Kinman P-90 Hx

Noiseless P90 with a low impedance ???noise suppressor?????? Technically, it???s impressive to see: far to be two plain coils stacked on each side of two bar magnets. The Kinman has two coils of different shapes mounted on a complex structure and several shielding screens. According to the builder, there???s 202 individual parts (where a ???real??? P90 includes 13 parts only).
The rounded shape of the upper coil accepts various cover radiuses. The whole pickups is just taller than a standard P90, like most noiseless devices.
Electronically??? I won???t mention its DC resistance because it doesn???t mean nothing : the power of a P90 depends on its inductance.
Of course, the inductance of a pickup is generally proportional to its DC resistance. That???s why current noiseless P90???s due their powerful sound to an important DC resistance, translating in an altered tone (the sound of a humbucker, minus the string sensitivity allowed by two parallel coils).
But here it???s not the case: the P90Hx has a low resistance and 6,13 Henry of inductance, according to my measurements. It???s not the highest possible value for a P90. But it???s already huge (the same inductance than many high gain humbuckers) and it gives a strong attack, without that compressed and muffled tone often due to an excessive resistance.

I had already five electric guitars : home made Strat with Fender pickups, ash body and maple neck Fender Strat Dlx with Kinman Blues Set, Gibson LP Std with Duncan SH55???s, Variax500 with an added Duncan SH13, Charvel CH4 with active electronic??? I???ve bought a PRS SE one especially to mount a noiseless P90 in it (bridge position, with a single volume pot). I???ve therefore dug the single cavity of the guitar because it wasn???t deep enough??? but it???s worth the effort. Although made in Korea, the PRS has an extraordinary bright resonance, that the P90Hx enhances with much soul and natural.

Playing since 1980, I???ve always considered the P90 as a perfect crossing between a single coil and a humbucker. The Kinman reproduces this tone without the huge hum traditionally generated by P90???s??? but with all these nuances that a good P90 expresses and that other noiseless clones tend to flatten.
As I???ve kept the capacitor against treble bleeding mounted by PRS, the sound doesn???t darken when I lower the volume: in the crunch or drive channel of a tube amp, it gives many interesting tonal shades??? Roll off your volume pot around 2 or 3: it sounds clean, jangly, twangy. The sound of the sixties, almost more than through my Strats. Rise the level around 7 or 8 and play with your fingers: the guitar literally speaks with a sensual voice that I???ve rarely heard elsewhere. Almost more ???woman tone??? than my beloved Les Paul itself. Crank up your pot: you now have a creamy sound, with a strong attack and that wonderfully ???morphing??? release that single coils or high inductance pickups generate (you can hear something like vowels while the sustain decreases: if you don???t know what I mean, listen Roy Buchanan and say to yourself that the Kinman does it effortless thanks to its single coil architecture AND high inductance). The SH13 mounted in one of my other guitars doesn???t seem more powerful, without having that harmonic complexity due to Alnico magnets. Result: I???ve been able to play Eddie Cochran, modern blues, mainstream pop as well as Metallica with the P90Hx??? and with a single amp setting if needed!
Another good surprise is the ability of this pickup to handle bottleneck licks without noise : nor hum nor fret buzz. Just that thick tone that a bottleneck requires.
Not to mention how it behaves plugged in a Boss acoustic simulator: thanks to its dynamic, the Kinman gives many room to such an emulator. Volume full up, it sounds like a nylon stringed guitar. Pot rolled down, it produces a thinner and brighter tone, like a standard country axe??? My Variax could collect the dust in a near future.
Conclusion: exceptionally rich sounding and surprisingly versatile for a single bridge pickup with a single pot!

Outstanding. Not the strongest P90 available but just enough powerful to give serious balls and clear enough to translate perfectly the subtlety of your playing as well as the original resonance of the guitar. Not the kind of pickups whose hegemonic tone hides anything else than itself ??? IOW: the contrary of a DiMarzio X2N, for example, although the Kinman doesn???t seem weak compared to it.
The P90Hx sounds open, strong and ALIVE. Furthermore, not only it delivers a convincing noiseless P90 tone, but mounted as it is in my SE, it???s in itself one of the most versatile pups I???ve ever played, and maybe the most inspiring.
For these reasons, this pickup is a milestone in my already long guitar trip. The owner of my favorite music shop, who is also a friend, is accustomed to high quality gear: he owns 13 American PRS???s. And he???s sold too!