Simple, small, inexpensive parts list, took 15-20min to fully populate the board and another 10min to assemble the rig.

I recommend creating a “full blown” rig like this.  Cheap and ez.  The wood is scrap I had left over from something else.  Board is mounted using plastic M3 standoffs (just make sure you get them tall enough to clear the metal contacts that hang down from the bottom of the pcb!).  The foam square is cut from a piece of ic chip foam that I got off Amazon for like $2.  The little rubber feet just screw into the wood and I got for a bucks a the local big box hardware store.

<i>Has many uses: test fully populated boards prior to final assemble, provide an isolated test environment to troubleshoot boards, allows for an easy way to try different value components.  Saves huge amounts of time and allows you the confidence to get really creative in your builds.  Total game changer for me.</i>

The only thing that I can possibly think of that might make this board even a little more versatile is if it had a charge pump section on a toggle or something with included quick disconnect terminals for the corresponding +9v, -9v, and +18v.  The draw back is this is another layer of complexity to the build and increases its physical size a lot.   Either way you can just do like I did and use a charge pump board in-between the +9v and ground terminals of the test rig and your old school PNP project!