[glyphmon]

Okay, given the feedback, we'll take the dim bulb tester out of discussion.  I understand the positions that have been expressed and respect the experience that informs them.

That said, I still would appreciate guidance on what makes a "good" variac, isolation transformer, signal generator, etc. for my purposes.  I doubt there is one-size-fits-all, and even if it were, I doubt it would be ideal for all applications.  I see a lot of options on eBay, for example, but have no way to discern what fits the needs of this kind of project or not.  I don't feel that as an entry-level hobbyist (if I even qualify for that status) I need multi-thousand-dollar tools mint out of the box, but I also don't want garbage.

"monitoring the B+" - I wish I didn't have to ask this, since I'm sure this is second hand to anyone with experience, but I'm new to this, so I need a little more explicit description about what this involves, how to do it, and with what tool.  I don't have a tube tester, but again, this radio was serviced and functional, though not completely recapped, by a shop about 20 years ago, so my belief is that the tubes remain, likewise, functional.  As for measuring resistance on the power transformer, as with monitoring the B+, I'm afraid I need more information.

And as before, this testing will absolutely be done following the replacement of the final two resistors.  The capacitors have all been replaced at this point, except micas/semi-fixed.  Bakelites were restuffed per Mike's tutorial and it was perfectly straightforward, so thumbs up there.  Per other suggestions, the power switch is now between the power cord and the first capacitors in-circuit (Bakelite), and an inline fuse on the hot side between the power cord and power switch.  Power cord is new retro-style, and I've also replaced the wiring from chassis to speaker, as that had crumbly and/or chewed patches in the insulation/sheathing.

Best wishes,
Roy