Kinman Goodbye K9 User manual

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Install Guide for the ‘Kinman’K9 & K9-H Gen-2 Goodbye Soldering Harness
for pickguard or rear rout control cavity Stratocasters.
20th April 2018 Rev-1 © Chris Kinman
CAUTION: Try to avoid using Lead solder on Lead Free products bearing this symbol
NOTE-1: Read this completely first before beginning the project.
NOTE-2: Buzzing may still be present but goes away when you touch the strings because shielding is either not
present or is not effectively connected to ground. Please refer to >Technical >Faults & Solutions >Harness
Diagnostics page on this Webpage to diagnose and solve your noise/shielding issue.
NOTE-3: The lower pot labelled *Tone* is our Push/Push K9 control that when turned to ‘0’connects the neck
pickup to whatever else is selected by the 5 position switch. This increases the available combinations of the
pickups from 5 to 7. (ie bridge + neck & all 3 together)
NOTE-4: With selector switch in position 2 and the Push/Push switch is popped out the Bridge and Middle are
connected in series. The neck pickup can be connected in Parallel with the rotary part of the control as in note
2. For full details view my “K9 selection chart” see Support >>Install info >Switching function chart.
NOTE-5: The middle pot is a Master Tone control.
NOTE-6: The volume pot has a bypass filter fitted (see bottom photo). If you feel the sound is too bright when
the volume is rolled down the filter can be disconnected simply by cutting or de-soldering the wires that connect
from the series Cap/Resistor to the pot terminals.
NOTE 7: The little slide switch on the circuit board selects between two different tone capacitors. The left
position selects our High Definition Tone cap while the right position selects a regular (normal) tone cap, as
described in the harness section of Products on www.kinman.com
NOTE 7b: The second slide switch swaps from 250k pot load to 500k
NOTE-8: The knobs should be an easy slide fit on the Pot shafts. Open the split shaft with extreme care only if
the knob is loose. If excessive force is used one half of the split shaft will break off. Also if the knob fits too
tightly it will damage the switch when pulling the knob off.
CAUTION: The knob on the push/push switch should only be removed with the switch set to the ‘OUT’ position.
Damage caused by pulling the knob off the shaft with the switch ser to the ‘IN’ position is not covered by
warranty.
NOTE-9. Advanced feature: Occasionally a pot or control becomes noisy or fails in use so the pots are ‘user
replaceable’ without soldering. The controls connect to the circuit using miniature plugs and sockets. Before re-
assembling the guitar make sure all plugs are engaged in their sockets correctly by aligning the coloured dots.
On previous side mounted sockets the White wire of the plug attached to the volume pot should be away from
the pickguard.
Tools needed:
oSmallish/Medium X head screwdriver to remove and replace the pickguard mounting screws.
oSmall blade screwdriver to tighten the terminal block connections.
oRazor blade or other small sharp blade to cut plastic insulation on Black ground wire. If you have cloth
covered wires you don’t need to cut it, just push it back to expose bare wire. (see #2)
oUSA Models: ½” (or 13mm) tube spanner (or nut driver) to tighten the pots and jack socket.
oNon USA models: In addition to above you will need an 11mm tube spanner (or other nut driver) to
remove the original pots. The pot holes in the pickguard may have to be enlarged from 5/16” (8mm) to
3/8” (9.5mm) for the Kinman pots by using a 9mm (approximately) diameter round file or preferably
using a tapered reamer.
CAUTION: do not drill as it is dangerous to enlarge existing holes in a pickguard using a power drill
because the drill will bite into the plastic and spin the pickguard likely causing personal injury.
1) Remove the strings and then the pickguard. Place the pickguard upside down adjacent to the guitar right
beside it, close enough so the output socket cable does not pull on it’s connections.
2) Cut or break the ground wire(s) (coming from the spring claw at the rear of the guitar -and/or- from the
central ground point, as the case may be) away from the casing of the volume pot by working the wire(s)
around and around at the solder point until it breaks. Then cut and strip or push the insulation back about
Pb
Lead-Free
Tapered reamer
www.guitarpartsresource.com

