Well, first of all, Welcome to GT!And if you think the strings are old, (if they hurt when you play, it could be many things, actually, two, the strings or your fingers), and if they hanvn't been changed in YEARS, and there all rusty and stuff, you should get a new set of strings, and ya, a smaller gauge. If the pickups sound muddy, investigate, and find some other pickups you like, and if they sound good, buy them, and put em in!