitar. I know it will take a bit more time to completely cure and harden, but if there isn't a miracle happening, I don't think the tru oil is very durable for a guitar that's getting played. I'm not rough with my stuff (I think), I never dinged it, always put it on padded surfaces etc, but still, there are some marks.

I'm going to hang this guitar on the wall for a few weeks without playing it much, so I can see if it hardens a little more.

[JimC]

I don't think the tru oil is very durable for a guitar that's getting played.

Its intended for sporting guns, which lead a much harder life than guitars, so there's every possibility it will harden up. I noticed with mine that it really was weeks before tru oil would sand to discrete dust particles, rather than roll up into little pseudo fibres.

[McCreed]

Glad to hear you got the nut sorted.

As far as Tru Oil not being a good guitar finish, I'm wondering if you go a bad batch given the trouble you had with some spots not setting.
I have use Tru Oil on both bodies and necks and never had an issue. I was originally created applying to the wooden stocks of shotguns and rifles. As you can imagine guns are exposed to all kinds of elements when hunting (rain, snow, mud) so it's meant to be durable.

FWIW, most finishes ( apart from UV cured) take at least 30 days before they cure (and the word "cure" is thrown around pretty liberally) and some, like nitrocellulose lacquer, never fully stop gassing off.

Just a couple of my thoughts.

It's good that you're becoming more comfortable with the profile too. It sucks having a guitar you don't want to play .