Closing this issue out, and thanks all for your good ideas. The pots are replaced, and I can now hear the notes more clearly. I’ve owned a lot of guitars over 50 years but this is my first hollow body with a wooden bridge. As some of you have suggested, it has the most direct influence on the overall tone of the instrument. It is a mellow sounding guitar for sure. But it doesn’t sound muffled anymore.
What a wonderful guitar.
What a wonderful guitar.
