Fender Stratocaster

While I love to experiment with different guitars and different setups, I usually go by my decade-old standard:

1. Fender Stratocaster, maple fretboard. Extra points if it has a white pickguard over a black paintjob.
2. String gauges from .009 to .042. Yes, they're really light strings.
3. Mid-neck pickup position, for that fake humbucker sound.
4. No whammy bar, as I'm not Jimi Hendrix. I'll pull on the bridge itself if the need arises.
5. I prefer picks made out matte Delrin, 1.0 mm ("heavy"), but I'm open to other materials, from celluloid to Tortex, preferably 1.0 mm thick.

I prefer amp distortion (from a good-sounding amp) to stompbox distortion, but any sounds after the guitar are invariably variable, depending on the situation.