yeah your assessment is bang on, the absolute slopiest bike I have ever had was a 1975 Jeunet made of 531, simplex DOs, it was hideous!!! brass everywhere! no thinning nothing was clean....

your japanese assessment is pretty good, the brazing is generally acceptably clean but not much thining, basic...

then you move on to the italian jobs and they are expertly thinned with no sign of brass lumps etc... I have to say though my nicest bikes are my 1981 Marinoni and my 1992 Marinoni... but I am excited to see how my American bike measures up...

oh and my Nottingham 531 raleigh is a slop job as well, not what you would expect from a 531 bike with cinelli lugs, and campy dropouts, but it rides fantasitic!! one of the other nicest riding bikes I have had was a taiwanese schwinn.