The first thing I'd try is not messing with the stabs at all but instead putting something (rubber, etc.) under the PCB in those areas. I can't think of anything you could do to the stabs for this "problem" which wouldn't "put back" the bottom-out cushion which you eliminated when you clipped the stabs.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I put some paper under the stabilizers just to see what it would do, and it really didn't have any effect. So that confirmed to me that whatever I put under there would have to have some thickness to it. And, as you said, this is just going to result in the same mushy feel as an unclipped stabilizer. I just wondered if there was a known fix.
I have heard of the band aid trick mentioned, so I'll see what that does. Luckily, the loudest one I have is a space bar with plate mounted stabilizers, so I can experiment easily without taking the whole board apart. I'm thinking about:
band aid strip, electrical tape, masking tape, card stock... not sure what else I have on hand