Before you begin it's a good idea to start with a clean slate. Don't try to adjust your new Kinman pickups using your previous amp Eq settings. I suggest you set the tone controls to 12 o'clock (position 5 on the knobs) and dial the adjustments in from there, adjusting the Eq controls only after you get the best result from the pickups. The amp controls will then just fine tune the basic correct pickup adjustments. Don't be afraid to use the controls, that's what they are there for. If your sound needs more brightness simply turn the treble control up.
You can explore from a pickup height setting with a high volume amp setting OR with the pickups at maximum height with lower volume amp settings. Some players prefer one or the other and some prefer inbetween so PLEASE experiment and try both approaches.
Maximum height:
Set the gap at the neck pickup (both E strings only) to 2mm or 5/64", but not less than that.
Set the gap at the middle pickup (both E strings only) to 2mm or 5/64", but not less than 1.75mm or 1/16"+.
Set the gap at the bridge pickup (both E strings only) to 1.5mm or 1/16", but not less than that.
To get a workable volume balance between the neck and bridge pickups I suggest you adjust the bridge pickup to your desired sound. Then adjust the neck pickup so it balances. Occasionally we have to put up with a little bit of imbalance to get the sound we want from each pickup, this is normal.
Minimum height:
Set the pickups almost level with the pickguard and raise a little at a time until you discover where your sweet spot is. Take care not to let the pickup drop off the end of the screw. If this happens the only way to get the screw started again is to take the pickguard off.
NOTE: If you use less than the recommended gap measurement the sound will be abrasive and harsh and we wouldn't want that now would we, or would we? ALSO these gap distances assume the vibe arm is depressed and not raised. If you pull up on the arm you'll need to increase the gaps accordingly or else the strings will bottom onto the magnets.
Increasing the gap will reduce output level and brightness, some people will like that but others won't, so experiment to get the effect you want. Remember that even 1/4 turn of the adjusting screws can make the difference. And don't be afraid to lower the pickups almost to the pickguard and turn the amp volume up.
You can do things like optimize the neck pickup for loud lead work, the middle for softer rhythm and the bridge for bright twang, bite and growl, or any other responses you would like. Another nice rhythm sound can be achieved by setting the neck pickup down more on the bass side (3mm) than the treble (2.5mm). The in-between sound (2 pickups on simultaneously) can be varied to a surprising degree. For maximum hollowness in pos 2 or 4, set the pickups as above, but for more quack/bite adjust the middle pickup away from the strings. You make the rules here, so experiment!!!
Kinman pickup adjusting screws are the two best tone controls you could wish for, and so much better than relying on the volume or tone controls to tune your sound.
My pickups are more responsive than any other pickup to these settings and a wide variety of tonalities can be achieved by messing around with them. Spend a little time exploring this whole new world of tone and fine tuning your sounds one pickup at a time, the effort will be well worth while. And don't be discouraged if it takes some time, I've heard of players finally achieving their goals up to 2 or 3 weeks on.
STRAT-ITIS explained (Strat-itis = simultaneous multiple discordant frequency syndrome).
Dirty or rusty strings can also do this but many players know this horrible phenomena is caused by excessively strong magnets in the pickups, here's how it works. What happens is the magnets of the pickups pull a section of the string (the part that's over the pickups) into a U shaped vibration path. Normally the strings vibrate in what is essentially a single-plane path or pattern. Lets say that the time taken for a string (not subjected to excessive magnet pull) to complete one cycle or oscillation is X milliseconds. Traveling in a U shaped path it actually takes longer to complete one cycle or oscillation since the distance is greater via the U shaped path, so the time is X + Y milliseconds. Now it's getting clear that what you have is a string that has a section of it's length vibrating in a U shaped path and part of the remaining section raveling in a direct single-plane path and yet other sections traveling at all frequencies between these two extremes. This means that the three sections are actually vibrating at many different frequencies when the string should be vibrating uniformly at a single frequency. What happens when you mix all these different frequencies together? Uggghhh, dissonant Strat-itis that's what! It's bad enough hearing 2 non-harmonious notes coming from a single string, but when you get multiple dissonant frequencies (or notes) being produced simultaneously from a single string the results are absolutely ghastly. A string that's out of tune with itself no less. That's what Strats do when you adjust the pickup magnets close to the strings. But when you adjust them to prevent Strat-itis, output, sensitivity and dynamic range are reduced and noise is increased when the Amp's Volume is turned up to compensate.
Fortunately Kinman Strat* and Tele*pickups utilize a unique magnet technology that reduces the string pull of Alnico-5 by around 35% and virtually eliminates the multiple note syndrome in Stratocasters. This is not magnet aging or degaussing, this is something new, something unique to Kinman.
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Checking the truss rod adjustment.
1. The neck should be almost straight when the guitar is in tune. You can check this in two ways. With the guitar in a playing position (important), first eyeball along the edge of the fretboard, this will give you an indication of any massive discrepancies, such as a banana bend or a kink. Next, hold (in turn) each of the two E strings down at the 2nd fret and the 16th fret and note the gap between the string and the crown of the frets (see fig 2). A gap of about .06mm or .003" (the thickness of a piece of paper) is ideal but it can be a little more. If this measurement is excessive then adjust the truss rod until at least one side is straight (due to twists it is permissible for one side to be a little more bent). Don't over straighten either side and remember to readjust the truss rod if you change string gauges or switch between different brands, such as D'Addario and DR which have different tensions. |
