true, Norman has removed himself from the job of direct contact with the public, you can benefit from his site, but can't contact him for advice or serial number sleuthing. One of our BF C&V members (Skip Magnusson) was compiling his own database of Holdsworth serial numbers, but he's been inactive here for a while.
If you're in the UK: Mr. Hilary Stone has said that Argos (in Bristol, I think) offer a very good paint job for the money.