Advice on Squire Strat 2003 pickups and knobs

chrisoldroyd

I am after some help, I am a new learner and I just picked up this guitar over the weekend and was planning on changing the pick guard to all black. On closer inspection I noticed it only has two knobs and not the usual 3 and the pickups have been changed. I have been told by the seller that it has been fitted with Fender Mex HSS Pickups? Can anyone tell me some more information on what they are and what benefit they would be and also why would it only have two control knobs? (One Tone and One Volume) when all the strats I have seen have three?
 
I am looking to use it to learn to play with a particular leaning towards rock and light metal stuff.

If anyone can spare 5 and give me some information it would be much appreciated

Below is a link to a pic of the guitar

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r97om4hvwt1v9ca/%24_86%20%281%29.JPG?dl=0

Thanks
Chris

Funkfingers

chrisoldroyd said:
Below is a link to a pic of the guitar
http://www.dropbox.com/s/r97om4hvwt1v9ca/%24_86%20%281%29.JPG?dl=0

FTFY

chrisoldroyd said:
I noticed it only has two knobs and not the usual 3 and the pickups have been changed. I have been told by the seller that it has been fitted with Fender Mex HSS Pickups? Can anyone tell me some more information on what they are and what benefit they would be and also why would it only have two control knobs?

The scratchplate on your guitar follows the proportions that I associate with the EMG-SL20 and KH-20 artist pack pickup sets. i.e. HSS pickups, five-way selector switch, one volume control, one treble roll off tone control, no boosters. 

Fender MIM pickups come in quite a wide variety - from dogbreath ceramic magnet nasties to the Tex-Mex single coils (some people like them) and humbucker (not so nice). Occasionally, the pickups "from a Mexican Fender guitar" are actually American.

Pickup identification questions:
1) Are the polepieces of the two single coil pickups all flush with the plastic covers or do some of them protrude further than others?
2) What d.c. resistance meter readings do the single coils give?
3) Are the bobbins that support the copper wire coils plastic or vulcanised fibreboard?
4) Are there two bar magnets glued to the undersides of the single coil pickups?
5) What d.c. resistance meter reading does the humbucker give?
6) Is there anything embossed on its metal baseplate?
7) Is there a white self-adhesive model identifier sticker on the baseplate?