Guys, lets be a bit more specific about what Cedar we're talking about - neither of the types mentioned here are 'true' cedars, and they're about as different as they could be in terms of properties.
What the topic starter asked about is Spanish Cedar, ie Cedrella Odorata, which is a wood in the mahogany family, looks vaguely like mahogany, is a bit softer, a bit lighter, and can generally be used wherever mahogany is - I believe Gibson used it for solidbodies and necks in some of its models, and it's a traditional neck wood for spanish/classical guitar necks. I've got some, and I'll be using it for bodies and necks (with CF reinforcement for the latter) with absolutely no qualms. I currently use it for linings.
What James is talking about, Western Red Cedar (Thuya Plicata) is a softwood, looks different, smells different, different working properties, and while I'm planning on building some solidbodies (a la Turner) with it, with harder wood caps for tone shaping and dent protection, I wouldn't use it straight up, and I wouldn't use it for necks. Completely different wood.
Spruce is another one I'm interested in, as I love the tone in acoustics. Parker's done a Fly in spruce which is probably the sexiest in a line of already pretty dang sexy guitars.
Honestly, with solidbody slabs, if the wood's dry, leave it. Don't try drawing the sap out. Just work it, sand it, seal it (epoxy filler, shellac, your choice) and finish it.
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