re: #3 question- it's pretty easy to change out the innards of most electrics. Check out this video to see how to change pickups in many guitars:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support...all_a_pu.shtml
Or, you can go really easy, like I did for my Squier Strat and just get a new pickguard that already has new pickups, switch, knobs, etc. already on it. All I had to do was pull out the old one and make 2 or 3 solder joints, and I was done.