UPDATED 4-Sept-2018 with audio files.
Also please read Any old cable won’t do
Have you read that hum-cancelling pickups have something missing, and don't sound the same as regular pickups? Well it's true, they don't, but now that we have your attention please continue reading.
The most common complaint about noiseless pickups is lack of snap (attack) mid scoop and pristine crystalline highs. The muddy sound is because hum-cancelling designs always have two coils and they both must fit into the existing cavity provided for the original noisy pickups. To do this manufacturers reduce the height of the main coil to half that of a regular single coil. Even blind Freddy can understand that a half sized coil can't sound the same as a full sized coil. In fact the sound is dramatically compromised by the small size of the main coil.
Clearly a lot of work had to be spent on research to find ways to get around this major problem. Chris Kinman has devoted a good part of his working life to discovering these solutions and has racked up 7 Patents for technology that does just that. Kinman has also developed secret propriety technologies that are essential for great sound.
Three of most important things he did was to increase the height of the main coil and squash the height of the second coil without increasing the height of the whole pickup. But that alone is not enough because the two coils are still magnetically coupled and that destroys all the good things about the sound of the original noisy pickup. That's the reason for the magnetic shield surrounding the main coil. But even that is not enough.
The final piece of the puzzle is another of Kinman's inventions which focuses and concentrates the magnetic field into the coil space. Doing this instantly restores the snappy th-wack attack and the brilliant pristine highs which characterizes great sounding pickups. It has taken Chris Kinman nearly 50 years to unlock the mysteries and arrive at this point and we alone arrived there several years ago when we introduced the ground breaking Gen-2 Impersonator series Strat pickups and more recently our Gen-2 Telecaster pickups.
Kinman Gen-2 pickups must be experienced to be believed. Listen to these critical evaluations by Paul Rossiter of Fenders CS54 and Kinman's Impersonator E56 and Impersonator E54 sets. Paul is tech support to Hank Marvin and creator of the sophisticated TVS Echo machine
- AB comparisons Fender CS-54 and Kinmans (Click)
- Paul also recorded these much loved Shadows tunes
- Apache ~ Impersonator E56: (Click)
- Frightened City ~ Impersonator E56: (Click)
- Blue Star ~ Impersonator 54: (Click)
Later Paul wrote >>>I had a play around with Dance On today, probably one of the hardest tunes to nail Hank’s early tone. The only guitar I found to come close was the limited edition Fender CS Strat commissioned by Oasis, supposedly the most accurate vintage Strat reissue ever. The Kinman Impersonator E56’s did it in spades!
Chris Kinman is the only one who took the challenge seriously, in fact we are so serious about it that noiseless pickups is all we have done since 1995. We don't make noisy single coils like all the other pickup makers and that makes Kinman the outstanding leader in Zero-Hum technology and that means Kinman has risen to become the King of Noiseless. Kinman pickups are simply the best because of our amazing technology and dedication to the cause.
Bill Gerlt of Gerlt Technologies has this to say: My opinion doesn't matter. I work with facts. If it says Kinman on the cover, I know it is the best-engineered and best-sounding pickup available, whatever style it is. That's a fact and it really is just that simple. No more thinking is required. The fact that the noise is reduced is what initially got my interest, but the fact that they sound great is why I prefer Kinmans. I've been buying and recommending Kinmans for a while and will continue to do so. I'm happy to see that I will now be able to do that for basses as well. I build rack effects (Gerlt Technologies). When I go to shows I must have great pickups in my demo guitars and bass or people will naturally attribute any noise to my effects.
Immerse yourself in gorgeous tone and stimulating dynamics, immerse yourself in a delightful Kinman feel-good experience. We feel the Gen-2 models are the most outstanding but, be aware that a low capacitance cable is a must to get the best out of any pickup but especially a Kinman. Navigate to >Blogs >Any old cable won't do