+1 - that was my advice too, lower pressure! I use my Kona Dew Drop on gravel centuries with 700x28 T-SERV, just drop the pressure. This is the same set up I use for commuting including limestone trails.

I have a wide variety of bikes/tires, and the best 'learning' for me was the fatbike, run that thing at 10psi or lower and you can run over a log and barely know it! When riding the roads in/out of our neighborhood, my wife points her Pugsley at the potholes, it just soaks it up!

In summation, work with your tire pressure before replacing tires.