Hi all,
Update, with the third coat on things are starting to look a lot better. Won't be confused with a pro job, definitely still a few thinner spots or spots where the finish is a bit caked on over the unstained wood below, but from a distance it's starting to look pretty good. I'll take some pics when I'm working on it tomorrow.
Would be a perfect candidate for a relic job given it's starting life as less than perfect from the get go.