I know this is off the beaten path but what the heck.

I see all over the place that vintage Ric "Toaster" pickups are the only ones which deliver the 'true' Ric sound and that the new "Hi-Gain" ones are in essence, quite unacceptable. Further, Ric RI Toaster pickups are simply "pretenders" where many find them as undesirable as the Hi-Gains. Does anyone have any opinions on any of this?

Next, the new Burns (Kent Armstrong) Tri-Sonic RIs vs. the originals; any opinions?