Go "Blacker" winters. I think the bridge sounds phenomenal, but have mixed feelings about the neck. I'm thinking I'm going to put a sentient in the neck, keep the blacker winter in the bridge and it's pretty awesome. Definitely fuller/warmer bridge humbucker compared to the black winter original. Not as bass-heavy as a Distortion, but not as thin as an original black winter. I really like it!
They're not a production model, but can be ordered via a "shop floor custom" I do believe. They look like a gothic full shred lol
I'm going to say the easiest solution is to buy a noise gate. it won't technically fix anything if you have a shielding issue or something, but if the excess noise is gone, then is there really a problem?