Coil cables are very capacitive and kill top end... and they tug at everything as you move. So if you like a loss of high end and having your pedals follow your feet like puppies, go for it.
So this guy offers me 1/4 my asking price on a guitar I'm selling. I just replied "you're crazy."
A week later, he does it again. So I tell him "ok, but only if you meet me by the big sign at the 1234 Main St. parking lot..."
I wonder how long he sat there outside the psychiatric hospital before he looked up...
You don't need to flick the switches if you don't want to... but when the guitarist steps on a pedal and you need to get louder... it's there... if you get lost in a dark room you can do something about it.
There is an active varitone that works much better than a passive one, (and without the big volume drop), it's got a basic preamp too. The three mini switches in line allow each pickup to be in series, or parallel, as well as out of phase with each other. All useful sounds.
The EVH D-tuna came chrome... it looked like his pants were unzipped
Changed it to black... much better. If you don't know what I'm talking about, it worked.