I'm really enjoying splittable PAF style pickups. Enough power to push, but they clean up well.
BareKnuckle Blackhawks are pretty amazing, as they are somewhat higher output, but are still clear and clean up well. Also splittable.
For both, I tend to set my pickups a tad on the low side. Not too low, of course. So often, you see LP style guitars with the pickups flush to the pickup ring.
In other words, it's not just about the resistance of the pickup; height also plays a big role.
With single coils, medium, standard height. I almost found it easier with Strats to find the right height, regardless of which pickups. That is actually the problem with splittable humbuckers (finding the right height).
P90s are very interesting when it comes to power. P90 players typically want the growl, along with the ability to get a little muddy when driven. But, the good ones are famous for their "piano" tone, and also clean up well while being able to still cut through. They're really the anomaly, in a way. I like to keep my neck pickup a little lower, and the bridge just a little higher.
EMGs are always an interesting topic. I was told by a store owner/tech that to mimic standard pickups, run them at 7-8 volume. Anything above that is essentially a boost (i.e., making them hotter). I wish I had known that when I was 19. I haven't used them in years, and it took a while to get around their no noise benefit.
