Recently a local guitar player visited the Kinman factory, he had installed a Big-Nine-O and a Traditional MK-III set for friends of his and wanted to learn and see more about Kinman. I gave him a little guided tour of the factory and let him watch pickups being made as I explained the importance and the purpose of the various unique technologies that are incorporated in the various models. He was full of questions and became quite overwhelmed (his own words) at what he saw and learned. Later I let him try some pickups in the sound proof room and I was quite surprised at his musical and playing abilities.
I really liked his style and sense of melody and I enjoyed listening to my creations in his hands. I could tell by his demeanor that he was enjoying the experience too. He had bought his Telecaster that had DiMarzio Area T pickups installed. He told me they sounded OK but he felt they were a little on the sterile (bland) side. I was intrigued and asked him to play a piece on it. I agreed it sounded OK, better than I expected actually given that they are economy pickups. After that I gave him a set of Kinman Broadcasters with the Gen-2 neck pickup to try. Well, the room literally exploded with musical dynamite, he found himself playing in ways he had not expected and was creating exciting musical passages. The look on his face told the story, an expression of total surprise and astonishment. I tried to communicate with him but he got that glazed over vacant stare that guitar players get when trying to wrestle themselves to stop playing for a few seconds and communicate, without success. I know that look of being totally immersed in playing so I just waited. A minute or two later he momentarily snapped out of the trance and exclaimed “I can hear my fingerprintsâ€
People might think that’s an extraordinary thing to say about playing a guitar but I instantly got his meaning. He went on to excitedly explain that the notes jump out with so much clarity and dynamics and with so much detail that he could hear the subtle nuances created by his fingerprints sliding over the surface of the strings. He told me he has never heard such expressive 3D dynamics, clarity, transparency and sonic detail before and it amazed and delighted him (we call this piano mid-tones) He went further and added that the performance of the pickups inspired and animated him to play better than he ever did before.
It was very gratifying to hear that our approach to complex design and giving our coils room to breathe is appreciated.
He bought that set of Broadcasters and took them with him. I guess you'll be seeing a set of Area T's on eBay soon.
Chris Kinman.