Mike - done it, I bought the last plum 1088 from Mike T after Bobby Andrade went thru his old stock like a vacumm. So now I have this old, plum colored Sabre 1088 which I compared to several Batson 1088s and they are pretty close.
Some of it is backbone, but overall, the rod just feels much more crisp and in line with those 1088 Sabres. I like it. I've built a couple Pac Bay 1088s and a couple Batsons and I must admit that I like the Batson better. It's just that the 1088 Pac Bay feels a little willowy in comparison. You mean you don't have one of these yet
? When the time is right, I think you would like one on your arsenal.