Hi Baz,
I think you missed what I was pointing out. I love this song, but this version is lame compared whit others of Chris versions in the past...
The guitar sound of this version of WG compared with the early versions of WG live and studio is sounding dead and not in the least because of the body covering of this strat!
Sure technically it's all there....but the faces of all band members compared with the eager and enthusiastic mood I've seen in the early days is talking a story on it's own.....
That's was what I mend.
Nothing to do with the large numbers of hits of this version on YT or other versions in the past, because everybody has to see it first and has to start the clip and that's a count as a hit.
I've seen YT clips with fake titles getting many millions of hits, and all people got to see was something compleatly different instead of the promising title.... so the counting of hits is not always speaking for the quality of the condense of the clip or the taste of the public.
On this and other shads or guitar sites, it's almost always a hot topic....the sound of a guitar is made with/thanks to wood, pick-ups, paint, strings etc.
With fans on all sides and they are defending there opinion with all kinds of arguments and "facts".
What I do know is this, I've two identical strats except the colour....both guitars where measured in all details in every little detail to the point of ridicules .... two decimals on the scale and displays of electrical measurements, Hz Henry etc .
Both guitars where made in the same few days (body date, serial numbers, pot dates etc).
One is just 100gram heavier as the other one....
Pick-ups were measured in every detail two decimals as mentioned before, they measured the same to the point we can't hear it anymore...
The red guitar sounds with bell like high tones and warm.
The blue guitar sounds more warm and a little darker.
We exchanged the complete guards with all electrics and the sounds stayed with the guitars, blue warm and red bell like....
So I know what to think about what pick-ups do or not...
Leo used whatever was available at that time and with trail and error, because he wasn't a musician, people gave him feedback and he was wise enough to listen to these folks...and changed things.
I played/tried a moto strat amp set during a guitar show, a $25000 set amp and strat custom shop....the strat sounded dead an exact sample with normal paint sounded great on the same amp....same pu's and wood....
Tin Hat in place
Cheers Rob
(we are all in our 60's and 70's ) rock and soul we play (not a Shad-u-like band). 
