I ditched strats a few years back and never thought I would have another. Mainly because of the noise and the thin sound. Now I have 4 because they have given me something I was missing.. 1) Versatility. I generally use a pretty hot bridge pickup and warmer than vintage in the other slots with the bridge pickup wired into the tone. It makes that bridge pickup WAY more usable for lead work. I can get a really nice rock sound out of it and with a treble bleed just turn down the volume and the quack comes back in it's entirety. I have located some really decent hot pickup option that do not break the bank either..actually cheap..and they do not come from GFS.. 2) Customization..You don't care for the neck, snag a new one, sell the old one...change out the bridge block..set up a new pickguard with different options..the list goes on.