So the question is should it be possible to effectively have a purple stripe modded by a local tech into a blue or red stripe for fairly cheap? I already know I would be looking to do the R2 volume mod and the amp might need a general servicing as well, so the stripe conversion would be easy to tack on as long as it was possible and should not cost much. I live in Houston and Mesa has a certified repair center that is nearby, so that was my thought to save on shipping costs into Mesa. If that would be required, then I’ll just continue to wait for the perfect model to pop up. But I the ability to buy now and return if needed has its merits.
My advice would be to buy a purple stripe (or anything else you want) and send it to Mike B to get whatever you want done to it. No-one else should be doing this unless you live on the other side of the planet. Even 'authorised' repair places. Just send it to Mike He'll be able to advise on whatever you need and do the work including the R2 mod/service/anything else. You can also usually just ship the chassis to save on shipping costs rather than the whole amp.