Broken,
I can't help ya on your question, but I'm curious- why the upgrade? I have 3 Strats- 1984 Amercian, 1996 MiM, and a 2004 MiM. The 1996 has Fender noiseless pups (bought it used modded), and all my Strats sing. I can get warm bluesy tones to hair raising metal highs on all of 'em. Personally speaking, I think Fender makes great stuff stock. My 1975 Telly can still peel paint off the walls. For the price you're paying for the fralins, you could have gotten another Strat used on Ebay, where I got my 2 MiMs. Just curious.

Well, here's a partial opinion, not quite an answer, but it's my opinion aside from the wood the body is made from, I personally believe the heavier the finish on a guitar, the warmer (or duller) the sound. I think a heavy lacquer finish prevents a guitar from really resonating. My American sounds really bright and has a natural wood finish, the 2004 with a light satin finish sounds a bit warmer, and the 1996 has a pretty heavy cobalt blue finish- the jury is still out on the 1996 cuz I have Elixir strings on 'em which I hate, but when I crank up the treble on my amp, it screams pretty well, but doesn't have the bite I like. For now, I'm blaming it on the strings. jmho. But, as you know, we all have different tastes, and sound is pretty subjective. Good luck on the fralins. Let us know how it goes.