Kinman AVn Traditional Set

Alnico magnets, no noise.

I have a Larry Brooks custom Telecaster which I had Joe Barden pickups in. I already had the Kinmans in my E. Johnson Strat so i was familiar with the quality already. I get the original Leo sound with no noise and lots of clarity.

A little higher output but not a whole lot.
I use a Sivertone twin twelve amp with a Homebrew Screamer.
I play many styles and these pickups have no peer if the '50s tone is what you want. I do!

No guitar I own have anything but Kinman. Yeah they are expensive but so is a 50's Tele and I really can't afford that.

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat 62' re-issue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Country, RnR, Classic Rock, Instrumentals
Reason for pickup change: Needed quieter pups

Perceived output level: Around the same
Tone: Well balanced and sweet
Sonic evaluation: My setup is a Triaxis with mesa 20/20 power amp, and and also carvin nomad.
These Pickups are absolutely noiseless and full of tone, but takes time to adjust to taste as Chris mentions this. Also the value of your pots and the tone Capacitor can change the tone to suit. My Strat had the .1mF Cap which i did'nt use when i installed the Kinman pups, i used the 0.022mF Cap, but went back to the .1mF Cap as this produced a darker tone for me which i like, which also changes the tone between 2 & 4 position beautifully for me. I should mention that i had sheilded my strat with copper tape awhile ago, which reduced the interference Humm very well, but not the humm from the stock pickups, which Cris Kinman has succeeded with this.
I can really drive my triaxis now without that alwful loud hum.
these pups are great even when i back off my volume control on my strat, no deadness like the stock pickups had.
I love these pups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: these pickups suit my style great, and using all position than i ever had.

Comments: I've been playing for 26 years, and to find the perfect tone is like finding the perfect partner, which i'm happy with both. If these were destroyed or stolen would buy again, and hope the thief and muso that buys from them rots in hell. I gave these pickups a 10 because of there quality and the price is reasonable, and also Chris Kinman's fantastic Communication & support. I would also recommend buying direct as your dealing with the creator.

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Strat Deluxe Plus
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Texas Specials
Other pickups on guitar: All Kinmans
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Country-Rock-Blues-Pop-Funk Stuff
Reason for pickup change: Texas Specials were not up to par

Perceived output level: Who knows, loud enough
Tone: Super balanced and sweet
Sonic evaluation: I play my strat straight into a '97 Blues Deluxe.
All I can really do is compare them to my TS's since that's all I've really played. Here are the main reasons why the Kinmans blow the TS's away:
1) When played through overdrive they distort so beautifully and smoothly. The TS's are very harsh in comparison. I use the overdrive channel much more now.
2) Due to Kinman's improved stagger string balance is perfect. The TS's 3rd string pole is WAY too high. Why doesn't Fender fix that?
3) Position 4 puts the TS's to shame. I used to never use it now I use it much much more. It's so hollow and toneful.
4) The overall tone is much better. It's not muddy or metallic like the TS's tend to be. It's clear and much more alive and vintagy sounding
5) Totally noiseless.
I've found that pretty much everything described on the Kinman website holds true. I can't see how anyone could be disappointed with these pickups. They're twice the cost of TS's but so much better.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I find all positions to be fantastic. It's suits my style perfectly.

Comments: I highly recommend these pickups. I give them a 9 because of price.

Pickup features: Single
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Stratocaster '57 re-issue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock '57 re-issue
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Jazz, Rock, Fusion
Reason for pickup change: Wanted less noise, better balance, better tone.

Perceived output level: About the same as stock '57
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: guitar -> PC soundcard -> software -> speaker

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: both the tone and balance produced by these pickups is great and a noticeable improvement over the stock strat pickups i find. the kinman's are condusive to plugging in your guitar rather than tearing your hair out in frustration which the stock single coils have made me want to do. these pups really are noiseless as well which is great especially if you spend hours in front of your computer monitor playing/recording as i do.
my only area of confusion with these is that now, several months after purchasing and installing these pickups, they've suddenly come to life in the past few days. i'm sure it's simply down to dodgy wiring/guitar lead and not the product itself but i am at last beginning to see what all the fuss about. well worth the money and recommended.

