To my mind, there are three kinds of "mash-up": functional, constructive, and stylistic.
A functional mash-up changes the purpose of the base instrument, for example, building a bass on a guitar body. The Uke bass takes this to an extreme.
A constructive mash-up is building a classic design in a different way, for example, substituting masonite and plywood for rare and expensive "tonewoods" ( most of which are in truth neither rare nor expensive, although you can pay a lot for them if you shop in the right places. )
A stylistic mash-up consists of taking features from two or more different instruments and jamming them together. For example, horns on a violin body.
A conversion neck is one that can convert an instrument from one scale length to another with no other modification. A common conversion is 34" to 32". By overhanging the 20th fret, or leaving it off, you can use the stock bridge location on the body, just adjust for intonation. Such a neck will work on any standard bass body. A conversion from 34" to 30" requires overhanging two frets, or losing one or both.
I have several of these necks and bodies roughed-out, and they feel much better than my first one, much better balanced. I knew that banjo neck would never play well, which is why I used a standard Fender profile on my first one. Banjos are made for picking. Intonation is one of those things where close is good enough, and with only 16 frets, I doubt it will ever be a problem. You'll be forever wiping smudges off that copper pickguard. I would shine it up and clear-coat it. Make a brass headstock tag and print out a waterslide decal to put on it. I posted the graphic above.
The simplest kind of switch is ON-OFF. This has two terminals, and simply interrupts the electrical path. Such a switch is referred to an SPST, or "single-pole single-throw", because it switches one circuit or "pole" in one way, or "throw". More complex switches are simply combinations of this basic element.
An electric guitar body serves several purposes. It provides a place to attach (and hide) hardware and electronics, and provides a counterweight for the neck, specifically the tuners out there at the end. It also provides enough weight and bulk to stabilize the instrument while it is played, either sitting or standing, while at the same time being not too heavy or interfering with natural playing motions and access to the strings. And needless to say, it must be strong enough to resist the effects of string tension, which can be 100-200 pounds or more.
This one went through a long and torturous build process over almost two years. All I can say is don't believe the "advice" you find on talk_ass. However, in the end, it turned out to be a pretty nice instrument.
Solid poplar body, lightly stained and finished in polyurethane. Korean Squire neck, active electronics. Is it a reverse, or a non-reverse? Since this is a reverse of the original Thunderbird body ( more-or-less ) I say it is a reverse. If this is a non-reverse, then the original would have to be the reverse. Reverse of what? Makes no sense.
A faithful reproduction of John Lennon's Rickenbacker, but built as a Danelectro. Masonite over hollow plywood body. Poplar neck. Passive electronics with active distortion on the fifth knob.
