Opinions On Kinman Broadcasters

TheBends · April 27th, 2008, 10:53 PM

Ok, so this morning I purchased the following remaining parts in order to finish my Partscaster Telecaster:
-Callaham String Ferrules
-Callaham Stainless Steel Neck Plate
-Screws for my Pickguard

The only thing left that I need to finish my project are pickups.

I'm wondering people's opinions of Kinman Broadcasters.

Some questions that I have regarding the Broadcaster pickups are:
Can they handle good amounts of distortion and gain?
Are they versatile with nice cleans and pronounced punch?
Are they the kind of pickup that can handle modern/experimental tone?

I was just at guitarcenter today and I played various MIM telecasters with stock Fender Pickups. I wasn't too pleased with the sound of the pickups compared to some of the other models.
Will Kinman's drastically change the overall tone of a guitar compared to stock Fender p'ups?

And one last thing,
Does the No soldering harness include input jack?

Thanks Everyone.

Trimac20 · April 28th, 2008, 01:43 AM

I'm interested in the Kinman Broadcaster's too and all I've heard is gushing praise...there was a sample on their site and thtat was pretty impressive. From what people say the Kinman's are about as good a tone as you can get! I think the Broadie's tone has more high end shimmer and low end twang than 50s or 60s vintage pups. I don't think harnesses include the input jack, but I don't know. But yeah, the Broadcaster's are pretty accurate representations of the original broadcaster pickups, so if you get your hands on a Custom shop Broadcaster or something that might be some indication.

red57strat · April 28th, 2008, 08:52 AM

I tried a set in my USACG T-STyle a few years ago. I didn't need noiseless pickups, I just wanted to hear how they sounded. The bridge pickup was very much like a regular Tele bridge pickup except maybe a bit fuller. The neck pickup sounded more like a Strat neck pickup.

Overall, I liked them, but they weren't what I was looking for. I wanted a rude, slightly microphonic, vintage sounding set of pickups.

The Kinmans were a little more modern sounding.

golfnut · April 28th, 2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBends

Ok, so this morning I purchased the following remaining parts in order to finish my Partscaster Telecaster:
-Callaham String Ferrules
-Callaham Stainless Steel Neck Plate
-Screws for my Pickguard

The only thing left that I need to finish my project are pickups.

I'm wondering people's opinions of Kinman Broadcasters.

Some questions that I have regarding the Broadcaster pickups are:
Can they handle good amounts of distortion and gain?
Are they versatile with nice cleans and pronounced punch?
Are they the kind of pickup that can handle modern/experimental tone?

I was just at guitarcenter today and I played various MIM telecasters with stock Fender Pickups. I wasn't too pleased with the sound of the pickups compared to some of the other models.
Will Kinman's drastically change the overall tone of a guitar compared to stock Fender p'ups?

And one last thing,
Does the No soldering harness include input jack?

Thanks Everyone.

First of all "Yes", the No solder harness does include the input jack. One of the reasons I chose the Kinman broadcaster pickups was for the noisless feature. I think it would be hard to answer your questions as I believe that it really depends on your set up. I find that with my Dr Z amp and my pedals the broadcasters are really giving me what I want to hear. To me, I am accomplishing as close to the old vintage tone as noiseless can. For me your first 2 questions are yes and yes. Your last question, I'm not sure what you're asking. If you're experimenting then I guess that means you're not really sure what you're looking for.
For me I think if I were to grade overall the stock bridge pup that came with my American Standard Tele was the best sounding for clean. High gain/overdrive the kinman rocks. Which is a lot of my playing. The kinman neck pup however is the best neck pup I've ever had. To me it sounds like a vintage pup should. I've also got a middle strat Avn-59 with the TK9 no solder harness that facilitates this. Its a great addition for that added versatility. To listen to a sample of my broadcasters go to www.myspace.com/nowhereroadband. In both songs I'm using my tele with the Kinmans on the bridge pup. Unfortunately there isn't a sample of them clean.

