Hi harlequin, assuming they are compatible, can you not try Kiogons loom with your N3 pickups and see how it sounds, I’ve got these looms , and they really do transform the sound, they are great 🙂
Ive tried this a few times after seeing a friend play with all 4 fingers, and I found it really difficult, I used this video for a few exercises, apologies if you’re more advanced than this 🙂
I never clean my ones after playing, but I’ve got a thing about always cleaning my hands before I pick one up, sometimes I’ll pick a few basses from their hangers on a Saturday morning and give them a wipe over with fender custom shop spray but that’s about it.
I only use flats and It’s not you, as Silvia says, they are stiff, I’ve got the fender flats on one of my jazzes and I’ve left them on hoping they would flex a bit with use, but they haven’t , I wouldn’t use them again.
I’ve got a Lindo semi acoustic, which does have a nice sound both acoustically and when plugged in , but it’s pretty quiet, despite having a fairly big body
Good advice there, I’ve only ever used flats from the early 80s and some brands can feel a bit tacky, I’ve found labella’s are ok , but I tried fender flats and they were almost sticky but a quick wipe with alcohol wipes and they were fine.