Sorry I've been working 2 jobs all month and haven't had much free time to respond. BIG THANKS to every single person who commented, every bit was helpful.
UPDATE: I saw a Tascam DR-70D on ebay for $179 free shipping and I nabbed it. I also grabbed the 20000mAh (they claim) slim battery from the FAQ for $10. I just couldn't resist 4 channel recorder + battery for $200! Should be here in a week.
This was of course after I read through the (somewhat controversial) dedicated threads on this unit. To me it sounds like the latest firmware's solved a lot of the SD card issues. My brother in law and dad both dabbled in photography the last 10 years and they have a slew of both old and new SD cards they said I could use. I'll verify with Tascam's list of tested media of course. I'll probably use my Busman mod UA-5 in front and I'll try the stock preamps as well. I heard a few recordings on LMA and that sealed the deal, can't argue with your ears.
I REALLY wanted a Mixpre or one of the Zoom's but our roof started leaking and that dream quickly died.
I've been recording stage lip mics and soundboard to different recorders and mixing in the post; I actually have the process down pretty smooth but sometimes the upgrade bug just won't go away until you, well, upgrade! First new gear in 10 years, can't wait.
Oh and is anyone on these boards modding these haha