[font=trebuchet ms]EMG active pickups sound pretty much the same in any guitar. If you happen to like that sound, load up some EMG's and rock on!

If you're looking for [font=lucida handwriting]tone[/font], go with passive pickups, and hotter is [u]not[/u] necessarily better. Tone starts with your hands, develops in the guitar, is translated by the pickups, and brought to life by your amp. You need to develop your ear for tone, and refine your tastes in gear, but the rewards are there.

Or you can stuff some active pickups into a plywood guitar and just blast away.[/font]