This was my first guitar build and I took my time and completed the project in stages. I finished the body in a satin brown, slightly distressed look and was very pleased with how it turned out. I finished the maple neck and headstock in a clear satin coat. The frets needed very little edge filing, I oiled the fretboard, attached the neck without issue, and inserted a bone nut I purchased. The bone nut needed shims as the fretboard groove was cut deeper and wider than a standard Strat nut required, but I made it work. The loaded pick guard dropped in just fine and I fiddled with the strings for quite a while to get a very low action without breaking one - even the high G string! I decided not to use the string tree as I've seen other electric 12-strings go without one, and it sounds good without it. The guitar plays and sounds great with very low action and it was a winning purchase - thanks!