Custom wheels.....where to start?

[indysteel]

So I posted a question yesterday about whether I should buy a pair of Campy Zondas on sale at Lickbike.com. After talking with them and doing some further thinking/reading, I'd really like to explore the world of handbuilt wheels. I have some feel for what options are out there, but it's kind of overwhelming. I am leaning toward Mike Garica or Gravywheels as the builder, although there are a couple of others that come highly recommended. More fundamentally, however, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for in a wheelset because I'm not entirely sure of the various "ride qualities" that are even possible.

I want a good "all-around wheel." I don't race, but I would love some wheels that accelerate quickly and stay up to speed. I weigh between 115 and 118 most days and could easily go with a a low-spoke count, especially since most of the roads I ride are in decent shape. Climbing (although I'm working on it) is not my strength, but I'm not sure I really want a wheel built specifically for climbing since most of my riding is done on the flats. As a small rider, I am easily affected by crosswinds and after demo-ing some Mavic Ksyrium SL with relatively wide, bladed spokes, I know that's not the way to go. My favorite ride is a long ride so comfort is also an issue, but is that driven more by the wheels or by the tires and tire pressure? Oh, and I'd like keep the cost at or below $500.

So, does anybody have any advice or words of wisdom/caution? I'm prepared to take my time with this decision but I find that the less I'm riding because of the weather, the stronger the itch to upgrade!

Thanks.

Kate