Hey Kirk, thanks! I remember checking the forum a few weeks after I posted this thread and I figured you hadn't seen it.
Anyway, wow - those are heavy gauges for a strat. I have two strats now, both '54 MIJ reissues made in the early 90's, and I bought a great dvd showing how to do all aspects of guitar setups which has helped me out a lot. Actually, half of my bedroom looks like a repair shop now. :-)
I think I will take your advice for my one strat and set it up for
slide playing, and use my other strat for everything else (it currently has 10-50's and sounds a bit too tinny when I try slide stuff)
What amp/settings/pedals (if any) do you use for that sweet and nasty slide tone on your strat?