Beyond working with American walnut in my gun box making, I really don't know all the ins and outs of wood morphology. That said, I have believed that the finish, and pre-finish used on the 'California' wood used in reproductions doesn't lend itself well to mechanical manipulation.
I have had several experiences, some great, and one, ehhhh, with heat bending, but that was always on older guns with traditional finishes.
I think adding an additional 1/4" of drop is going to have so small effect on pitch, it would be very hard to measure. Good old trigonometry.
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