Neck Tongue Not Level

[Rodc]

That’s a good idea re: Amazon.
I might try a local business for some veneer to get this started. They have a big range it seems going off their website. Hopefully can get a off cut of something hard. Or sand down the 3 ply if I have no luck

[JimC]

I'm a great believer in using a Stanley knife blade rather than sandpaper for this sort of job. The other thing I suggest is to arm yourself with a modellers set square: you can get very small ones which are the length/width of the heel. These are very useful for this sort of job because you can be constantly checking that its not getting out of control. With sandpaper I find it horrendously easy to end up with a domed surface rather than flat, scraping with a blade I find much easier.

When I did my ESB-4 I was using a non-standard bridge which I bolted flat to the body rather than have it siting on the posts, so I had to work quite hard at the neck angle, and this was the way I did it. You also want to have a way of clamping the neck down in position that doesn't compromise your ability to run a straight edge smack down the middle of the neck to check how the height is going.

[Rodc]

I'm a great believer in using a Stanley knife blade rather than sandpaper for this sort of job. The other thing I suggest is to arm yourself with a modellers set square: you can get very small ones which are the length/width of the heel. These are very useful for this sort of job because you can be constantly checking that its not getting out of control. With sandpaper I find it horrendously easy to end up with a domed surface rather than flat, scraping with a blade I find much easier.

When I did my ESB-4 I was using a non-standard bridge which I bolted flat to the body rather than have it siting on the posts, so I had to work quite hard at the neck angle, and this was the way I did it. You also want to have a way of clamping the neck down in position that doesn't compromise your ability to run a straight edge smack down the middle of the neck to check how the height is going.

Thanks for the ideas Jim.

[Rodc]

The only thing is with the shim idea is the tongue has a slight radius across it as well. Makes it hard to find a reference point to work to for a final sanding.

[McCreed]

I'll second Jim on the mini square and their handiness for guitar work. (especially heels)
I have 2 that use regularly. One is 50mm machinist square and the other is a 75x100mm flat square (Hobby Tools Australia).

Jim's comment on scraping vs sanding is valid as well. The Stanley knife blade is a good economical alternative to a set of cabinet scrapers and are very useful for these kinds of jobs. I'm a recent acquirer of cabinet scrapers and will be getting a set of mini scrapers soon to add to my tool kit.

Lastly, if sanding is your only or preferred option, it's completely doable to make a DIY right angle sanding block. It's perfect for doing heel work. If you google it, there are a few common approaches to making them so you can choose which suits you best. I have one I made years ago and have used it a lot.

[Rodc]

Appreciate the advice boys..👍 I’m going in..🤞

[Rodc]

Thanks guys. Got it sorted. Went with Simons advice re: using a shim. Used a piece of 3mm 3ply and sanded the 2 outer layers until I got to the right size then tapered it off to near nothing. I was worried leaving it in case it pulled down to one side and stressed the tongue and cracked it when clamping. Plus possibly upsetting the rake angle. Thanks again everyone and thanks again Simon for your advice..