Norm,
You have narrowed it to the needle assembly. You need to very closely inspect the needle seat and the soft seat for imperfections or damage, then try reversing the soft seat (although it should seat either way). Lastly, make sure the needle spring tension is adequate enough to keep the needle against the seat without the assistance of inlet gas pressure.
I think we have covered all the possibilities. The fix is somewhere in there, you just have to find it. If you don't have any success, send some close up photos.
Jeff