The following dimensions relate to all model P-90 Hx except the 580 Alnico Staple which, at 22m high is 6mm shorter and just 1mm taller than a regular P-90, will install into practically all cavities.
ContentsNOTE-1: The Hx-90 is about as deep as a Gibson P-100 pickup (stacked P-90) and will fit easily into guitars fitted with a P-100. Some other guitars may require the cavity to be deepened (see Section 4).
NOTE-2: Sounds best with 500k Volume and Tone pots. Check existing pot values with a resistance meter. Gibson often use 300k pots which will impact on the sonic performance of the P-90 Hx so it’s best to change them to 500k.
Gibson Les Pauls and similar solid and semi-solid arched top body guitars.
Cavity depth depends on how high the neck is set into the body and the angle of the neck to the body. There are very large differences of these aspects among different brands of guitars, that's the reason we avoid specifying a hard and fast cavity depth. Far more meaningful is the distance from the underside of the strings to the bottom of the cavity and that's the way we prefer to specify the cavity depth (refer to Diagram-1).
However, as a general rule of thumb pickup cavities with a depth of approximately 21mm at neck pickup and 14mm at bridge pickup (measured at the centerline of the body on carved-tops) will accommodate the P-90 Hx but there will be no vertical adjustment and the pickup sits on the floor of the cavity and adjustment is provided by the pole screws. This is OK for most players.
Diagram 1 next page illustrates a simple method of ascertaining if the cavity is suitably deep.
Soapbar cover:Slacken the strings and remove the pickup from the guitar, this provides access to the cavity.
Dog-Ear cover:Slacken the strings and remove the Dog-Ear cover from the guitar, this provides access to the cavity and there should not be any need to take the pickup out (but do so if necessary).
Next, lightly tighten the two E strings and then insert a 6" steel rule beside the pickup and perpendicular to the face of the guitar. Push the rule so it rests on the bottom of the cavity. Now position the rule against the two E strings in turn and note the measurement at the bottom of each string on the rule, as shown on the next page in Diagram 1.
1.3" (33mm) is ideal but 1.92" (23mm) is acceptable too. Anything less than that is the amount of cavity deepening that is required.
If you can’t do this then get help from someone who can. Good luck.
To provide a wide range of vertical adjustment ideally there should be 33mm (or 1.3" which is just over 1-1/4") between the bottom of the unfretted strings and the bottom of the cavity (preferably measured in the middle of the cavity under the open low E string).
The best way to deepen the floor of pickup cavities in guitars with a flat surface such as a Strat or Telecaster (not a Les Paul) is to use a router bit that has a slightly smaller diameter of the cutting section than the shank. The shank lightly contacts the sides of the cavity and guides the cutting section and prevents it from cutting the paint (and conductive shielding) off the walls of the cavity while simultaneously deepening the floor by the desired amount. This will leave a small step in the cavity wall.
The router slides over the face of the guitar so measures must be used to prevent scratching the surface. One convenient method is to cover the surface surrounding the cavity with masking tape or some other kind of durable tape which can be easily removed after the job is completed.
For archtop guitars such as Les Pauls’ this is best done with the guitar secured to the table of a Milling Machine with controlled XY cutting path.
This can also be done freehand by using an overhead Router (aka Table router) with a cutter that has a shank that’s 2 ~ 4mm bigger in diameter than the cutting diameter. Guide the cutter by lightly rubbing the plain shank against the edge of the existing cavity.
Since all Kinman pickups have a copper (buzz) Shield on their bases it is not necessary to apply a shielding medium to the newly routed floor.
Included with each pickup is a handy drill guide template for positioning the screw holes of an undrilled project guitar. CAUTION: To avoid drilling mounting screw holes out the back of the guitar be mindful the screws penetrate into the wood between 8 and 10 mm on most guitars.
Thin body guitars like the Gibson SG are only 38mm (1.5") thick so the tips of the screws will come to within 5mm of the back of the guitar. Be careful when drilling the holes, use a depth guide on the drill bit.
