The '54 Special bridge is a straight vintage type pickup. The

improvements are subtle, mostly a carefully tailored treble response

that's not as edgy as others , but still clear and bright.

The Vintage Plus bridge pickup moves a step further; higher output, a

richer, warmer tone that retains some very 'Tele' character, without as

much 'twang'

Both pickups now each have a dedicated matching neck pickup, and those each are

dramatically bigger, louder, deeper and brighter than regular pickups.

The middle switch position is then also bigger and louder, and is hum

cancelling, from the reverse-wound effect.

If the guy is a die-hard vintage fan, I usually recommend the '54

Special and feel confident he will appreciate the subtleties as improvements.

If the guy is not necessarily a stickler for the pure vintage tone, I

think the Vintage Plus pickups will be more impressive, and many folks

feel that they still produce a great 'vintage' tone, but at a higher and

warmer output.