[MarkL]

Let me start, Drew, anybody using humbuckers rather than single coils is just an overdriven, distorted wannabe.

Yeah! Like these guys!

The first three sometimes USE overdrive or distortion, but somehow I don't think any could be called "wanna-bes." And certainly, the late Mr. Atkins wouldn't fall into any of those categories, would he? Should I continue? lol

Mark

[Yeti]

For one thing, most "strats" that you see big names playing bear only a superficial resemblance to the kind of thing you buy off the shelf. Inside, everything is usually customized.

For another thing, for "soulful" of "bluesey," the best sound you will get live is one click down from the neck position on the pickup switch. In that position, you are playing the neck and center pickups together. The way strats are wired, in that position, the pickups are connected in what's called "pseudo-humbucking mode." That's right, your favorite live sound on a strat comes from a spread-out humbucker! Single-coils are noisy.

This from a guy who has only ever owned strats or strat-style guitars. Strat body-style and neck are good(all I've ever owned), but they benefit alot from modification.