The VHII has more body to the midrange, but a brighter top end. The Mule has a very balanced midrange, with a rounder/warmer low end. The top end is bright, but rolls off before the VHII. The VHII's low end response is a lot tighter/more direct.
While the difference in DC resistance isn't that large, the VHII's AV magnet pushes a lot harder than the Mule's AIV. The result is that the Mule is a more open/uncompressed sound which works very nicely for clean and dynamic mid-gain tones, but isn't as fluid as the VHII when it comes to high gain sounds. (The VHII is still not a compressed pickup though, just in comparison to the Mule).
I recommended the VHII over the Mule because in a guitar like yours, I think you will find the VHII's midrange warmth enjoyable, while the clearer low end should prevent things getting muddy given how far you downtune.