kinman avn...?

[itsteebo]

hey there,
i just bought me a nice ash bodied tele with a maple neck. it's american made so i know the pickups probably aren't that bad but i have this thing against hum. now i was thinking about getting the Kinman AvN60s but then i checked out the AvN Broadcasters and it seems like those might not be all that bad either. i'm looking for a classic rock, rhythem tone...i should mention i also have an american strat w/ lace hot gold pickups in it. i'm playing through a 59 ri bassman aswell. with all that considered, any opinions/experiences on either pickup? i think the AvN60 might be too bright w/ the ash/maple combination. the broadcasters seemed to have more bass and mids. but the broadcasters also were reviewed as hotter pickups and i don't need to have that when i have a strat and rat pedal...i don't know,
any thoughts?

thanks,
nick

[Dangerine49]

Sorry, can't help you out with Kinman's for a Tele, but I had some similar questions for a set of Kinman's for my ash Strat. I emailed the details of what I was looking for to the Kinman website and received an email response with a recommended set for my Strat. They sound great!

[lasher]

i had a set of strat kinmans oh,,,2 years ago. i didn't care for them, traded em to a friend, he loves them, and they sounded great in his guitar. go figure.

[itsteebo]

hey,
i also have a strat i was thinkin about buyin a set of woodstocks to put in there. i currently have the stock pickups in but i have a set of lace hot gold pickups sitting next to my bed. what should i do? i'm goin for that classic rock sound, go for the woodstocks right? neone have suggestions?

thanks,
nick

[lasher]

classic rock? i've never cared for lace so i can't be objective. and haven't heard the later kinmans. i bought a set of van zandt vintage, with no rwrp middle...just about nail the classic strat tone, imo....

[McStrat]

I have the Woodstocks. Great pickups. Look at www.kinman.com They are described very well there.

[lefty]

I have Kinman AVn Blues in one Strat. Superb pickups, I've been really happy with them. I've been strongly considering a set of Woodstocks for another Strat that has Vintage Noiseless pups right now.

[temensis]

Originally posted by lasher
i had a set of strat kinmans oh,,,2 years ago. i didn't care for them, traded em to a friend, he loves them, and they sounded great in his guitar. go figure.

I am a new Kinman AVn user and would like to offer my 2 cents.

I recently got a set of AVn Traditionals to replace my Fender CS ’54 because I could not bear the noise coming from the later while recording in front of my computer and monitor. I found the Trads very sensitive and responsive - sports car like performance when compared to the CS ’54 a family saloon. Play it softly and the sound comes out sweet and gentle, dig in with the pick and it would roar back at you. I had initially set my pickups to the recommended maximum height (or minimum gap). I am a bit heavy on the pick for my style of ‘60s music and I just did not quite like how it sounded so I lowered the pups (increase the gap) a little at a time and viola, I got exactly the tone I had wanted. Experiment with the height that’s what Kinman tells us in the instructions. Perhaps that’s what the second owner did that but not you :)

BTW the next time I get a set of Kinmans I have to remember that ‘Noiseless’ is only just a bonus. The sound from these pups should be what you go for. Anyone wants to buy my CS ’54? :)

[Musicstop]

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[curtisstetka]

I put a set of avn60's in my American tele when I got it last summer. They are magnificent pickups. As stated before, the noiseless aspect is just a bonus. The sound, even if it hummed, would be worth it. But... there is no hum...

That said, properly shielding the electronics in your guitar can make a big difference in hum. I have Seymour Duncan lipstick tube pickups in my strat and they do hum but it isn't intolerable. I've got that thing all wrapped up inside with grounding foil. Check out www.guitarnuts.com for detailed instructions.

[jokerjkny]

Originally posted by Dangerine49
Sorry, can't help you out with Kinman's for a Tele, but I had some similar questions for a set of Kinman's for my ash Strat. I emailed the details of what I was looking for to the Kinman website and received an email response with a recommended set for my Strat. They sound great!

yup, i have a set of AVN Blues (62, 62, SCn) in my maple/ash '56 relic, and its my fav guitar.

but check out this thread from Mountain Blues. got me jazzed for a set of Broadcasters for my tele:

http://www.thefenderforum.com/forum/...ghlight=kinman

[Kebmel]

I use Avn Blues set in my favourite Stratocaster, I would recommend them to anyone who is serious about getting a great single coil (& noiseless!) tone.

It is just amazing how these pick-ups sound so different when you play soft or hard, they are really versatile too. From jazzy sounds to "stratty" and kick in distortion on the amp and sustain for days.

If I could only have one guitar, I would choose these pups, wire the bridge pup to the tone pots and gee willickers!

Did I mention I love these pups

[mountain blues]

I don't get over to this forum that much, but I'll add my thoughts on the AVn Blues Set, which I've had for three years.

First of all, I can't say enough good things about Chris Kinman. He is a class act, and a pickup genius. Credit should be given where it is due.

Second, the AVn sets feature "Aged" tone, and that means the absence of brand new, crystalline tone, and the presence of killer mellower blues tone that can cut with the best of them.

What never stops grabbing me and making me a very loyal AVn Blues fan is the presence that lives inside of the aged tone. The pickups are very alive and musical, deep, rich and articulate. #5 - the neck - is pure blues heaven. #4 has that warmer cluck but keeps a definition that is magical. #3 middle is unreal - there is so much great tone in that one position. #2 is sublime, and #1 bridge is so bad-ass warm-raw-tough-musical that it just lives in its own world.

