I am buying a moisture meter and need advice

For Necks you should buy kiln dried woods. Then you cut them to the length you will use for lams and let them sit for a year per inch if you can. That will help stabilize the strips. Then you make up your billet and dress it to 1/4" or so over the finished thickness and let it age for awhile if you can.

When buying wet wood you have to dry it indoors for 1-year per inch before starting the process above. Make sure you wax the ends within 2 hours of cutting the lengths or they may end check.

To test the moisture I use the 'Mini Ligno' meter. It only tells you the moisture of where you stick the pins. If you dry long lumber and then after drying you cut you lengths, you can then test the 'new' ends which were in the center before to get a proper reading.

Good luck......... OR......... You could buy from us, already dried neck material which we sell on a regular basis to instrument builders and furniture makers.... This is not an Ad, just a suggestion.....

 

tjclem???? Hey, didn't you just win a few auctions of our wood on Ebay? I just realized that after posting when I read your name. It's early here and the 'cob webs' are still clearing........

Anyway, you have my # if you need to reach me.

Good luck....

 

That would be because of rather high ambient moisture, i.e. not very dry air.
OTOH, after a couple of years, wood is in balance with the evironment, so it's OK to use it.