Bridgestones were always well regarded. I had a 1993 RB-1, very sweet ride and that year's model had a terrific Tom Ritchey designed fork crown. The mtb Bridgestones (MB-0 and MB-1) were great mountain bikes, too.

Steel is a great material, and it is still the most popular choice of material for custom builders (go to the NAHBS website and see some fantastic steel from Vanilla, Kelly Bedford and of course, Richard Sachs).