Thanks, Andy and Dave for the FB "Like".
NR's do have a tenon, although not as thin as a typical Gibson...much wider..but still a tenon.
In effect with a tight neck pocket, especially one that's only 5/8" deep the whole thing is a tenon if properly glued...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
What about neck angle? Most Fender style necks usually have some small amount of shimming in order to get a good setup - did you route the neck pocket at an angle?
Both my bridge and tailpiece are lower profile than Gibson's, so an angled neck pocket isn't necessary and the break angle is good. You can see that the studs hold the channel tight to the body, saddles are individually adjustable. With the strings close to the body over the pickups and the low bridge, it plays like a Fender. Some Gibsons have the strings too high off the body for my liking no matter how low the action.
I'm using spray on catalyzed polyester primer to fill body grain. It does a great job and is fairly economical. It takes about 6 ounces, 8 with waste to fill a body. Comes in white,black, grey and red. Has a 30 minute pot life after catalyzing with MEK. One quart=4+ bodies=<$30. I use just enough to fill the grain and then sand it back to where it's almost translucent, it doesn't shrink like lacquer primer. Here's the spray setup for it with a set neck; pull it out and flip it over for the back. Maple doesn't need filling.
...Thank you, Sam.