Re: pickup recommendations needed. First post
I don't think you mentioned what other guitars do you have, use, pickups, and what you want from this guitar as opposed to others, if this is going to be your #1 guitar, etc. That info might help really!
Otherwise...
I would note that of all the bands you mentioned, most or all use or use pickups with "vintage" output save VH sometimes using a hot humbucker, and AT's bridge pickup being hot and midrangey (Dimarzio breed)...
For single coils, all vintage style.
The 59/Custom hybrid may be a good choice, but I note that there's only one tone control on the guitar. For many people it's "the control no one uses" but I think this is sad, though I've been suspect myself.
I have found taht I get a lot fatter tones with a bright/clean pickup with the tone knob down that a fat/midrangey pickups. The low end is also way more defined and piano like (key IMO) with clearer pickups using the tone knob rolled down than with pickups that lean toward the "dark" end of the spectrum - seems counterintuitve, which is why I mention it. And the perfect fat bridge pickup tone along with an array of usable clean tones from all pickups and combinations is what I've always been after.
I use more than just one kind of pickup myself, so I'm not saying there is no place for big/dark pickups, but prefer the latter approach, and it fits what you're describing you go for in tones.
With lower output/brighter pickups (roll off the tone knob), you can get the output you might want without affecting the EQ of the pickups as easily - clean boost.
Anyhow, in addition to the 59/Custom option, consider a 59 (if you don't might using the tone control) or a Pearly Gates (little more output and mids?) if you go SD, or one of the a L-90 like Rockstar216 recommended (ignoring Dimarzio's line which is well suited to 25.5" scale guitars as you have here). The 59/Custom hybrid seems like a good notch up from there for more output (etc.), which may be what you end up liking, especially from the SD line and for a 25.5" scale guitar...
Key here...whatever pickup you get for the bridge, get 2 singles that match with that both in output and tone--that's a hard thing. The tone control will affect all of them or none of them. If you go for a darker pickup you probably won't be going for the tone control much, but if you go for a more vintage/clear pickup, you may utilize that tone control, so you want a neck (and bridge) single coil that won't be too dark with tone control roll off. This is one reason why I prefer the bridge pickup (and middle where applicable) to have a separate tone control from the neck pickup.
Keep in mind that you can't "brighten up" a dark pickup on the fly with a guitar, but you can make any pickup darker with tasteful use of the tone control.
Big fan of the Wilde Bill Lawrence L-45 strat pickups in a strat guitar, to match the aesthetics of the L-90 pickups...they do have version where the 2 x L-45s can pair with the right L-90 version. I'd go with the one of the wilde L-2XX series single coils (and cancel hum) if you go with a traditional looking bridge humbucker. Wilde pickups define your requested "good cleans" and "a nice smooth overdrive sound on the neck for soloing" especially when used as-designed, to go along with controlled use of the tone control.
