They're very high gain and I really like them a lot so I'd probably never change them. The pickups are passive, though have even more output than the active pickups on my Charvel/Jackson!
That said, if you're looking for a more subtle sound you might try to play with the volumes (1 volume control per pickup opens up some possibilities) or indeed replacing them. Since I use my S-Classic for the subtler stuff, that's not an issue for me
