Thank you every for your replies on the various topics I raised!
My aim for this first build was to go with everything stock, but making it as good as possible first time round, then think about upgrading various components (or maybe do another build, having made many mistakes first time round!).
I am blessed with a stack of solid maple ex-kitchen cupboard doors, donated by a friend who was having a kitchen replaced, so I was proposing taking a hand-plane to a scrap to make slivers for the nut slot and neck pocket, rather than proper veneer. Although after McReed's comments, maybe I'll leave the neck pocket alone!
I did read somewhere about someone having some screws snap off in the body, so in common with most screws I get bundled with something (which are usually made of something resembling lead alloy), I tend to throw them in the bin and use quality brand screws of the same size and type. I'll be off to my favourite engineering fixings shop to replace all the screws in the kit!
With regard to Simon's helpful comments about the nut, I must admit that set-up is my biggest worry - I can and have rewired guitars before, and I can cope with intonation, and even neck relief, but string height adjustment has always seemed like black magic.. we'll see how I cope with it later in the build.
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