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Standard Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Pop, Blues, Country,
Reason for pickup change: Wanted a quiet pickup for recording

Perceived output level: I would describe ithe sound as sweet and expansive
Tone: Clear and articulate
Sonic evaluation: I play an american standard strat, a gretsch 6120, and a rickenbaker 330 12 string through various analog pedals into a Carr Slant 6

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Thes pickups are a great match for my strat given the styles I play

Comments: Yes, I would buy again. I've played for 40 years. I love the way these pickups have sweetened and expanded my sound. I also love that they have tremendously quieted my strat. I compared to Fralins and went with the Kinmans because of the reviews I read. I am no longer searching for my sound.

Pickup features: Single Coil set
Impedence or other specs: Vintage Noiseless

Model of guitar or bass: '93 Strat Plus
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Lace Sensors (Gold)
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: Don't know. Check their website
You musical style(s): Blues/fusion/straight ahead jazz/fingerstyle
Reason for pickup change: Curiosity/ thought Lace Sensors were a bit tame, muffled.

Perceived output level: Seem about the same as the stock Lace Sensors, which are supposed to be a bit higher output than regular single coils.
Tone: A bit dark, slightly muffled and bassy UNTIL you mess with pick up height, as suggested by Mr. Kinman... then, they are very clear, balanced. More than other pickups, these are extremely sensitive to pickup height. Kinman's website has certain height suggestions to begin with, but along with other reviewers, I would suggest going lower to get a better 'hollow' tone on the neck, and in positions 2 and 4. I can understand one reviewer's negative remarks about being lifeless. I had almost thought these were boring pickups and would refer to this guitar as my "background strat" until I started playing with pickup heights... makes all the difference. Bridge pickup is much better at overdriven tones than most single coils, particularly because it is not so sharp and piercing. I have this guitar wired with the second tone control dedicated to the bridge, which makes it much more versatile, especially for soloing... it's nice to back the treble off to 5 or 6 for overdriven tones and volumes.
Sonic evaluation: Currently playing through a VHT ST-50, a Fender Hot Rod Deville (2x12) or a Peavey Classic 50 (4x10)... waiting on a new Allen Old Flame, ( modified black face Super Reverb circuit with 2x10) can't wait to hear my guitars through that!
I have had these pickups for about 3 years. I have found Mr. Kinman to be incredibly helpful and professional, offering diagrams for alternate wiring, as well as possible modifications of my pickups to meet his newer updates in construction. Although I can't fault him, I have been disappointed that he is unwilling to recommend any humbuckers to complement his pickups in a SSH configuration. Given the popularity of this set up, one would think that his opinion would be very useful, but he has twice offered that he cannot make a recommendation. Maybe this is because of additional noise that might be generated, which might compromise his reputation. Still, we are all out here trying to make this tone thing work, so some kind of opinion on the whole SSH controversy would be helpful from someone who otherwise has been very dedicated to helping guitarists understand the various components of good tone. As a result, I will stick to other brands for my SSH strat.
I also have to say that my other strat (which has some kind of stock Fender single coils in the neck and middle) still sounds a bit better on crunchy blues soloing, more of a Stevie Ray or Mike Landau tone. I can't quite get this 'hollowness'(?) with the Kinmans, although they are much closer with the lower pickup height. Not sure what's up with that, I'm not the technical expert, just a tone lover trying to unravel the mysteries of this stuff. Overall, I like the Kinmans alot, just wish I could get that extra edge without the noise. I may try the Suhr V-60's or Van Zandts in my other strat, to see if I like those better. But, so far, for noiseless pickups, these are to be highly recommended.... much livelier than the Lace Sensors that came stock with this strat.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play in a fusion band that does original material difficult to describe. I love blues, blues fusion and straight ahead jazz, with some of my favorite players being Scott Henderson, Mike Landau, Robben Ford, Wes Montgomery, Peter Bernstein, Allan Holdsworth, Jeff Beck and Pat Metheny, to name only a few. I usually like to use the SSH set up strat for the fusion stuff, as the humbucker in the bridge is a bit better for soloing, but the Kinmans warm up nicely with the right pedal set up and at club volume. I can get very close to a mid rangey humbucker tone, with some help from my pedal board. The lack of noise is a definite plus, when playing some of our tunes, which require a lot of dynamics and have some passages that are pianisissimo. O

