I need some turntable guidance

 I've read your equipment list and it's impressive but you also say are you don't want to spend a lot of money on a turntable since you've never had one my suggestion to you is if you want to go cheap I would recommend highly recommend the rega rp3 now if you want to go a little bit more expensive and get a better turntable I would go with the rega rp8 I mean let's face it Riga is the biggest seller and the most celebrated turntables on the market I myself owner rega P9 with a ortafon cadenza bronze cartridge, my phono amp is a pass labs xp-27 and  my main amp is a pass labs int 60.I have never heard more beautiful music my life and I've been at it for 45 years. About the falling to sleep on the couch, I bought the q up and never had that problem again. Just remember analog will always sound better than digital 

Agree, Sota makes very nice tables, and it's always good to support "Made in USA" brands.

Not ego, Fun! The mythology behind audiophilia is fabulous and the explanation for what people think they hear are even better, without a shred of proof. Any scientist would be laughed out of the community. It is like a ride through a haunted house with gremlins jumping out ready to cut your throat. 
Turntables have two lives. One is to spin records the other is as artwork.
I'm all for the artwork and mechanical dexterity but try not to confuse them. I think the Clearaudio Statement wins the prize for artwork and I would never buy one even if I had the money to throw away.
Daveyf, the Linn platter rings like a bell, the sub chassis rings like a bell, the tonearm board is a flimsy piece of Masonite, the suspension resonance is too high and it is poorly dampened, if you live in a high humidity area like Miami the plinth will eventually fall apart. You can correct all these problems but then you would have a different turntable.
Get a SOTA , SME or Basis. You won't have to screw around and you will be much happier in the end.

Mike 

Dutchydog, saying "always" usually does not work well. Many records do sound better than their digital counterparts like Jethro Tulls thick as a brick. On the CD version Ian Anderson's voice is very harsh but on the record smooth as silk. I just down loaded a 96/24 remastered version of Thick as a Brick but have not listened to it yet. If a record is remastered correctly for digital playback it certainly can sound better than the vinyl. The Leon Russel (blue) album is a good example. The vinyl is somewhat muffled sounding even at volume. The digital version is clear as a bell and more dynamic. So it all depends.

Mike

OP,

one thing that that seems to be true is that you are not a tinkering audiophile. You are a musician who loves great sound.  If you think you might like tinkering or obsessing over adjustments then great. If you want to be less involved with the gear, I think the recommendations for Technics and Rega are spot on.