welcome Tennesseebanjer..
great to have someone with all that "cat" experience.. i haven't tried catfish, since i'm only raising for my consumption, and my wife is allergic to them
one thing that jumped out in your post is that your a luthier (and banjo player!) and i have to ask..
do you repair banjolins? i've got a "Leo Master" (couldn't find much info) 8 string banjo mandolin with a resonator head.. the ring is slightly deformed and i don't know if it can be fixed.. been looking for someone to repair it for a while.. i've got a pic here somewhere
[attachment=0:3a925d48]strings.JPG[/attachment:3a925d48]
sorry for the hijack..