The CS neck will get you a lot closer to vai than slash (dissimilar sounds).
Perhaps you could get slash out of it with the tone rolled back? I havent tried it, though, just an idea.
Holy diver, by my understanding of its reputation, wouldnt be a bad choice. I wouldnt call the nailbombs bright though: they dont have that much treble, but rather an open crunch in the high mids. Depends what part of the spectrum youre calling bright, I suppose.
You couldnt go far wrong for what you want with a crawler set, either.