Comments: For Noiseless single coils, these are the best I've found, so far. For customer service, support, innovation and commitment to constant improvement, I don't think you will find anyone better in the music world than Chris Kinman, unless it's Dave Allen (Allen Amplification) and that still says a lot! I would probably try a full set of Suhrs or Van Zandt's with a heavily shielded guitar before I would replace these, though, only because one never knows and exploring is half the fun! You won't regret purchasing these pickups. Everyone should have two or 3 strats, anyway, and at least one of them should have a set of Kinmans!

Pickup features: Passive, Noiseless Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Impotent? Not me.

Model of guitar or bass: American Series Fender Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Red, Silver, and Blue Lace Sensor
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Hopefully none. I heard David Gilmour is using Kinmans but he probably uses the blues model.
You musical style(s): A Funky pop rock sandwich with a mix of jazz infused soul and slight hint of Russian folk music from the 12th Century
Reason for pickup change: Lace Sensors sounded like my guitar had been fried on a grill and served up as an Extra Crispy meal at KFC.

Perceived output level: Low output. Very low. .
Tone: Chimey, trebly, and quacky.
Sonic evaluation: Candidly speaking, I was using a Marshall DSL401. Let me crash the Kinman party and say these pickups are God awful and a highway robbery that would make Bonnie and Clyde jealous. I know they are supposed to be traditional and all, but this is ridiculous. They sound artificial and thin. And quacky! I know this is a Strat, but do I need quack on ALL positions, not just the 2 and 4? Howard the Duck would be jealous. And these pickups are absolutely unusable with much distortion. And while they have some chime, they have no warmth. My fault for picking these? The fault of my amp? Maybe but they are not worth the obscene price they are going for unless you are an investment banker with loot to burn. Maybe these pickups can be used as a tax write off. Kinmans=Internet hype.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock and/or roll.

Comments: Let me be even more blunt...no just kidding. I'm afraid Chris Kinman will write a nasty response because I didn't like his product. All I'm saying is that tone-wise, the stock Delta Tones actually ahd more life in them than these babies. But I was young and naive and the victim of self-deception and brainwashing due to Internet-itis. I now dislike the Internet almost as much as these cold, quacky, weak, thin pickups. If you want your Strat to sound like it has the measles, these are the pickups you want.
In my humble opinion.

Pickup features: Noiseless single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: American Roadhouse Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Alternative, clasic rock, pop.
Reason for pickup change: Better tone

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: This is a re-review. As someone else has stated, it is good to get a long term perspective on these after a year or so of use.
Another interesting facit of this review is that I seem to be one of the only people that has both Kinman pickups AND Lindy Fralin's in 2 different strats to compare.
OK, first off to satisfy your curiosity, I like the Kinman's better than the Fralins. The Kinmans are crisper, more articulate, and much better sustaining. The other guitarist in my band comments frequently on the difference in my 2 guitars tone and can easily tell when I play the Kinmans.
The tone of the Fralins is VERY good. Please don't take this as a slam on them. They simply aren't AS good (IMHO) as the Kinmans.
Both of these pickups are VASTLY superior to stock pickups or any other strat pickup I have ever played. Certianly they are 1 and 2 on the tone chart ..... but the Kinmans are #1.
I just had a gig last night and was again amazed when I switched from my Fralin guitar to my Kinman guitar. I have been trying to decide which Strat to sell since I want a Les Paul for some of the heavy stuff and it really doesn't make sence to have 2 strats. The Fralin guitar is the one that will go.
Having been witness to the 2 best pickups in the industry for a strat, I can vouch for the Kinmans. More than that, even my other band members can tell.
If you are on the fence (as I was) about the tone of Kinmans vs. Fralins (both great pickups), I would recommend the Kinmans.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: Feel free to e-mail me with your questions. I would be happy to answer them.

