Stew-Mac Strat Kit

[JLT]

I got one of these kits for Christmas. It's the one that was on sale for $100, not the ones that used to be offered there for $500 or so. In quality, it seems to be comparable to other kits in the low price range.

On receiving it, I checked it against the published specs and found that the fingerboard radius was 12" and not 14". And the shape of the peghead "blank" was not quite the same as the one that you can get a print-out for, but the difference isn't great. Otherwise, the kit's wood looked very good, and it doesn't look like the finished fretboard, which comes with frets installed, will need much further work. As is usual with Stew-Mac kits, the instructions seem pretty clear.

I've re-shaped the peghead to my taste and will finish the neck with Tru-Oil. As for the body, I've already described what I have in mind in this thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=49&t=10294&p=62341#p62341

I just got some mahogany scrap from Exotic Tonewood (sold in strips for practice bending, which I'll use for that purpose when I build my next two acoustics, both of which employ cutaways). So I'll test the wipe-on poly first on that before I start with the body.

I'll keep y'all posted on the progress of this kit.