klasher · April 28th, 2008, 06:00 PM

I know it's not the same model, but there's an excellent clip of someone playing a Kinman-loaded strat through a Richter tweed amp clone on Youtube, and it's absolutely amazing. The clip with the neck pup is just out of this world. One of my favorite neck sounds. If you go to Youtube and search under Richter, you'll find it. There's a lot of detailed info in there about what guitar/pups he's using. You would never guess that's a noiseless pickup, at least not in that clip, and usually I can hear subtle differences between noiseless and regular pups. Noiseless pups tend to be more compressed and much more "focused" sounding than regular single coils, ymmv.
BTW, I don't know what it is, but I usually find the sound clips on manufacturers' sites pretty useless, unless they're clips of an actual band playing that company's product, especially a clip of a live gig. You might want to go to Youtube and do a search for Kinman and see what you find.

Kris · April 28th, 2008, 07:41 PM

I had a Kinman Broadcaster pickup for a couple of years and tried it in a few different teles. It was the most frustrating pickup I've ever had, and I've had many.

First for the good parts. It is noiseless. The sound is full and distorts well when so desired. It gives reasonable faux vintage tele tone. The output is perhaps a tad stronger than most vintage pickups.

What I really didn't like had to do with its dynamic properties. What I like most about good vintage tele pickups is that when I pick softly the tone is smooth but when I dig in it growls with a pronounced midrange emphasis. The Kinman growls all right when I dig in, but when I play softly it also growls, just a bit more ... er ... softly. That ever present midrange growl really irritated me so, in the end, I sold it.

Given the diversity in playing styles and tone requirements, I'm not surprised that many players really like this pickup. However, it is definitely not for me.

Kris

graham232 · April 28th, 2008, 07:53 PM

When I first fitted the pickups I liked them but felt something was not quite right. After further tweaking I have now got the height just right for the balance between the two. The secret is not to have them too close.

I recorded a whole CD with mine before I did this. The tone was good but it is even better now. I have been working on a new project with a friend I used to write songs with twenty years ago and have used the guitar a lot and it fits in with the mellow almost all acoustic vibe of the project. (Does not hurt that I just got a Ribbon Mic).

By way of a contrast I was showing a student an AC/DC song this afternoon on the same guitar and it sounds just as good with that.

roadrider502 · April 29th, 2008, 12:22 AM

I have had two very different experiences with Kinman Broadcasters in 2 different teles. I purchased these obviously to reduce the 60 cycle hum and based my decision on the sound samples I listened to and all the positive reviews. I installed them in my 52RI first with the no solder harness. I spent 2 weeks trying to dial in the bridge and gave up. The bridge pup was way to bright for my taste and when used with overdrive or distortion was over saturated and not defined (it sounded wrong!). I tried various height adjustment in both HD and Normal settings. The neck dialed in nicely and had strat like characteristics to my ears. Since I don't use the neck pup too much, it was a deal breaker not have the bridge perfect.

Since I already had a complete set of electronics and a spare bridge from the 52, I decided to build a tele in the spirit of the 60's and give them a 2nd try. I used an Alder Fender body and a CIJ Fender 62RI neck for this build. The guitar set up real nice and when I plugged it in I immediately liked the tone I was hearing. The ice picky highs were gone and there was a warm vintage tone with plenty of twang. The bottom line is the bridge pup sounds fantastic in this guitar and was terrible in the 52. I now have 2 tele's with great tone. I suspect the alder body and rosewood neck were just a better combo.

Just sharing my experience.

golfnut · April 29th, 2008, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadrider502

I have had two very different experiences with Kinman Broadcasters in 2 different teles. I purchased these obviously to reduce the 60 cycle hum and based my decision on the sound samples I listened to and all the positive reviews. I installed them in my 52RI first with the no solder harness. I spent 2 weeks trying to dial in the bridge and gave up. The bridge pup was way to bright for my taste and when used with overdrive or distortion was over saturated and not defined (it sounded wrong!). I tried various height adjustment in both HD and Normal settings. The neck dialed in nicely and had strat like characteristics to my ears. Since I don't use the neck pup too much, it was a deal breaker not have the bridge perfect.