Gibson P-100 routs require Silicon Rubber tubes 13mm long for neck pickup and 7mm long for bridge pickup (included with Kinman pickup).
Mounting Soapbars in Stratocaster, Telecaster and other solid-bodies with pickups on a pick-guard.
We recommend using the inboard mounting screw system as distinct to the outboard mounting screws through an attached bracket. That bracket requires a longer rout in the body that can not be confined under the pick-guard of a Stratocaster at the neck position unless a custom pick-guard is made to cover the excessive routing the bracket needs.
The existing and original inboard screws are a better method of mounting through a pick-guard since it provides a means to mount the pickup parallel to the strings and does not require excessive routing. Gibson Les Pauls and the like are particularly annoying because the pickup is parallel with the back of the guitar, and sits at quite an inappropriate and difficult angle relative to the strings and because P-90’s are so wide the poles have to be raised quite a distance for good proximity to the strings. Pickups look and functions better when mounted parallel to the strings.
When mounting through a pick-guard it can be tricky positioning the mounting screw holes in the floor of the pickup cavity. I tried to make it easy for you with the plastic drill template included with your pickup which can be attached to the base of the pickup by driving the mount screws through the pickup and through the template. Try to position the screws in the middle of the pickup holes on the underside of the pickup before tightening, this is not crucial ... close enough to middle is probably good enough because those large holes intentionally provide a degree of misalignment for those screws. Then place the pickup into the pick-guard cut-out and rest the tips of the screws on the floor of the cavity. Fiddle with the pickup until you are satisfied it is sitting at the correct angle so that the top of cover is parallel with the strings and then tap on the heads of the mount screws (or turn them half turn forward half turn backwards several times with a screwdriver) to make an impression on the cavity floor. That impression now serves as a starting guide for a suitable drill.
If installing into a Strat or Tele the pickup cavity is should be least 21mm deep. At 21mm deep the pickup will sit direct on the floor of the cavity without rubber tube springs so there will be no height adjustment, but that's OK because the P-90 Hx has adjustable screw poles to take care of that. If it is deeper then 21mm the rubber tube springs can be cut to suitable length to provide some coarse height adjustment of the entire pickup. Strat cavities should be no deeper than 23mm.
Telecasters will have ample height adjustment with both cavities between 23mm and 27mm deep.
Mounting under Dog Ear covers: (Dog Ear covers are not supplied by Kinman)
Chinese Epiphone f -hole guitars: It is far preferable to buy better metal covers from here https://www.allparts.com/PC-0739-001-Nickel-P-90-Pickup-Cover-Set_p_2436.html
If not available search the internet for Plastic Dog-Ear covers and find ones suitable for Casino or whatever and note the pole spreads they are suitable for. Order your P-90 Hx pickups with pole spreads of 50mm or 47.5mm according to what is available.
Discard the original Epiphone covers attached to the pickups since they are troublesome to adapt to the P-90 Hx and also impact severely on the sound of the pickup.
American made Epiphone f –hole and LPJnr guitars: Mount Kinman 50mm pole spread P-90 Hx under existing Plastic or Metal Dog Ear covers.
Other brands: same as point 1 above
Hollow body guitars with Dog-Ear covers. Use a special Kinman bracket under the pickup to mount in hollow body arch top f -hole guitars. An insulation gasket is included for use with metal covers. For neck pickup on guitars such as Epiphone Casino Coupe see the next illustration.
23-July-14 We now produce our range of P-90 Hx suitable for ALL Gibson & Epiphone models (American, Korean and Chinese). Choose the 50mm pole spread for all bridge pickups and choose between the 50mm and new 47.5mm whichever pole spread is suitable for your neck pickup. Some have 50mm and some have 47.5mm, the order channel illustrates the way to identify what your’s is.
If you want the sound of a P-90 Hx from Archtop hollow guitars designed for regular humbuckers order the P90-Bucker in the Humbuckers section.