OK, but do you think there is definite niche for each variation, or would one type cover all.
You'd have to as a customer that has tried most to all of them. And then you'd get a biased answer because they likely wouldnt have bothered doing that if they werent rather enthuiastic about the different characters of different pickups/guitar sounds.
I have all the BK HB's other than the Painkiller (and I have one of those on order!), so I think I can give my reasons and why I have the different ones.
I initially got a Crawler and 2 P90's for a PRS and an Emerald/Mule set for my LP. When I heard the sounds I was knocked out, and decided to let Tim rewind a couple of pickups that I had (60 Strat and Pat Number PAF). At the same time I asked him to make me a matching bridge PU for the PAF. This gave me a Riff Raff as Tim said the PAF was like the Stormy Monday and the Black Dog (which I had asked about), was not the best match. I fitted them and was again knocked out by the sound. Then I wanted something for my PRS Artist, since I had never really been happy with the amplified tone. I got VHII's after listening to Hayden's PRS.
Basically what happened was everytime I would upgrade a guitar to BK's, others that I liked started to sound bad in comparison.
But not all BK's suit every guitar. I had the worst time trying to find a guitar to suit the Abraxas set. I have had them in 3 guitars and now they sound great (in my old Hamer Sunburst), but they really didn't work in my 53 LP or my chambered one. Black Dogs however suit the 53 LP perfectly, and the Riff Raff/SM combo works great in the chambered LP.
When I wanted pickups for my 335, Tim suggested unpotted Stormy Mondays because they would let the guitar sound through. Sure enough, they are great in it.
When you ask Tim about pickups he will ask you what guitar they are going in and what music you like. Each answer will lead to a particular set of pickups (or if you have ecclectic tastes, a choice of pickups). But within a guitar type even, the sounds will not be the same because of variations in woods and changes to construction over time.
The best example of this has to be 57-60 Les Pauls with HB's. The 57 had a lower output pickup but bigger neck and seems to have found more of a home in US southern rock bands. The 59 is always given as the classic, by then the neck was a little slimmer and the pickups were hotter. The 60 had the slimmest neck and this changed the tone. Even within these there were variations - even the early Les Pauls can vary by about 1 pound in weight, and this makes a difference to the sound and which pickups work. My 53 is one of the lightest Les Pauls I have ever played, my 86 is much heavier. They both suit different types of pickups (the 86 is about to get new ones - a Cold Sweat/Painkiller set, as I am moving the pickups from it to a new guitar).
So the reason that there are so many pickups and variations, is not to make your choice more difficult or to make you buy more. it is to give you the ability to get the sound you want from the guitar you have.
