A lot of recorded gtr sounds aren't as distorted as people think. And live, you generally need volume to avoid sounding rinky dink. IMO.
Although all the amp modellers etc are putting some of that to rest.
I have the Behringer clone of that original Boss pedal. Works well & was inexpensive. Actually I bought 2x of them, they were so cheap. I want to solder a cap in to shave the high end off the repeats though.
I loosen the strings if it's going into the case for a while. Especially during seasonal changes, where the wood expands/shrinks due to humidity.
Or like DB says, if I'm travelling somewhere with it
Never swapped saddles out, but that is a great looking gtr!! Congrats!
I have an old Gibson EB-0 with nylon saddles though, and it sounds dull so you might be onto something. Although I think it's mostly due to the pickups
Neat!
I have an old Si fuzz face, and a Throbak germanium fuzz. And a Fulltone ultimate octave, which includes a fuzz. Plus some NOS germanium transistors in a bag somewhere, if I ever get around to building a clone