Russell Letson
Member
Another vote for having a competent repair/restoration tech evaluate the guitar--and that includes having your playing style and expectations evaluated. The variables governing "stiffness" in first-position playing are nut/saddle geometry and string gauge/composition. If the overall neck geometry is OK, then it's the nut and the strings that matter. And string composition is as important as the gauge numbers on the packet--core diameter/shape (round vs. hex) and wrap alloy can make a big difference. Juggling those variables is what gives a guitar its particular "playability."
(The above comes from recent experiences having my trusted luthier tweak a new-to-me instrument. He quite changed the playing characteristics of a National M1 by recutting the nut and making a new saddle. I had already changed the strings from mediums to lights, but the adjustments to the guitar really did the trick.)
(The above comes from recent experiences having my trusted luthier tweak a new-to-me instrument. He quite changed the playing characteristics of a National M1 by recutting the nut and making a new saddle. I had already changed the strings from mediums to lights, but the adjustments to the guitar really did the trick.)