Everybody and their mother says you can't have a quiet (active or hum cancelling) Strat pickup that still sounds like a vintage Strat. I agreed until we installed a set of the Fishman Fluence Strat pickups in one of our vintage type Fender Strats in our store. Wow! In normal postion (with the push-pull pot down) they sounded like a great Strat set- clear, punchy, and bright, with a vintage tone that even a diehard vintage fan would love. Then we pulled the switch and, without losing the Strat vibe, it became a hot Strat- not like humbuckers but a good, hotter modern Strat. Plus there was none of the huge volume difference you would expect, just fatter and ballsier- and TOTALLY quiet in both settings! This is a very impressive innovation. Forget your preconceptions about "active" pickups.