Since I already had a complete set of electronics and a spare bridge from the 52, I decided to build a tele in the spirit of the 60's and give them a 2nd try. I used an Alder Fender body and a CIJ Fender 62RI neck for this build. The guitar set up real nice and when I plugged it in I immediately liked the tone I was hearing. The ice picky highs were gone and there was a warm vintage tone with plenty of twang. The bottom line is the bridge pup sounds fantastic in this guitar and was terrible in the 52. I now have 2 tele's with great tone. I suspect the alder body and rosewood neck were just a better combo.

Just sharing my experience.

I to, feel the broadcaster kinmans are a tad too bright. Especially on my Maz 38. However appropriately adjusting the treble and cut on my amp and sometimes even rolling a little off the tone knob on my Tele seems to have resolved the issue.

TheBends · April 29th, 2008, 03:19 PM

Thanks for your input guys.
I'm really debating if I should take the plunge into kinmans.
My guitar's body is a Warmoth Swamp Ash body with a Maple top.

roadrider502 · April 29th, 2008, 07:36 PM

I would try a set of vintage wound single coils first. Fender/Fralin/Lollar/etc.

April 27th, 2008, 10:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
TheBends TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Chi Town Age: 17 Posts: 67	Opinions On Kinman Broadcasters Ok, so this morning I purchased the following remaining parts in order to finish my Partscaster Telecaster: -Callaham String Ferrules -Callaham Stainless Steel Neck Plate -Screws for my Pickguard The only thing left that I need to finish my project are pickups. I'm wondering people's opinions of Kinman Broadcasters. Some questions that I have regarding the Broadcaster pickups are: Can they handle good amounts of distortion and gain? Are they versatile with nice cleans and pronounced punch? Are they the kind of pickup that can handle modern/experimental tone? I was just at guitarcenter today and I played various MIM telecasters with stock Fender Pickups. I wasn't too pleased with the sound of the pickups compared to some of the other models. Will Kinman's drastically change the overall tone of a guitar compared to stock Fender p'ups? And one last thing, Does the No soldering harness include input jack? Thanks Everyone.

April 28th, 2008, 08:52 AM	#3 (permalink)
red57strat Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,217	I tried a set in my USACG T-STyle a few years ago. I didn't need noiseless pickups, I just wanted to hear how they sounded. The bridge pickup was very much like a regular Tele bridge pickup except maybe a bit fuller. The neck pickup sounded more like a Strat neck pickup. Overall, I liked them, but they weren't what I was looking for. I wanted a rude, slightly microphonic, vintage sounding set of pickups. The Kinmans were a little more modern sounding. __________________ Don

April 29th, 2008, 12:22 AM	#8 (permalink)
roadrider502 Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: scranton, pa Age: 41 Posts: 227	I have had two very different experiences with Kinman Broadcasters in 2 different teles. I purchased these obviously to reduce the 60 cycle hum and based my decision on the sound samples I listened to and all the positive reviews. I installed them in my 52RI first with the no solder harness. I spent 2 weeks trying to dial in the bridge and gave up. The bridge pup was way to bright for my taste and when used with overdrive or distortion was over saturated and not defined (it sounded wrong!). I tried various height adjustment in both HD and Normal settings. The neck dialed in nicely and had strat like characteristics to my ears. Since I don't use the neck pup too much, it was a deal breaker not have the bridge perfect. Since I already had a complete set of electronics and a spare bridge from the 52, I decided to build a tele in the spirit of the 60's and give them a 2nd try. I used an Alder Fender body and a CIJ Fender 62RI neck for this build. The guitar set up real nice and when I plugged it in I immediately liked the tone I was hearing. The ice picky highs were gone and there was a warm vintage tone with plenty of twang. The bottom line is the bridge pup sounds fantastic in this guitar and was terrible in the 52. I now have 2 tele's with great tone. I suspect the alder body and rosewood neck were just a better combo. Just sharing my experience. Last edited by roadrider502; April 29th, 2008 at 12:24 AM. Reason: error

