Is there a wood type or model, when someone commissions, that you kind of, in the back of your head dread, as it’s tedious to deal with?

definitely. Anything with a pickguard for sure. Anything with P or J pickups. Those take a ton of extra prep work and time to route. Extended range (7 strings or more) can be a chore. Set neck is also one of those things that I have to really be in the right head space for. As for woods; buckeye burl is one that ends up being very tedious to deal with. Last but not least; CA glue treatments on fretless fingerboards. I love the result, but the process knocks me out of commission for a few days.

Q: Why a pickguard?

A: they take a lot of time to make (especially the wooden ones). One tiny mistake and you have to start from scratch.