I have two Brooks B-17 Standards. Both are black.

I've found that I needed to lace one, but the other I've left alone. The one I laced seemed softer from the day I bought it. In fact, the one that I didn't lace has almost over 5000 miles on it, while the one I laced has around 1200. And yet, the one with the higher mileage is still more firm than the one with less mileage.

Both were purchased a little over a year ago from different shops.

My point is that every Brooks is different.