The Big-Nine-0 is the only Strat pickup that balances with humbuckers
A Big-Nine-0 in a Cream cover
There's an Elephant in the room ....... The Big-Nine-O (Big Banger) with Kinman's Gen-2 technology
You can expand your sonic horizons with unique new sounds from Kinman, the .........
The KING of noiseless and the Prince of Expression.
News flash Apr-2021: Now with our new Synergy baseplate that allows switching off Hum Cancelling as well as switching to 'Synergy' mode.
As it is and as it can be: You've got one or two humbuckers in your Strat and the Strat pickup are hopelessly under-powered. You have had this problem for years because no other Strat pickup balances with humbuckers ..... now here it is …. an awesome Strat* pickup we named the Big-Nine-0. This remarkable pickup has the outside appearance of a Stratocaster* pickup with Alnico-K* rod magnets … but as the name implies it almost has the power and sound of a P-90. Only our Kick-in-the-Arse has more power.
Outstanding sonic characteristics: The Big-Nine-0 is something of a versatile Chameleon because at room volume it produces a responsive, sweet and pretty sound with some Strat* characteristic but with a darkness unlike any Strat, this is great for low volume smokey Jazz and Blues. Turn up the volume to get it cooking and it roars to life like an attacking Tiger. This is one sweet but brutal high energy pickup.
Recommended for fat, super punchy cleans, natural crunch or extreme gain applications, full on rock, distortion and low volume syrupy Jazz. Suitable for all 3 positions in a Strat* but especially recommended for the bridge position as the fattest sounding and loudest Strat* model we make.
Signal chain requirements for best tone and dynamic performance: Like any pickup it's not a bad idea to use a low capacitance cable to get the incredible performance of these pickups and hear all the nuances you and your guitar can muster. Learn why here Any old cable won't do.
Tech stuff: The Gen-2 models have taller magnets and taller coil with Kinman's patented remarkable magnetic focusing device incorporated. In concert with a squashed 600 Ohm hum-sensing coil all these new features produces non-aged sound. Produces a massive inductance of 7 Henrys, more Inductance than most humbuckers or P-90's. As of 10-Sep-2018 the pickups that have narrow and intermediate magnet spreads incorporate our new Gen-2+ technology which restores the slight but noticeable loss of attack & presence when the magnets are placed closer together. More technical info below.
The Big-Nine-0 works best with a 500k volume pot which helps it develops top end sizzle & bloom more like real P-90. It will work with a 250k volume pot but dynamics and high end sizzle are compromised to a noticeable degree. Works well in a Kinman K9-H Goodbye-Soldering Harness with our Dual Resistive Load 500k/250k innovation.
Some people will call these noiseless Stratocaster pickups but Kinman prefers to describe them correctly as Zero-Hum Stratocaster pickups. That's because there are 2 types of noise, Hum which is cancelled in the pickup and Buzz which can only be minimized by shielding the wiring cavities (refer to >Technical >Perfect Guitar >Shielding for newer guitars
Big-Nine-0 - specification nomenclature.
US Patents 5,668,520 6,103,986 8,791,351 B2
The string sensor is taller than our other Strat models so the coil is not compressed. This design paid off with a massive inductance of 7 Henrys, more Inductance than most humbuckers or P-90's. The Big-Nine-O has a dark, smoky sound with a surprising amount of twang, deep bass and sweet highs … so sweet it can be used in Jazz at low volume. But best of all is the HUGE output level, it will hold it’s own in competition with a P-90 and regular Humbuckers … now that’s amazing for a Strat pickup with Alnico rod magnets, with the bonus of Zero-Hum. One of the amazing new generation hum-cancelling pickups coming from Kinman.
Adjustment requirements
The Big-Nine-0 has an advanced magnetic circuit and needs to be adjusted close to the strings to get it's best performance. You can adjust the neck pickup as close as 1.5mm gap between bottom of E-6th string and top of magnet with string pressed onto the 14th fret. Adjusted that close it really cooks, is very loud with same door-slam attack and sounds similar to a P-90 .... it's that close.
NOTE: If it's authentic P-90 sound with it's top end sizzle & bloom you want then you should buy a P-90 Hx or a P90-Bucker.
Install requirements
At 25mm tall the Big-Nine-0 is 3mm taller than our regular Strat pickups and will fit most modern guitars but might not fit Vintage reissue guitars so check the cavity depth before ordering. The pickup cavity depth should be no less than 19mm (3/4 inch) deep. However a shallower cavity might be suitable if you shorten the special long mounting screws by up to 3mm, but some adjustment latitude will be sacrificed in this case.
Covers - included
Connection means available
Dimensions
Pot & Capacitor values
Magnet spreads we normally ship (ensures magnets align with the strings in each position)
Pickup cavity depth:
Hook-up cable
Output Polarity:
Mounting hardware included
We highly recommend consulting the Install Guide in the Technical section even if you think you know it all. Kinmans' require specialized knowledge and sometimes there is updated info. There is also a handy wiring diagram available.
We also highly recommend consulting the Adjust & Set-up page in the Technical section so you get the best out of your Kinman pickups.
*Stratocaster and Strat are a Trade Marks of Fender Musical Instrument Corp. Kinman is not connected to Fender.
** Alnico-K is a unique proprietary rod magnet developed by Kinman in 1985. It has 40% less string pull than Alnico-5 so sustain is longer and there is much less clatter from string crash and no Strat-itis string warble.
Brett Kingman demonstrates our Big-Nine-O Strat powerhouse
