Brooks saddle (Champion Flyer), new seatpost, and the Nitto Dirtdrop stem are all ordered up. I'll give this a go and see where it gets me. I'm pretty sure the current seat and suspension seatpost are the culprits behind my current comfort problem. That seat is just way to cushy and the seatpost has way too much give for my liking. Many thanks to everyone for taking the time to offer up these suggestions.