Sorry if i sound like a new player, but I've been playing about 20 years now.
I want SSS, for the bright twangy sparkly fender sound, for cleans, blues, mild stuff, bit of crunch. I'd rather pay for a better guitar right off the bat than change out pickups and wiring (which I've done before, just not interested in it in the slightest). I'm not a broke lollipop student needing to pinch pennies, so I can afford a nice package over diy, but neither am I stinkin rich :)
You might be right about a blind test, I've never done such a test so I don't know. On the other hand, I don't think a blind listening test tells everything i want to know about a guitar either. Ymmv.
I'm saving now anyway, so by the time I've gotten up to MIM I'll see if I wanna save some more or not :)