Pickup features: passive, not sure of correct description single coil or HB???
Impedence or other specs: not my thing

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer USA Daytona (strat)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan Alnico II
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): mainly bluesy
Reason for pickup change: I read or hear about stuff, get all worked up, have to try it out...

Perceived output level: low, the way I have them set up
Tone: good balance
Sonic evaluation: Cage class A EL-84, '64 Fender Princeton, various Weber speakers

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I've had these pups in this guitar for over a year now. I haven't been playing it much because I thought they were too middy and bland and just didn't have the Fender sparkle and airyness I love. I have to say now I was wrong, and it was my fault for not taking the time to dial in the pup height and eq.
These have excellent tone in all switch positions (I actually have an SCn in the bridge which is hotter than the AVn - and I do still get a nice rear notch sound, very Robert Cray) once you find YOUR 'sweet spot'. My taste runs to the vintage tones and now that I have the front two pups almost down to the pickguard - maybe about 1mm above it - I'm very pleased with them. Are they 100% authentic vintage tone machines? the only way to really answer that would be to sit down with an original vintage strat and a/b them, and I'm not able to do that. Failing that, I'll say whatever may be lost in tone is probably made up for by the absence of hum. Maybe some day I'll play this guitar side by side with a real vintage Fender, or some booteek number with Fralins, or whatever, and change my mind, but right now I think these sound really good.
I for one don't blame Kinman for replying to the guy below with his slam - at least the part about the in-between tones being absent. That's absurd. Just wrong. He's either pulling that out of his hat, or he has no clue what those tones are supposed to sound like. My guitar has them in spades.
Bottom line, these produce very acceptable vintage type tone without the hum. If you don't care about the hum, save your money. I've had Duncans for less than half the price that sound just as good, but they hum. If you want higher output and fatter (and more generic IMO) tone, crank them up toward the strings. But set them up really low and they sound very, very Stratty.

Pickup features: Passive SC
Impedence or other specs: No idea

Model of guitar or bass: 60s Reissue Japanese Fender Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): everything
Reason for pickup change: Stock jap pickups were sad, really

Perceived output level: Similar to stock Am Std strats
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use my jap strat along with a 5W ultra-high quality class A custom tube amp made by Dennis Cornell (UK) using my personal specifications.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It' s not really suitable for heavy blues or rock. For this, I'd go for another Kinman set with hotter & fatter pickups.

Comments: I've been playing for over 20 years and have owned loads and loads of guitar gear.
I am currently building a custom strat from my Jap reissue. I have recently purchased a Torres Blueskaster harness with Kinman specs, and have also ordered a thinline korina strat body from Warmoth.
I had been thinking long and hard about what I need, and had tried a lot of pickups. In the end, I knew exactly what i wanted:
- hum-cancelling pickups
- late 50s vintage tone
So I ended up with the choice of:
- Seymour Duncan vintage stacks. Did not try them but they use an older technology and don't get very good reviews (dark tone it seems).
- Joe Barden S-Deluxe pickups. Tried them and love every bit of them, except two things: the looks (I didn't want black rails and they don't make them in white) and the stupid price !
- Kinman AVn Traditional pickups. Checked out the Kiman site, asked the guy about a recommandation, got it the following day, listened to sound extracts, ordered the pickups and there you go.
Compared to the Barden pups, the Kinman are not as sharp and trebly. They sound like aged pickups, a bit mellowed out, whereas with the Barden pups you KNOW you are playing brand new pickups. The kinman babies are very dynamic (but maybe not as much as the Barden's). They work wonders with tubes. Well, basically, they sound just like old 50s pickups, just like they should be.
I bought the AVn Traditional set brand new for the exact price of ONE Joe Barden pickup.
The customer service is absolutely 100% brillant, it's great doing business with Chris. Compared to Joe Barden, what a difference!!
I would recommend Kinman pickups to anyone looking for a professional classic strat sound. I am a very satisfied customer.
However, please note that the AVn Traditional pickups are not very powerful. Sometimes, when I play Hendrixy stuff, I wish I'd bought the Blues set! But when I play Dick Dale pieces, I'm glad I haven't.
I am currently thinking about building another strat for playing heavy blues stuff... using hotter Kinman pickups!