Thanks for the affirmation. The three stitches are doing their job and the finger appears to be healing well. Gig is Saturday and I'm thinking i'll put a few thin layers of superglue over the tip, then maybe try to put a little piece of moleskin over it so the stitches don't catch on the strings (doc says stitches should stay in until next Wednesday). I can keep the moleskin patch in place with a finger cot (like a condom), with plenty of extras on hand to replace them as they shred. Hopefully that will be streamlined enough to allow me to play. If not, we'll figure something else out.