boutique brands (not asian made)?

There are a million great steel builders, but Curtlo & Nobilette have been building the best frames for the buck longer than anybody.

Scratch that, Mark Nobilette has been "discovered" and his prices have more than doubled. A shop I rode through a few years ago sold his basic custom road frames for $700. Now, $1900, & there's a waiting list. Puts him in the same category as all the other Eisenstraut school Masters.

I can't say enough good about Doug Curtiss of Curtlo tho. He still does all our steel protos & team bikes. Know what you want, ask him for it, and he disappears off into his shop and makes it, and somehow, for peanuts. I don't think the guys adjusted his prices in 20 years. Bonus, Dougs fillet brazing is slick. Screw tinker-toy lugged bikes. You want artistry? Fillet brazed is all torch & molten metal mastery.

Edit: Awesome. I can read! But missed the part about you breathing new life into yer existing ride. Nice work!