Well, after reading a pile of forum posts around the Internet, reading what was said here, and some introspection on my part, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Custom 24 S2 from sweetwater.

I generally shop brands/models. This time around though I wanted to keep a more open mind. Even though I didn't want a guitar with a trem, I picked up the Custom 24 and I had an immediate "ooh, that's nice" feeling. I like the free access to the upper register. The fingerboard felt nice...etc.

The tonal issue is that the bridge pickup isn't as warm as on a 22 fret guitar because of its placement along the length of the string. However, at least on my faded LP, I find the neck pickup to be too dark and muddy sounding. So this is an advantage.

It is supposed to arrive on Tuesday :-). I'll report back on how I like it playing it at home.

Axe - you are out there somewhere...this should make you happy :-).

Cheers!