Today, people all over the world are feeling the effects of financial crisis. Prices of basic commodities soar, jobs suddenly aren't paying well. This problem definitely affects even the humble musician trying to earn money playing gigs around town, trying to make it big in the music scene, or just playing music for fun. So, how does a simple musician find his tone without sacrificing his or her own health? 
    Pickups are a very cheap alternative to upgrading your tone. Though having multiple guitars for different applications is killer, most of us without record labels and endorsements from guitar companies cannot afford it. So, we go for the best alternative. We switch out our stock pickups. I for one have a strat, which have 2 pickguards setup for different applications. I have a black pickguard, with a H-H setting, which I use mostly for rock and heavy music, and a white pickguard with S-S-S pickups for pop and bluesey music. All of them aren't stock pups, I've switched them out for DiMarzio's and Seymour Duncans. I have no problem with stock pups but getting an upgrade with new and better pups really helps you out with your unending search for tone.
     I just want all of my fellow musicians that switching pickups is one of the cheapest ways to change your tone from good to better. If in the end you find that you don't like the way the pups sound, there are a lot of places where we can sell or trade these pups for something you think will fit your tone more. 
    Keep on trying new things, don't be afraid of getting out of your safety zone, explore and experiment. Your tone will thank you. Rock on.