Thanks for the detailed reply! It’s actually 50mm at the moment. I figure that once all the sanding etc is done it should be down to about 48 mm, which I believe is at the upper end of Telecaster thickness. It certainly doesn’t have to be a slavish Tele design though!
Hollowing out the back does appeal to me to an extent, that way it can as you say be a Thinline of sorts. Could even do an f hole. The only thing I need to find out there is how to do an accurate recess for the ‘control plates’, my previous attempt at that left a lot to be desired. I would want to use nice wood for the covers I think, cheap plastic would certainly detract from the look.