For early VH (especially the first album), the SH-5 Custom is the pickup.
I have done a ton of research on this topic.
As well, I have done extensive experimenting including modding my amp, using a variac, using a real EP3 preamp, etc...
See my thread here:
SD-SH-5-Custom-Is-The-One
The first clip in that thread will show you just how surprisingly close the SH-5 Custom gets you (with the appropriate rig).
OTOH, if you're looking for Fair Warning-1984 tones and have a Floyd Rose, get an SH-11 Custom Custom.
Does the 78 and custom custom clean up well to?
Need a nice full clean sound also.
Don't know about the '78 and haven't used a CC in a decade.
If you run a 500k vol pot, no tone pot and place a .001uF in-between the legs of the volume pot, the
SH-5 Custom cleans up very well with the right rig.
59/Custom Hybrid Model. It cleans up better than the Custom or Custom Custom. A little more output than a 59, and growls really nicely on big open chords because of it's mismatched coils.
The VH sound has been so copied that there is well more than a few ways to get the sound.
But pickup is low on my list of ways to do it.