C2 rims, CK hubs, and Super Sapim spokes for a total weight of 1400g around $1150. That's a budget I might be able to pull off. It certainly beats $1400+ deep carbon rims. I think this build would be more suitable for me as well. I really enjoy the wild colors of CK hubs, but some would just look terrible on my bike. The purple and mango hubs both are pretty darn cool, alas not for my bike.

Wheels are something I understand little about, other than they get us places. I'm thankful you made this thread. I've got a lot of reading ahead of me.