Cut, polish, and hand buff done.
The finish feels silky smooth to touch, has a good high gloss, and I think it looks good. I would grade it a B. With the light at the right angle, there are orange peel remnants that prevent me from achieving a true mirror-like reflection. In hindsight skipping wet sanding with 600 and 1200 wasn't a good idea. Working up through the micromesh grades did a great job polishing what it could, but I needed to go harder at the early stages. There is no way I am going to go back to 600 or 1200 now since I am happy with the result, but I think that I have learned enough to get an A or A+ finish next time I use lacquer.
However, this is just me being critical for the sake of improving next time. I like the finish I have, and it's exactly what I had in mind from the start.
On reflection I think the nearly 2 months drying time really helped as well. During the entire sanding and polishing process the paint surface felt hard and sanded well.
I also cut, polished, and buffed the headstock but not the neck as I didn't want to affect the nice semi-gloss sanded effect.
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