i've been playing for 35 years, strings do make a difference to sound, guage and maker, but fender strings wont give a fender sound.
To get a shadows sound you'll need a vintage strat and a vintage amp and Hank marvins touch.
generally light strings give a light sound and heavy strings....
Go for a set thats 10 to 52 or 9 - 46.
most electric players using heavier than that Stevie Ray Vaughn for instance had top E of 13 but also tuned down a half step to Eb, thats part of what got him his sound.
also depending on what kind of trem (if you have one) will also affect tone .
A heavier set will need trem adjustments to take account of the extra tension to get the strings to pitch
Jazzers tend to go for very heavy strings because generally they dont do the sort of bending other style use and they get a nice deep stron mellow tone from them.
In my opinion the best strings around at the moment are Elixir, expensive but keep thier tone for ages