I wish I was geared up to do clips at the moment.
Right now I'm sat at the keyboard, doodling on the strat between posts. I'm going through a vox tonelab set up as an AC30 (non-topboost), through powered studio monitors.
I tend to run a strat vol control at 8 or so (so I set up an amp accordingly) and then I've got 8-10 for "more", 4-5 for "clean".
Right at the moment, turning up to 10 on the middle pickup sounds like the 2nd clip you posted except clearer and less distortion/overdrive. Turning it down to 6-7 it sounds like Mark Knopfler but the amp model is set up a bit too bassy for it. Pushing it on to the bridge, up to 10 and digging in with the pick, it's stinging "old fender" chicago blues (not quite as stinging as tele bridge, but close).
I bought the ITs to do Rory Gallagher and SRV, and they do the job - from really clean SRV on Texas Flood to Rory's dirtiest early 80s Marshall sound. But for my own noodlings I've ended up getting progressively cleaner when I play my strat because it's so "stratty". My desire to get another strat with Apaches/MMs has died down since a few months back, because this one's started doing what I thought I'd want the new kit for.
I'm kind of in the same boat as 38th (except he's actually gigging) - I love my first choice of pickup, and they are proving so versatile, that I have to pipe up when I know "mine" will do it.
Funnily enough though, this IT'd strat is NOT the guitar that I pickup when I want overdriven fender - I've got a tele with Blackguards that does it far far better. I'd say the ITs are what they're classed as ,"vintage hot", not out-and-out rocking machines.
I think if someone gave you ITs, you'd love them. But my gut feeling is that you do want either Apaches or MMs - and I suspect it's Apaches. It's just that you keep posting clips with tones that my ITs are doing :lol:
