Kinman Guitar Electrix
Encyclopedia
Kinman Guitar Electrix is a small boutique Australia
n company that specializes in the design and manufacture of innovative Zero-Hum (hum-canceling) pickups for electric guitar
s that solve noise problems associated with single coil
pickups.
One of its most popular products is the Kinman Hx (an initialism for Hum cancelling) pickup, a patented noiseless pickup design developed in 1996 by its founder, Chris Kinman, as a direct drop-in replacement for Fender Stratocaster
style single coil
pickups. Most of the models in the Kinman line carry the designation AVn, an initialism for Authentic Vintage noiseless.
In 1998 Kinman embarked on development of technology specifically for Telecaster guitars that was not introduced until circa 2001. The technology centers around a patented laminated steel H-core bobbin that functions as a noise sensing coil. It is made of 150 separate pieces of steel. The H-core is interesting because it performs more efficiently than conventional noise sensing bobbins, requiring less turns of copper wire. There is a strong correlation between sonic signature of a noiseless pickup and the number of turns of copper wire contained in the noise sensor.
Circa 2003 Kinman introduced a line of NoSoldering Harness for Stratocasters and Telecasters that allow guitar players to install pickups into their instruments without the need for soldering, which is the usual method. Some models incorporate a switching system that provides 9 different sounds by connecting various pickups in series as well as parallel and combinations thereof.
In October 2009, after an inventive development period of almost 9 years, Kinman released a hum-canceling P-90 pickup known as the P-90 Hx. It incorporates new 'patent applied for' magnetic circuit technology which allows a minimal 600 Ohm noise sensor. Kinman claims this new noise sensor technology is responsible for unusually accurate reproduction of P-90 sound. The P-90 Hx is also remarkable for its 202 individual components including 2 Alnico bar magnets, a normal P-90 has about 12 components making the P-90 Hx the most complex and sophisticated guitar pickup yet.
Kinmans new 'patent applied for' technology concerning their 600 Ohm noise sensor has given rise to a new breed of hum-canceling pickups for Stratocaster and Telecaster also with 600 Ohm noise sensors. These new models are remarkable because the 600 Ohm noise sensor allows the pickups to generate accurate sonic reproduction of the original sound of Stratocaster and Telecaster pickups despite being hum-canceling which hitherto has been impossible to achieve.
The Impersonator 54 Strat pickup incorporating H-core technology introduced circa 2010 has received wide acclaim for its authentic reproduction of the sound of Fender's CS-54 noisy single coil. Hank Marvin preferred the CS54 to achieve his 60's Shadows lead guitar sound and Kinman's Impersonator 54 was created at Hanks request for a noiseless version of the C-54. The CS-54 is used extensively for all kinds of musical environments.
Kinman holds the most number of patents concerned with increasing the efficiency of and minimizing the noise sensing coils in hum-canceling guitar pickups.
Circa mid 2011 the company released a range of innovative Gibson style humbuckers. Somewhat of a departure from single coils Kinman applied technology derived from their single coils to improve the sound of the conventional humbucker. Kinman claims to improve articulation, clarity, definition and touch sensitivity of the iconic humbucker. Kinman humbuckers also set a new benchmark for quietness where hum is concerned (most conventional humbucker construction is asymmetric to a degree thus the imbalance between the coils causes some hum).
One model, the Clean Skin, sounds close to a P-90. It has a definite single coil vibe which has been along sought after goal which Gibson themselves sought to achieve when they designed their original PAF humbucking pickup. However their PAF turned out to be a very different sounding pickup compared to a P-90.
s:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n company that specializes in the design and manufacture of innovative Zero-Hum (hum-canceling) pickups for electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
s that solve noise problems associated with single coil
Single coil
A single coil pickup is a type of magnetic transducer, or pickup, for the electric guitar and the electric bass. It electromagnetically converts the vibration of the strings to an electric signal...
pickups.
One of its most popular products is the Kinman Hx (an initialism for Hum cancelling) pickup, a patented noiseless pickup design developed in 1996 by its founder, Chris Kinman, as a direct drop-in replacement for Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
style single coil
Single coil
A single coil pickup is a type of magnetic transducer, or pickup, for the electric guitar and the electric bass. It electromagnetically converts the vibration of the strings to an electric signal...
pickups. Most of the models in the Kinman line carry the designation AVn, an initialism for Authentic Vintage noiseless.
In 1998 Kinman embarked on development of technology specifically for Telecaster guitars that was not introduced until circa 2001. The technology centers around a patented laminated steel H-core bobbin that functions as a noise sensing coil. It is made of 150 separate pieces of steel. The H-core is interesting because it performs more efficiently than conventional noise sensing bobbins, requiring less turns of copper wire. There is a strong correlation between sonic signature of a noiseless pickup and the number of turns of copper wire contained in the noise sensor.
Circa 2003 Kinman introduced a line of NoSoldering Harness for Stratocasters and Telecasters that allow guitar players to install pickups into their instruments without the need for soldering, which is the usual method. Some models incorporate a switching system that provides 9 different sounds by connecting various pickups in series as well as parallel and combinations thereof.
In October 2009, after an inventive development period of almost 9 years, Kinman released a hum-canceling P-90 pickup known as the P-90 Hx. It incorporates new 'patent applied for' magnetic circuit technology which allows a minimal 600 Ohm noise sensor. Kinman claims this new noise sensor technology is responsible for unusually accurate reproduction of P-90 sound. The P-90 Hx is also remarkable for its 202 individual components including 2 Alnico bar magnets, a normal P-90 has about 12 components making the P-90 Hx the most complex and sophisticated guitar pickup yet.
Kinmans new 'patent applied for' technology concerning their 600 Ohm noise sensor has given rise to a new breed of hum-canceling pickups for Stratocaster and Telecaster also with 600 Ohm noise sensors. These new models are remarkable because the 600 Ohm noise sensor allows the pickups to generate accurate sonic reproduction of the original sound of Stratocaster and Telecaster pickups despite being hum-canceling which hitherto has been impossible to achieve.
The Impersonator 54 Strat pickup incorporating H-core technology introduced circa 2010 has received wide acclaim for its authentic reproduction of the sound of Fender's CS-54 noisy single coil. Hank Marvin preferred the CS54 to achieve his 60's Shadows lead guitar sound and Kinman's Impersonator 54 was created at Hanks request for a noiseless version of the C-54. The CS-54 is used extensively for all kinds of musical environments.
Kinman holds the most number of patents concerned with increasing the efficiency of and minimizing the noise sensing coils in hum-canceling guitar pickups.
Circa mid 2011 the company released a range of innovative Gibson style humbuckers. Somewhat of a departure from single coils Kinman applied technology derived from their single coils to improve the sound of the conventional humbucker. Kinman claims to improve articulation, clarity, definition and touch sensitivity of the iconic humbucker. Kinman humbuckers also set a new benchmark for quietness where hum is concerned (most conventional humbucker construction is asymmetric to a degree thus the imbalance between the coils causes some hum).
One model, the Clean Skin, sounds close to a P-90. It has a definite single coil vibe which has been along sought after goal which Gibson themselves sought to achieve when they designed their original PAF humbucking pickup. However their PAF turned out to be a very different sounding pickup compared to a P-90.
Patents
Chris Kinman has been awarded the following US patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s:
- USA Patent Number 5,668,520 issued 1997
- USA Patent Number 5,834,999 issued 1998
- USA Patent Number 6,103,966 issued 2000
- USA Patent Number 29/240,940 issued 2006
- USA Patent Number 7,022,909 issued 2006
- USA Patent Pending 2009
Notable users of Kinman pickups
Players who use Kinman pickups include:- Brad PaisleyBrad PaisleyBrad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
; Broadcaster bridge pickup - Darrel HighamDarrel HighamDarrel Higham is an English rockabilly guitarist.-Career:Higham started playing lead guitar with British rockabilly bands in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, he had created the band that would become his main gigging and recording project: Darrel Higham & The Enforcers...
of Imelda MayImelda MayImelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
P-90 Hx - JamiroquaiJamiroquaiJamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
Rob Harris, Blues set - Hank MarvinHank MarvinHank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
(The Shadows); FV-HMS set - Scott HendersonScott HendersonScott Henderson is a fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech.-Early days:Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Henderson began playing guitar at an early age...
; AVn-56 Mk-II x 3 - David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
(Pink Floyd); Woodstock Regular set - PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
; (unknown Strat models) maybe Broadcaster set - Bonnie RaittBonnie RaittBonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
; Blues set - Gary MooreGary MooreRobert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
; Blues set & Woodstock Regular set - Guthrie GovanGuthrie GovanGuthrie Govan is a guitarist known for his work with the bands Asia , GPS, The Young Punx and The Fellowship as well as Erotic Cakes...
(ASIA); Blues set - Jan AkkermanJan AkkermanJan Akkerman is a Dutch guitarist. Akkerman is a distinctive guitarist, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive guitar sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained tone, and other complex techniques...
; AVn-62 - David CrosbyDavid CrosbyDavid Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
; (CSNY) - David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel)
- Mick BoxMick BoxMichael Frederick Box , better known by his stage name Mick Box, is the lead guitarist of British rock group Uriah Heep, having previously been a member of The Stalkers and Spice, both with original Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron. He is the only member from the band's founding in 1969 who is...
(Uriah Heep); Blues set - Peter TorkPeter TorkPeter Tork is an American musician and actor, best known as a member of The Monkees.-Early life:Tork was born Peter Halsten Thorkelson in Washington, D.C.. Although he was born in 1942, many news articles report him as born in 1944 in New York City as this was the date and place given on early...
(The Monkees); Blues set - Dave StewartDavid A. StewartDavid Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
; (Eurythmics) - Anthony DrennanAnthony DrennanAnthony Drennan is an Irish guitarist noted for his involvement with Genesis, Mike + the Mechanics and The Corrs whom he has played with throughout most of his career. He was born in Luton, England, but moved back to Ireland at a young age. He has also played with Clannad, Paul Brady, Moving...
(The Corrs & Genesis); Traditional set, Blues set, Broadcaster set - Jackson BrowneJackson BrowneJackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
; Hank Marvin CV-HMS set - John FarrarJohn FarrarJohn Farrar is a music producer, songwriter, music arranger, singer and guitarist who is best known for his work with Olivia Newton-John with whom he wrote and produced many hit songs....
, (ex Shadows, ex Strangers) - Terje RypdalTerje RypdalTerje Rypdal is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. Most of his music has been released on albums of the German record label ECM. Rypdal has collaborated both as a guitarist and as a composer with other ECM artists such as Ketil Bjørnstad and David Darling...
, Blues set