Kinman Broadcaster Bridge PU Worth the $???

[loudguitars]

I love the sound of the single coil Fender Vintage pickups, BUT the hum is killing me. I play on the road often, on different stages through different FOH systems. I have tried Seymour and Dimarzio "Stack" bridge PUPs . They sound clinical and have no twang compared to the Fender Vintage. My friend said the Kinman Broadcaster Pickup has meat and twang and NO HUM.

It is $160 shipped, is it worth it?

I have blown over $200 trying to find the right pickup already. I want the sound without the hum. I will Ebay the excess pickups! Comments

[jholcomb]

Bardens

[Telenator]

I love Kinmans. They really sound great.

The other option is to try the Suhr Silent Single Coil System. I don't know if they make a retro-fit system for a Tele yet, but you can check their website.

I installed their back plate on my Strat and it is amazing how quiet it got without affecting the pickup tone at all. Perhaps the Strat setup will work on a Tele.

http://www.suhrguitars.com/pickups.aspx#top

[Wayne Alexander]

The Kinman Broadcaster sounds as good as any high-quality alnico single coil tele bridge pickup I've heard. There is no sonic compromise to get the hum reduction. Listen to the sound samples up on the Kinman website, they're accurate. I have a set of Bardens in another tele. I like them, but they do not sound like alnico single coil tele pickups. They have a more hi-fi, clinical type sound that sounds great through gainy amps, but does not sound like a traditional tele.

[graham232]

I love them, very fat sounding. I have a set in a '52 partscaster and they suit me fine. Beautifully made pickups, very helpful when you contact them.

Not everyone hear likes them, some purists say they sound a little like a humbucker but I cannot hear it.

There are a lot of posts here about them...

[Caper]

I've had mine for 3 years now. I like them, not harsh or brittle sounding, pretty close to the OV set I had in my last Tele. I've tried the Classic series, 50's and 60,s, American Standard, and Texas Specials. The Kinmans gave me a sound comparable to the OV's with no hum.

[robrohdeszudy]

Yes! Kinman seems to have the magic formula. My lead player has Kinmans in his #1 strat. I can't believe they figured out how to get true vintage alnico sound and no hum. As soon as I have the cash to spare, the Kinman broadcaster is exactly what's going in mine.

--Rob

[Tony474]

Chris Kinman makes, as far as I'm concerned, the greatest pickups on the face of the planet - believe me, I've tried a few - and I have four Strats equipped with Kinmans of various types. The only reason I haven't got a Tele set yet is that I haven't decided which of the two sets to buy first. Sure, they aren't cheap, but they are beautifully designed, engineered and built and you very definitely get what you pay for.

[AJ Love]

Kinman makes some GREAT pickups... worth the $$$? I'd say yes, absolutely