P-Bass Chameleon

Description

P-Bass Chameleon pickup ~ versatile and lively performance & Zero-Hum

This order channel is for a single pickup. Go back to a page and choose Mixed Sets of Bass Pickups if that’s what you want.

Originally named Rhythm Section, we changed the name to Chameleon because we found these pickups have extraordinary versatility and, like a Chameleon, change their (sonic) colors according to your state of arousal.

When aroused, it’s perfect for attention-grabbing solos with the dynamic tap, slap n smack techniques of the bass virtuoso, and you’ll be amazed just how easy it comes with our Chameleon pickups. As a local bass player who dropped by the factory recently said, “Wow, playing this style is so effortless! I hardly have to exert my fingers and hands. Man, these things are responsive. And I can get all these different sounds, it’s amazing” He bought a PJ set there and then and went away in a state of excitement and high spirits going to tell all his friends about Kinman.

However, they are versatile, multi-faceted Chameleons, and can easily step back into the rhythm section after the applause subsides. And we did it without active electronics, so, “look Ma…. no batteries” … and you won’t need a Glockenklang or any other Eq preamp to get these sounds!

Nobody steals your THUNDER.

Sonic Characteristics: Have you noticed that ordinary bass sound tends to get lost in the mix because the low frequencies lack presence, and you find yourself wanting to up the volume? Well, we fixed that with our patented technology, and your ‘E’ string, in particular, will have as much definition, lively dynamics, and tone as a top end multiscale bass such as a Dingwall, which is known for its performance on the ‘E’ and the 5th ‘B’ string.

The Chameleon produces a thick, free-flowing chocolaty sound that has lower midrange prominence and a detailed gritty piano-like presence with round wound strings so that you don’t need to play loud to be heard. Both pickups turned up completely yields a wonderful surprise, a low mid scoop with chunky, gritty upper mids with extra bouncy sound and presence, our personal favorite bass sound … even at low room volume. Scooped Bass sound that lacks midrange must be played thunderously loud to be heard, even then, it’s felt rather than heard, and it struggles with definition, not so Kinman bass pickups.

These things respond to light and heavy pick attacks, so there is quite a rainbow of tonalities in that. But the big surprise is when you mix them with the respective volume controls on a PJ bass and also when you apply a bit of treble cut with the tone control, and you’ll get a double rainbow of tonalities and effects.

Gritty midrange presence and less boom that’s also surprisingly superior for slap, tap, and pop style. But, when played fingerstyle with the tone rolled back a bit, you’ll be surprised how close to an upright bass your sound is (the extra dynamics impart the “bounce” you hear from an upright bass).

These pickups are versatile, and you won’t need a Glockenklang or any other Eq preamp or even Series switching or fuzz pedals to get these sounds!

Also, we engineered our J-Bass bridge model to be very different but complementary to our P-Bass pickup, and in PJ Basses, the both-on-together produces a wonderful scooped, hollow sound with an unusual chocolaty growl that has a gritty mid presence that cut through the clatter of cymbals and snare. You are going to be heard!

Even the low E string has a tone you can hear. Who says bass sound can’t be lively and tuneful? Turn up the amp treble, and it makes factory pickups sound ordinary, turn the treble down a bit and it still outshines factory original pickups, it’s a win-win for you.

This is our personal favorite bass pickup and there is just one thing better, and that’s combining this one with our Chameleon J-Bass bridge pickup in a PJ configuration.

And one more thing ….. does the odd nasal character of the G string annoy you? Well, it certainly annoys us, so we developed a special coil winding technique that has two benefits …

• Align the G string’s sound with the other strings by negating that annoying nasal character. Now walking bass lines that culminate on the G string have a natural and pleasing tone progression, and the G doesn’t stand out like the proverbial dog balls.
• Gets rid of that horrible empty tinny sound of fresh wound strings, even with lots of treble on the front of your amp.

At long last, Kinman pickups for Precision Bass. Why so long? Bass pickups have unique sonic performance requirements (less tinny high-end treble and more piano mid tones) and until recently, the technology for great sounding passive high performance Zero-Hum SINGLE COIL bass pickups did not exist, we developed it, and now there is this fantastic Kinman P-Bass Chameleon pickup.

Signal chain requirements: Any old cable won’t do. Using a low capacitance cable is highly recommended to get the maximum performance of this or any other pickup.

Some people will call these noiseless Precision bass pickups, but Kinman prefers to describe them correctly as Zero-Hum Precision bass pickups. That’s because there are two types of noise, Hum which is canceled in the pickup, and Buzz, which can only be minimized by shielding the wiring cavities (refer to >Technical >Perfect Guitar >Shielding for newer guitars)

*Precision Bass and Jazz bass* are 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.