Kinman Traditional Mk-II set or Fender 57/62?

[Fender]

I have Kinman FV-HMS on one of my Strats, and they are good but perhaps a little "dull". I have considered to buy new pups for my other Strat, and have read about the Traditional Mk-II set, and also pups like Fender 57/62. I mostly use my guitars into a Roland VS-2480dvd for recording guitar-instrumentals, so therefore I think noiseless is very good. But I can't make up my mind about which pups to buy. I like the early Shadows sound and the modern Hank sound very much, (and of course also other types of sound). Have you any idea/tip about which one I should go for?

[Don]

The Kinmans are great...

...if you need noiseless pickups.

If you want real single coil sound, you can't beat Fender '57/'62s.

[demioblue]

I have Kinman FV-HMS on one of my Strats, and they are good but perhaps a little "dull".

erm... these are dull? wow... They're my fav set! perhaps you haven't found the right height for these? Or maybe you have, but still prefer something more conventional.

The MKII set is good. very clean, and very versatile. More pop and quack compared to the FVHMS set, but less bell tone. Lower output as well. I have both, and I prefer the FVHMS.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the 57/62s, but maybe that because I could never find a good tone from those. I gave up too quickly, maybe, but I found what I wanted in the Kinman sets instead, so I never bothered looking back.

If you want real single coil sound, you can't beat Fender '57/'62s

Yes you can, but I don't know where I can find a set of CS 65 pups for sale... heh...

[Fender]

Yes, it could be that I have'nt found the correct height yet. Have you an idea what might be the right height, espesially for the bridge pup? (I have 2 Strats, a Fender Am Std and a Fender Classic '50).

[Fender]

To be more correct, I have'nt got the Fender Classic '50 yet, I'll have it on Monday. And perhaps the pups on this guitar are good?
If not I was thinking of getting another set for this guitar, and I suppose noiseless are the best for my use.

[demioblue]

Yes, it could be that I have'nt found the correct height yet. Have you an idea what might be the right height, espesially for the bridge pup? (I have 2 Strats, a Fender Am Std and a Fender Classic '50).

With the E strings depressed at the 16th fret, measuring from bottom of string to top of pickup bobbin, 3mm distance for neck and middle, and 2.5mm on bridge works for me...

[Fender]

Thank you, I will try that :-)

[demioblue]

Thank you, I will try that :-)

remember to have the SAME distance for both the low E and the high E. Let me know how it turns out for you...

[tugboat]

Measuring is not the way to do it. Start with all the pickups on the deck, raise the neck until it sounds good, the match the volume with the middle, then the bridge. Use your ears, not a ruler.

+1

Guitars don't pay any attention to millimeters

[demioblue]

Measuring is not the way to do it. Start with all the pickups on the deck, raise the neck until it sounds good, the match the volume with the middle, then the bridge. Use your ears, not a ruler.

agreed. but he obviously doesn't know how to do this. so perhaps a basic guideline may help him. especially since we both have this same set, and I have a wee bit of experience with this set...

[pc]

Yes, but what they are trying to explain to you is that even with the exact same height, his guitar may sound entirely different with the same pickups. Your experience is related to your guitar. Ears are the answer, not rulers.

[demioblue]

Yes, but what they are trying to explain to you is that even with the exact same height, his guitar may sound entirely different with the same pickups. Your experience is related to your guitar. Ears are the answer, not rulers.

well, both my guitars (one AVRI 62 and one 57HRRI) with the same set of pickups coincidentally have the same measurements for the best tone for this set to my ears on that particular guitar. So, I think it can't hurt to at least try those heights since 2 out of 2 ain't bad...

At least, if he doesn't like those heights himself, then he can experiment on his own. But at least he can have a starting point as a reference...

[elicross]

Does "on the deck" mean flush with the pickguard? Is there ever a case where a pickup sounds best that low? If not, it seems like a lot of unnecessary cranking (and possible damage to plated or anodized screws) to go that low for your starting point.

[pseudocat]

You won't hurt the screws by adjusting the pickups that low.

For grins, I set up a strat once with the middle pickup flush with the pickguard, and the neck and bridge adjusted how Fezz recommends. The #2 and #4 positions sounded great. #3 was a bit weak, but then I wasn't really looking for a straight middle pickup sound.

[demioblue]

See what's important above?

Ears, not rulers. And...with all due respect, I doubt that you have anywhere near my experience with guitars and pickups. As Will Sonnett used to say "No brag, just fact."

And his ears might hear it differently. What sounds good to one set of ears might sound like ass to another set of ears. It's been known to happen.

Agreed.

Oh well, lets see what he comes back with. If he likes it, then good for him. If not, then he's on his own...

[Notyethendrix]

Some FAQ from Lindy Fralin:

How do I adjust my pickup heights?
We suggest that you bar the strings at the highest fret on the guitar and adjust the pickups fairly close the strings. You will notice that a false harmonic or overtone will sound out particularly on the neck with the bass string. Adjust the pickup away until this overtone disappears. This is as close as you can get the neck pickup and will also be the loudest. From this point it is a matter of individual taste. The further away the pickup is the better it will sound but it will have less output.

[demioblue]

That applies to true SC pups, I think. Might not apply to Kinmans... I've not heard that harmonic overtone on any of the Kinman sets...

[demioblue]

It applies to Kinmans as well. It's just a stacked humbucker, and still has magnets in the coils.

hmm... so would this apply to ANY pickup configuration?

Then what is it that gives the "SC sound" that pups like Kinmans don't? Honestly, I don't really know what makes an SC sound the way it does. I thought it's more about picking up vibrations at a singular point along the string that gives the SC pup the nice tone we all think it to be?

So, if it's stacked and it still picks up the sound from one point along the string unlike a convenitonal humbucker, then why would the sound be different? Does a stacked humbucker like the Kinmans still cancel out certain frequencies like a conventional HB would?

[Kap'n]

hmm... so would this apply to ANY pickup configuration?

Not exactly. The strat-itis warble has to do with the intense magnetic fields from the rod magnets used inside the coils.

It doesn't really happen with 'gibson-style' humbuckers because the bar magnets load the polepieces, so the field is more diffuse.