saltybrian

Hi again, I tried taking the pickup out (it is indeed a Rare Earth) but if that makes a difference it's more subtle than these ears can detect. I play with a pick so while I found the fingerstyle stuff interesting I can't pass comment. Genre wise, I play a blend of Scottish tunes and songs, sometimes flat-picking the melody, sometimes accompaniment in a swingy kind of style. The guitar suits the chord work especially well. I've ordered a tusq replacement saddle, will see what that does, and leave the bridge itself and pick guard for now. It's playing a bit sharp from fret 1 so a trip to the tech is due anyway - that's a 4hr ferry + 6hr drive of a round trip and overnight stay away, so hopefully worthwhile... Thanks all.

Thanks for all the helpful responses. Duluthdan: That bone replacement saddle looks like a good place to start, though perhaps since the bridge is lifting now is the time to consider an all new bridge and saddle combo... Jedzep, good tips, thank you. I don't think I'll be too radical so will save sanding and shaving for round two, if required. I wouldn't mind removing the scratch plate also, though I'd probably have to have something smaller on there. Have you, or anyone else tried this and will it come off cleanly enough? Bluesking, you could be right, but I do a lot of plugged in playing and that set up works for me - the soundhole pickup will need to stay. Zombywoof - good knowledge! Thanks for the 68 dating too, can you tell me how that squares with the serial number? It's far from a poor instrument, it's held together very well through some mistreatment in my younger days (probably thanks to the heavier build), and actually records very nicely too, so have messaged my luthier incorporating the advice here to get his take on things.

Thanks for this slimt. Sorry, it's not clear in my rambling first post... I know the B-25 is X braced. That was just an aside about the LG2 I encountered. My B-25n has the rosewood bridge and saddle, and I've read that replacing the bridge and saddle (with bone or similar) can improve the guitar. There are a few discussions online about this. I'm wondering if: a) it's possible to change the rosewood saddle only, and if that would make much of a difference? These saddles are very thick and I don't know if blanks are available that would fill the gap. b) I should just try having the whole bridge replaced, since it looks (in the pics I linked to) as if it's lifting a little? SB

Apologies from a first time poster, I can't figure out how to get more photos uploaded. Here's a few close ups of headstock, bridge etc. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0528wv2q1kduj01hm3nvq/h?dl=0&rlkey=otdpzglx72vjujb15j935p6w6 Any thoughts much appreciated

Hi all, Here's my trusty B-25n, not sure when it was made. Serial is 360860 which I think puts it at 1965, but some features don't seem right for that. Anyway, it's such a comfortable guitar to play, and has been with me for 25 years. In all that time, I've been fairly content, until recently, when I met someone with an earlier model, I think it might have been an LG2. It had a bit more volume about it, and it was so much snappier and responsive - brighter, bassier and sweeter. He told me it had been converted from ladder bracing to X, and it had come alive in that process. Brooding on that encounter, I've been looking at LG2s, but living in a pretty remote location, I've not had a chance to play and compare with what I have. Reading various posts on here though, I'm now wondering if a change of saddle might give me a lot of what I want. I'd be grateful for any advice for how that's gone for others. - Is it possible / practical to replace the saddle only without messing with the bridge? - Or should I be loking to replace it too? It's lifting slightly at one corner, and on the top. It's been like that for years and shows no sign of movement, but maybe that's contributory to a less than optimum tone also? - Any other changes I can make to improve the tone? Thanks!