Gents,
Sorry for delay. Been at the M-i-L's funeral and hleping my wife sort her flat and contents prior to selling.
Thank you all for those words. I'm pleased to hear you've enjoyed the WIP. It makes the placing, posing, trying to get lighting right, cropping and writing worth it for the build.
Thanks for the words about skills. I realise I've gone from about zero to now in only a few years, but my skills are nowhere near the level of professional makers of the likes of Pete Howlett. So much so that I've enrolled on one of his makers courses next year.
Andy, you've got it! My study is beginning to look like the wall of a small music shop!
The new strings have arrived, so I'll put them on tomorrow, follow all your advice about stretching them and have another go.
I think because of how small the instruments are compared to, say, a guitar, the camera lens does give a strange perspective. I have limited, if any, skills at photography. The strings are exactly 13mm apart at the bridge, or that's where I re-drilled the holes for them. They then taper to the nut where they are just about 9mm apart.