Simple -
Trying to get all the "wow" features, all the "wow" woods and all the "wow" hardware etc etc into one axe.... is not simple, nor is it elegant. Ends up like some old fart on a golf course wearing green checkered nickers with purrple socks and orange striped jacket, and one of those silly golf hats with pompom - all bright pink. God... we've got that type all over here where I live.
Simple. Have sometime in mind before you even begin to look at options. One of the prettiest guitars I've ever seen was that Jazz Bass down in the bass section here. Nice clean lines, not too busy. Understated, but very elegant.
Elegance -
Donald J Trump, is the exact opposite of elegance. Everything he does is in-your-face. His WPB golf course and Mar-a-Lago are customers of mine. Nice places. A little tacky on some things though... Tacky is the right word. He would have done better not having to "do it all" at those places.
The same it is with guitars. Think about the end result, then look for the means to get there.
Finishing -
This is a personal thing.... I really like lacquer for its ease of getting a really nice finish. You can get a perfect factory finish from lacquer, if thats your goal. Or you can keep it unleveled and replicate the best "feel" of a more natural finish. You can get soft matte or high gloss... its just great to work with. But....
Some people like oils. I see two oils being used here - TruOil and TungOil. Both of those are less "oil" and more varnish. They are full of petroleum distillates - read the labels - where's the natural oil? So, they are more "doctored" oils than anything. And, they're harder to get a nice finish with - REALLY! One oil that I'm very fond of is REAL tung oil. If its 100 percent pure tung oil... oh mother.. what a treat to work with. Not easy to mess up, you have to really try and screw it up, but its not a fast finish either. You can have, in life, any two of three thigns: Fast, Good, Low Cost. Real tung oil is low cost and good. Not fast. What a nice glow to the finish though. Warmoth wont "warranty" necks done in it, but.. I personally wouldn't worry too much, as real tung oil is a finish that water beads up on when you have a good six or eight coats applied. And it just "glows". That said, hand me the lacquer any day. Tung oil is great for furniture... <ggg>. But if you have to have an oil finish, thats my way to go.