Thanks, Phil. The Sapele is really looking nice, IMHO. I will say that finishing a guitar with a set neck is a lot harder than a bolt-on! As to your question, yes, once the finish settles down, it will be leveled and brought up though all the levels of micro mesh before buffing. The back of the neck will get knocked back from gloss to something more matte which is what most players prefer...gloss is too "sticky" for the back of the neck.