So this neck angle is perfectly acceptable, right?

Just checking:

dry fit:

Attachment 163398

Compared to my Mexi-Strat:


Attachment 163399

It would be a good idea to get a 24" or 36" straightedge and a block of wood that's the optimum height of the bridge minus 1/8". Tape the block in the bridge position and lay the straightedge on the fingerboard. There should be no clearance between the straightedge and the bridge or between the straightedge and the fingerboard. You have to find some way to hold the neck in position while you are making your measurement. You might be able to do this by wedging a piece of thin cardboard in the neck pocket.

Can't tell from your picture, but the neck looks like it could be overset.

Measure three times [not twice], cut once.

From the picture that looks like too much of an angle: but get a straight edge, prop it up at the twelfth fret to your designed string action, and then check the bridge height required. It's the only way to be sure.

Merry picking!

Just eye-balling it that that looks pretty extreme. The bridge might have to be really high.

I use a board with the neck clamped down and then chalk fit the body to the neck. At the bridge point is a cradle (covered with green masking tape in photo) made of scrap wood that fits the top, sized to give a 3/4" height at the bridge (calculated without fretboard and frets). Also above the jig is a laser level mounted vertically on ceiling which gives me a straight line down neck and the body. The joint cavity is chalk fitted to the neck making sure to be aligned to center line. I do usually use the Siminoff joint but it works equally well with a dovetail. When all fitted the glue is applied and body clamped to the neck making sure of alignment with the laser line. Works great and bridge height is right on the 3/4" on removal from jig.
Dave

Neck angle is irrelevant on electrics as long as you can set it up to be playable. Hard to tell much from the pictures. An excessively high bridge is workable, might just look a little odd. Too low on the other hand can result in excessively high action. So erring on the side of too much neck angle, to some extent anyway, is not a bad thing.

It's hard to tell from your picture. Assuming the top is arched, it looks like the neck angle might be a little steep, but not much. Gibson/Epi thinlines usually have their bridges topping out at ¾" or more and there's lots of adjustment available in the studded insert bridge. Comparing to a strat is not really helpful (flat body, screw on neck). You may want to consider posting over on TDPRI where there are lots of experienced electric builders to consult. Happy building to you!

the neck angle is SUPER important with regards to neck set and neck thru instruments. that angle will determine how low an action the neck will allow. placing a straight edge over the middle of the neck (between the d/g strings for guitar and d/a for mando) then seeing where the lower corner of the straight edge meets the top of the bridge will determine if the saddle can be lowered to achieve the lowest string action. if that straight edge corner meets BELOW the forward edge of the bridge, the bridge's saddle can't be lowered enuf for a low string action. for a mando, since the bridge and saddle are typically the same unit, it's still a matter of where that straight edge corner will meet the bridge/saddle unit. this is why i take a good straight edge with me when purchasing a stringed instrument - better safe than sorry, because playability trumps acoustic sound any day.