Do I see a marine style on/off latching push button switch on your Strat? I have one for the single coil pup on my HSH Washburn Force 2. On/off/on DPDT switches for the humbuckers. Independent vintage wiring for all pups. You are right on the mark for noting the darker tone with the independent wiring. Also the volume taper can be affected by the treble bleed. But being able to tweak volume controls when using multiple pup combinations gets some really nice tones without having to touch the amp. I use adjustable treble bleeders for neck and middle. Bridge pup is in/out of phase to a dual tone control. 1 guitar to carry that can sound like many different guitars with the flip of a switch and the tweak of a knob! I used to travel with three until one got stolen after a gig one night. So good luck finding that perfect TONE! Tune up & turn it up !