Big Nine O Pickups

The pickups (Big-Nine-O / Kick-in-the-Arse), they're just superb, that's an understatement. My expectations were high but were swiftly surpassed. The second or so day after installation, after I'd taken the time on the first day to sit, enjoy them and listen intently, I compared them side by side with the Big Nines just to see if I could really spot differences and nuances in tone and output and it's true, the Big Nine pushes the amp just a little more, but the Kick in the Arse has that "growl factor" you mentioned previously, it's definitely a little more unorthodox of a single coil but it has tons of power, presence, saturation, grit and does exactly what it's supposed to. I think it's right at the sweet spot of pushing an amp into overdrive, a masterfully balanced and versatile yet screaming pickup that can match the meanest humbuckers in output and aggression if it wants to.

I can't decide which I like more between the Kick and the Big Nine, both are easily in contention for best noiseless single coil to my tastes and I've tried them all. I don't know the secret sauce or how you guys do it but Kinman noiseless single coils have never failed to deliver and have never disappointed. Also, the aged white looks beautiful on my parchment pickguard against the backdrop of the Mystic Aztec Gold finish of my Strat. The guitar is now a fire breathing beast with a super addictive playing feel and zero hum to boot thanks to the Kick in the Arse.

Anyway, enough gushing, I just wanted to say thanks again for answering my questions about the pickups, keeping in touch throughout and all the rest. Kinmans were actually the pickups that sent me down the rabbit hole of pickup mods when I was dissatisfied with a set of N3 Noiseless single coils in one of my Fender Strats back in the day and I couldn't believe the transformation when all was said and done so buying from here always makes me a little nostalgic. All the best to you, the team and the big man himself and big thanks one more time for the killer pickups.

Kind regards,  Andrew Merchant

 

I held off because I wanted to really play with and fine tune these pickups before commenting...I wanted to give you some good and heartfelt feedback! Installation: I LOVE the Kinman No-Soldering harness...made evrything super easy! At first, I thought I had made a mistake! I set the pickups at Fender factory recommendations (3mm lo E to 2.4mm on hi E). I also used my pedals at the settings I normally use for my Strat. Typically, I always have compression on (Analogman Ross clone) with the Strat volume almost always on 10. It was too aggressive and growly and edgy...I was feeling like I had made the wrong choice! So i started playing with pu height and this really helped. I lowered them and am now running at about 4-5 32 at the 17th fret. This is lower than recommended but did wonders to smooth out the edginess of the pups. I then discovered the wonders of using the volume pot to soften/smooth the tone. I am finding that when running into certain fuzzes, I like to back it down to about 8 or so. This seems to be in a range that is similar to the old pickups, albeit it with a different tone. If I am turning the volume to 10, I find I will often kick out the compressor and just use the fuzz pedals natural compression...for instance with a Tonebender or silicon type fuzz. With the old pups it was always compressor and volume on 10.

The Kinman Big Nine-O's have more dynamic range and their character really changes as you play with the volume. On full, they get a nice aggressive growly edge without being overbearing or too much. They get close to that edge, but stay manageable. On vol 8, they get nicely civilized and sweet with these amazing bell like tones on the upper strings. They are definitely not chimey or bright like standard Strats, but I am amazed at the lush thickness and full tone I get out of them! I also find that all the pu combos are very useable. With the old pups, it was generally bridge or neck...never really dug the middle. I really like ALL the new positions, as they all bring lots of useable tones to the table. Everyone I play for is getting blown away by these pups. They are definitely NOT like normal Strat tones, but after the initial trepidation, I am really sold on them.

The cool thing is that these are NEW and ORIGINAL tones! I think Hendrix/Trower/Gilmour took the normal tones as far as they could go, while these new ones leave a lot of ground open. I guess the best advice I can give is to let future buyers know about the nuances of these pups. I had never played P-90s before, and the subtleties of this type of pu might be known to those that have, but it has been a real eye-opener for me and has required me to do extensive experimentation and the need to rework the way in which I normally used compression, fuzz and distortion. Combos and approach that worked on my old Pups do not always work for the new ones.

In conclusion, I truly love what these pups have done to my tone and to my playing in general...I cannot stop playing! I have literally been playing to the point that my fingers hurt, and it has been a LONG time since that has happened. I just love the fullness and the crazy bends I can get out of these pups. I also love how responsive to the volume pot they are...they can go from a full mellow sweetnes to a nicely moderated mean growl while still remaining musical! The singing and bell like quality these pups have is amazing. They definitely ride the edge of unruliness, so adjusting them properly and really experimenting with your signal chain is critical to really tap into the potential of these pups. For people willing to invest the time and effort, these Kinman's will astound and amaze and really motivate you as a player. They are truly inspiring and lushishly beautiful with just the perfect amount of edgy agressiveness that they will keep you coming back to them and you will find yourself thinking about them when you are away! Gotta go...all this talk has made me need to jam out a bit! :)

Hey, Just wanted to say I finally got everything wired up and man ohhh man... these pickups sound fantastic. They are so versatile it should be a crime!!!  500k pots across the board + 0.022uf caps, wed with a Duncan hot rail in the bridge, Gilmour mod, and bridge coil tap. Perfect level balance between humbucker and singles and great tonal range.  Sparkling cleans, great back off on the dirty and QUIET! Dang.  Super pleased with my purchase!!!  Keep up the good work!!!  Will definitely be telling my friends about this pickups.

--Todd

Hi there, a few months ago I bought a set of the Big Nine-O pickups with a K9 harness. I was recommended to you by a friend (Dan Berne) who also has your pickups in a number of his guitars and although I started looking at Woodstocks and the like, my tastes being a bit quirky sometimes, I finally chose the Big-Nine-O set. I installed them into a lightly age-weathered '79 Fender Strat. When I plugged the beast into my Orange AD30 and began playing about with the controls I was (to put it colloquially) "f'ckn gobsmacked" at the sound I'm getting!! I have a collection of 19 guitars - most 'upper range' brand, quality & cost-wise. This includes 3 other Strats; a 50th Anniversary plus Clapton & Gilmour Custom Shops. The '79 unit (now fitted with Kinman Big-Nine-O I'm VERY happy to say) craps all over the other Strats and in fact, I prefer the sound to quite a few of my other non-Fender too (a mixture incl 3 Gibson Les Pauls, 2 x PRS Customs, 2 x Fender Tele's and a mix of other stuff incl a Duesenberg Starplayer & Maton BT500 50th Anniversary. I've been playing for around 45yrs so I have 1/2 an idea of what's going on and that's all only to prove I'm genuine and not just blowing smoke ok... ;-) The tonal variety, depth, clarity, no loss of highs when you turn down, the pickup combinations thru the harness & switching options, the smoothness - all staggering - as was the service and the whole experience of selecting, ordering, delivery, etc, Sincerely, I could NOT be any happier if you'd supplied these pickups with a new car & gold bars - even Beer...!! And I just wanted you to know. Chris, you have some of the best pickups on the planet!! Thank you!!