First chance I've had to get back to this. THANKS to all for the input. Was good to hear the positive vibe. I've learned that you sometimes have to take a shop owner -- even a dealer/luthier -- with a grain of salesman salt. What they carry/have in stock is of course the best and what they don't, well, "you don't want that," or so it can seem. An honest opinion can be hard to come by. Unless you're talking to Mudcats, that is!

Rob-o