Great looking kit!

My replies **

Observations from the unpacking:
1) General impressions are the body and neck are very well made.
The fret ends are sharp so I guess they will need to be filed down.
Can anyone suggest a suitable type of file that won't break the bank ?

**I normally give them a bit of a sand when sanding the neck and that usually sorts them out. Make sure you go over them and make sure they are all seated properly, sometimes they need to be tapped in a bit more, which will make the ends protrude a little. Pitbull have some decent looking fret files that are reasonably priced on the shop. I have a couple of small files of unknown origin that I use for any other tidy up, just take care not to damage the fret board.

2) The nut is fitted poorly, and overhangs on the top E side.
A bone nut was ordered and consequently the factory fitted one will get the elbow.

**Not unusual, replacing the plastic one is a good idea anyway.

3) Bridge - I am a bit confused with this, will I have to drill holes through the body
for the strings and if so, can anyone suggest what ferrules to fit ?

**You will need to locate the bridge after temporarily fitting the neck and at the very least drill mounting holes, not difficult with some patience. Some string through the high and low E nut/bridge and a tape measure will do the trick. I'll see if I can find some threads showing that process.

You can load the strings through the rear of the bridge, you don't have to make it string through. That is doable as well, but is much easier if you have a drill press. It can be a challenge to get them nice and straight. Ferrules are available here: https://www.realparts.com.au/catalog...vance&dir=desc These guys are very quick and getting your order out in my experince.


4) There is a gap between the bridge and pickup guard, I thought that they would
fit joining each other but perhaps I am wrong (and ought to go into my local
music store to have a look at Teles haha)

**That is normal, there should be a 2-3mm gap all the way around. I've built a couple of TL-1s and on those the route is a little too far south to make the gape even all the way around. You can assemble as is and there is enough adjustment on the bridge to get correct intonation, but you can also ream out the cavity a bit and move it forward a couple of mm to make it look better visually without mucking anything up.

5) The neck is quite a loose fit in the pocket, the photos might have captured this.
I am hoping that once finish etc has gone on the wood things will tighten up a bit.

**Not really a big issue, finish will take up some of the slack. Just to a dummy mount up of the neck with a clamp (And something to protect the wood/frets and work out a center line before you drill any holes. You need to do that first before doing the bridge location.

6) No sign of string trees but I can get these quite cheaply via ebay if needed.

**Normally they are hidden in the blister packing with other screws and bits and bobs, but as you say, not hard to source if they are missing.

As to finish I intend to use Crimson water based stains, amber, red and black in a sort
of sunburst effect with their gold filler in the cracks (don't laugh).
I may also stain the headstock black but who knows....

Would want to pop the spalted maple if i can and the finish will be Crimson's hi-gloss
finishing oil. Got to use smell friendly condiments as I shall be doing this inside during
the winter.
I have got some maple veneer to do some testing on so that will be my first task.

**Sounds like a plan, haven't used those products so no advice other than patience is one of the most important ingredients in finishing.

Got a few more photos to post but it looks as if 5 at a time is the order of the day.
Thanks for looking ! Cheers, FB.[/QUOTE]