The bat - well...
It feels nice with a mallet - it was the best of the shortlisted three, in the shop.
I haven't had a chance to play with it, yet. Hopefully in January it will be ready for a net. I have been knocking it in - rounding the edges and putting some work in, on the face. The wood seems quite soft - the edges have compressed quite a bit under the scuiff sheet and there are clear pit marks on the blade from the mallet work, too. I have had to lift the scuff at the edges and re-lay it, to make it sit tight against the rounded edges.
The pick up is very good (high middle helps, of course). Again, it was the lightest pick up of the many I tried in the shop. Original weight was 2lb 9.4oz. The handle feels a little thinner than some other GMs I tried - it has a thinner grip than a GM ripple. I have added some rubber underneath the original grip to thicken it up a little. Weight is now up to 2lbs 10.4oz. I might need to replace/ add a second grip.
David