As I come up on my 54th anniversary as a pro guitarist, I'd add humidifying your guitar will change the tone a lot. I hadn't thought about it, but England must be "fairly humid" (LOL) and I suppose that affects their mics, too.
I don't believe that strings "stretch" at all. I find they SLIP and therefore I secure the ball ends right up against the bridge plate, before I tie them on to the tuner posts. I tug/pull them, till they stop slipping and enjoy my new fresh strings. This is bothersome in terms of time installing or removing them, but the benefits are pleasing to me.
Also, some guitars just sound way better with certain strings, so that'll be an area to explore, too. I use GHS, D'Addario, Elixir, Martin SP, Savarez Corum Cristal and hope to buy a set of LaBella flatwounds for my Schecter Hellcat VI! ($50?!?!)
Steve Tibbetts spoke of how folks assumed he had great mics because of his acoustic guitar tones (ca Safe Journey). He explained that he just kept moving his inexpensive mic till he found what he liked.
Michael