Great story. I could picture it all. Like the fact you dug in for the retrofit. I have a PRS and can tell you the sound is not is good as a telly or a regular strat. It does play easy tho. If you have a minute, i would love to hear a sound track from your creation:)
Having had one… you aren’t missing anything. lol. Those yamahas are significantly better built 
And like you said, it’s an extension of you now. Can’t ask for more than that from a guitar!