[MENTION=12915]Jimstone[/MENTION] The moisture and heat do the trick....but ya can't forget a bit of brute force
It turns out the truss rod isn't working. Period. With it all the way tight it's the same exact bow as with the neck off and the truss rod entirely loose!
I'm still going to try to clamp and straighten the wood. Yikes.
but it was about a half mm gap before.
Now put the strings back and tighten to pitch...and then put some relief back into the neck.
I'm happy to say that after 4hrs of clamps, a little heat, and nudging the truss rod to the max (not sure it's working, but I did it anyway), it appears dead on! Ignore the purple fingers (I was eating blueberries right before testing). I realize there's no reference shot, but it was about a half mm gap before.
View attachment 103073
Awesome!
Thanks for the help, and Miroslav, too.