Yes Jarrod. Go back through my pics and you can see where I added the timbermate then sanded it right back to make the surface smooth. The timbermate will take on the stain as well.
You can also colour the timbermate with the stain to give different finishes.
I have placed some audio demos over in the demo section of the forums.
This is because I have some custom pickups going in tomorrow and wanted to record the sound prior to changing them out. Have a listen and see what you think a paulownia body sounds like using Garage Band to record.
Brendan - My brother was stoked with the guitar and thought it was awesome, this is what he wants when I progress to building from scratch.