April 28th, 2008, 01:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
Trimac20 Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Perth, WA, Australia Age: 22 Posts: 238	I'm interested in the Kinman Broadcaster's too and all I've heard is gushing praise...there was a sample on their site and thtat was pretty impressive. From what people say the Kinman's are about as good a tone as you can get! I think the Broadie's tone has more high end shimmer and low end twang than 50s or 60s vintage pups. I don't think harnesses include the input jack, but I don't know. But yeah, the Broadcaster's are pretty accurate representations of the original broadcaster pickups, so if you get your hands on a Custom shop Broadcaster or something that might be some indication.

April 28th, 2008, 06:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
klasher Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 181	I know it's not the same model, but there's an excellent clip of someone playing a Kinman-loaded strat through a Richter tweed amp clone on Youtube, and it's absolutely amazing. The clip with the neck pup is just out of this world. One of my favorite neck sounds. If you go to Youtube and search under Richter, you'll find it. There's a lot of detailed info in there about what guitar/pups he's using. You would never guess that's a noiseless pickup, at least not in that clip, and usually I can hear subtle differences between noiseless and regular pups. Noiseless pups tend to be more compressed and much more "focused" sounding than regular single coils, ymmv. BTW, I don't know what it is, but I usually find the sound clips on manufacturers' sites pretty useless, unless they're clips of an actual band playing that company's product, especially a clip of a live gig. You might want to go to Youtube and do a search for Kinman and see what you find.

April 28th, 2008, 07:41 PM	#6 (permalink)
Kris Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Reykjavik, Iceland Posts: 357	I had a Kinman Broadcaster pickup for a couple of years and tried it in a few different teles. It was the most frustrating pickup I've ever had, and I've had many. First for the good parts. It is noiseless. The sound is full and distorts well when so desired. It gives reasonable faux vintage tele tone. The output is perhaps a tad stronger than most vintage pickups. What I really didn't like had to do with its dynamic properties. What I like most about good vintage tele pickups is that when I pick softly the tone is smooth but when I dig in it growls with a pronounced midrange emphasis. The Kinman growls all right when I dig in, but when I play softly it also growls, just a bit more ... er ... softly. That ever present midrange growl really irritated me so, in the end, I sold it. Given the diversity in playing styles and tone requirements, I'm not surprised that many players really like this pickup. However, it is definitely not for me. Kris

April 28th, 2008, 07:53 PM	#7 (permalink)
graham232 Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Burgess Hill, Sussex, United Kingdom Age: 42 Posts: 262 9 Photos	When I first fitted the pickups I liked them but felt something was not quite right. After further tweaking I have now got the height just right for the balance between the two. The secret is not to have them too close. I recorded a whole CD with mine before I did this. The tone was good but it is even better now. I have been working on a new project with a friend I used to write songs with twenty years ago and have used the guitar a lot and it fits in with the mellow almost all acoustic vibe of the project. (Does not hurt that I just got a Ribbon Mic). By way of a contrast I was showing a student an AC/DC song this afternoon on the same guitar and it sounds just as good with that.

April 29th, 2008, 03:19 PM	#10 (permalink)
TheBends TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Chi Town Age: 17 Posts: 67	Thanks for your input guys. I'm really debating if I should take the plunge into kinmans. My guitar's body is a Warmoth Swamp Ash body with a Maple top.

April 29th, 2008, 07:36 PM	#11 (permalink)
roadrider502 Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: scranton, pa Age: 41 Posts: 227	I would try a set of vintage wound single coils first. Fender/Fralin/Lollar/etc.