Let's be real - you have to be able to play and get these pickups to sing in order to know what is in them. By themselves, they won't transform you as a player. And, I can't ever see parting with them, and that puts them side by side with my Callaham and Lentz Strats. By no means the same as those guitars, but magically different.

And yes, they really do respond to pickup height. I was part of the movement a few years back to bring them down to the pickguard to get the best tone, and Chris really embraced that shift in thinking, to his credit.

Kinmans are masterpieces.

[Macaroni]

I have a superb custom MIJ 57 RI with a Kinnman Blues set, and a custom Strat made for me by Wayne Charvel that has the Woodstocks.

Both sets are incredible. I agree with all the positive reviews stated above. Stunning tones all round and lots of tonal variations according to one's playing nuances. They inspire you to want to play your guitars.

I also have them at a moderate height. Not all the way to the pickguard, but not right up near the strings.

They are masterpieces.

[Dangerine49]

Originally posted by Dangerine49
Sorry, can't help you out with Kinman's for a Tele, but I had some similar questions for a set of Kinman's for my ash Strat. I emailed the details of what I was looking for to the Kinman website and received an email response with a recommended set for my Strat. They sound great!

I just ordered another set (Traditionals) for my MIM Strat. Whoopee!!

[pbradt]

Originally posted by itsteebo
hey there,
i just bought me a nice ash bodied tele with a maple neck. it's american made so i know the pickups probably aren't that bad but i have this thing against hum. now i was thinking about getting the Kinman AvN60s but then i checked out the AvN Broadcasters and it seems like those might not be all that bad either...i don't know,
any thoughts?

thanks,
nick

MNind you, I'm a purist and don't mind the hum, but...

I played with a guy a couple years ago who was using Bill Lawrence L280s in a Strat, great tone and noiseless. The Tele versions have gotten rave reviews and they're not nearly the $cratch that Kinmans are. Worth checking out.

http://www.billlawrence.com/

[temensis]

Originally posted by Dangerine49
I just ordered another set (Traditionals) for my MIM Strat. Whoopee!!

Digressing a bit....Have you considered changing the MIM tremelo block to a steel piece for better sound? Do note that I tried to replace my 2002 MIM cast zinc block with a Calaham steel block but it would not fit. So I am going for a complete USA Vintage bridge change. Your new AVn Traditional set deserves this upgrade.

[Random]

Hey Macaroni, can you give us more details on the sound of the Woodstocks,compared to the Blues?
Thanks

[Musicstop]

Originally posted by Musicstop
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I apologize, I didn't realize that the advice I provided constituted an advertisment, I only meant to share my ideas about these pickups and make some suggestions about how to get the most from them.

I agree with itsteebo that the AVN-60's in combination with the Ash/Maple wood combo on the Tele could be overly bright. I think the Broadcaster set with it's more aggressive bridge pickup is going to work best with the Bassman for a good classic rock tone- nice and punchy, very ballsy! Kinmans are very sensitive to pickup height adjustment so keep in mind that dialing in your tone is probably going to involve finding the sweet spot for the height of your pickups.

I'll be sure to keep my posts non-commercial.

Cheers,

Aimish Wallace

[Macaroni]

I'm getting a Fuchs Overdrive Supreme (a modified Traynor) next week. After I've spent some time with it, I'll give a detailed description of the differences between the Blues & Woodstocks using that amp.

In general, the differences are pretty much what Chris Kinnman describes re the aged vs unaged tones. The unaged are a bit brighter, more clarity and a bit more punch. But it's not a drastic difference, and that's not to say that the Blues set is dull or weak by comparison. I think the Blues set was a perfect match for the MIJ Strat - stunning actually.

My MIJ Strat with the Blues set has an ash body with a maple neck and the custom Charvel is a mahogany body with a flame maple top and rosewood neck - kind of a Les Strat, if you will. So both guitars are significantly different in terms of how the woods contribute to the tones. So for those reasons, it wouldn't be a direct comparison using the same kind of guitar.

I'm glad I got the Woodstocks for the Charvel, because they compliment the body/neck woods nicely with their 'unaged' sounds. Nice and clear and crisp, but without any harshness or ice pick edge. Just beautiful, crystaline, sparkly, heavenly tones. All the expected Strat tones, but very Hi Fi and harmonically rich, and they sing sweetly.

[Random]

Hey thanks, I've had a set of three Avn 56's in my strat now for over three years and love them,but I've not seen many comments on the Woodstocks. I've been toying with putting them(woodstocks) in an alder/rosewood MIJ strat.

[Dangerine49]

Originally posted by temensis
Digressing a bit....Have you considered changing the MIM tremelo block to a steel piece for better sound? Do note that I tried to replace my 2002 MIM cast zinc block with a Calaham steel block but it would not fit. So I am going for a complete USA Vintage bridge change. Your new AVn Traditional set deserves this upgrade.

Thanks, temensis. I have seen that upgrade recommended before. I may look into that next.

[jokerjkny]

Originally posted by Macaroni
I'm getting a Fuchs Overdrive Supreme (a modified Traynor) next week. After I've spent some time with it, I'll give a detailed description of the differences between the Blues & Woodstocks using that amp.
(...)

speaking of which, here's a few clips of my '56 relic's AVN Blues thru my FUchs ODS-30 w/ my Tone Tubby HempE laoded 1x12.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/6/jokerjknymusic.htm

notice the complete lack of hum, despite slammin' at 8 on the master volume.

rockin'