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1/4” (6mm) so it or they are ready to insert into one of the ports of the screw terminal block mounted on the
switch module.
3) DO NOT TAMPER with or remove any screw and associated solder tabs like this that are
attached to the floor or wall of any cavity. These provide a ‘ground’ for the conductive coating (Shielding)
that is applied to the cavities and doing so will render the Shielding ineffective. If this happens the buzz
level will be excessive, and is difficult to fix.
4) Remove the Output socket from the recessed steel plate. Cut or break the output socket off the end of it’s
two wires by working the wires around and around at the solder points until they break.
5) NOTE: Try to keep the original wiring harness in tact as much as possible for possible reuse or resale.
6) De-mount the original pickups and controls from the pickguard and withdraw the wiring harness complete.
The pickguard and guitar should now have no remaining connections to the original pickup or controls.
You should now be ready for the Kinman install.
7) Unpack and remove the replacement pickups and wiring harness from the plastic shipping panel. Remove
the pots one at a time, replacing the nut as you go to prevent the star washers from coming off the bush.
Pickguard models: Unplug and mount the pickup to the pickguard with exactly the same orientation as
received on the shipping plate using the Red silicone rubber tubes as springs around the screws. Use the
Kinman mounting screws. The pickup with the Blue plug is for neck position (long cable), the White plug is
the middle pickup (mid length cable) and the Red plug for bridge position (short cable).
8) Then fit all the controls into the holes and spaces in the pickguard left by the original parts, also mount the
output socket on it’s recessed holder.
Rear rout control cavity models: Unplug and mount the pickup into their body cavities using the Red
silicone rubber tubes as springs around the screws. Do not use the Kinman mounting screws and do not
pack foam under the pickups as this can cause severe damage. Refer to No Pickguard install in this
section of Install Info. Poke the cables into the connecting tunnel leading to the control cavity.
9) Unplug all controls from switch assembly. One at a time remove and install all the rotary controls into the
holes and spaces left by the original parts as shown in Diag 1& 1a below, as well as the output socket on
it’s recessed holder. Do NOT mount the switch until later.
oNOTE: The Star washer should not be fitted on the outside underneath the nut, but only on the inside
between the recessed jack holder and the jack socket itself.
oMake sure the socket is tightened in the position where the *hot* leaf-spring terminal is centred on the
recessed jack holder, otherwise it might contact the wall of the cavity and cause a partial short via the
wood or shielding resulting is BAD sound. Also this makes the plug difficult to insert.
oOn some copy guitars it may be necessary to enlarge the cavity to avoid the short mentioned above.
oIf the pot holes are too small see *Tools needed >Non USA models* at top of page.
10) Install the Volume and Tone pot nuts to provide a gap between Kinman knob and pickguard of about 1mm,
as illustrated below. Other brand knobs might be different. NOTE: Knobs must be American, metric Asian
knobs will be too small.
Mount the pots
Adjust these nuts so that
when tightened, the top
of the shaft is close to
12mm or 31/64” above
the pickguard.
12mm / 31/64 inch

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Changing the Torque of the volume pot
Mounting the K9 Control correctly
11) NOTE Diagram 1a: If the K9 control bushing does not protrude far enough above the nut then the
push/push switch will not stay set to the ‘IN’ position.
12) Lightly tighten the pot nuts, then adjust the rotational position of the pots and tighten the nuts firmly so the
terminal pads are as shown in the diagram #2 below. If they poke out they might cause a short circuit by
contacting any shielding on the cavity wall. Tighten firmly with a ½” (13mm) tube spanner (do not tighten
excessively).
Pickguard
Ideal:
4 exposed
thread ridges
Threaded mounting
bush
1mm of bushing
exposed above
nut
Diag #1a
K9
control
K9
control
Star washer
Nut
Supplied with friction ring in
place for normal torque.
Remove the friction ring to
change to low torque.

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13) Mount the recessed jack plate and poke the cable through the connecting tunnel into the main control
cavity and screw the jack holder to the guitar. The two plugs on the cable should be piggy backed, one
inside the back of the other, as depicted in photo 1 below. This arrangement makes it easier to thread
them through the connecting tunnel.
14) Before mounting the switch: undo the 3 screws to open the Connector Block ports 3 or 4 turns and insert
the two plugs and ground wire(s) into their respective ports as shown in image 2 below. The red wire is
plugged into the upper terminal that has the red dot (same with Left hand harness). The Shield is plugged
into the middle terminal and the black bridge grounding wire/s (from the spring claw at the back of the
guitar –and/or- the central ground point, as the case may be) into the remaining lower terminal. Tighten the
screws firmly but not too tightly.
Aligning the pots. Diag #2
Vol
Master Tone
K9 control
Image 1
Piggy back one of the output plug into the back
of the other, like this …. to make it easy to feed
through the connecting tunnel.
Tone pot plug
Image 2
Vol pot plug
3 port Connector Block
Output cable connections. Black ground wire(s) from spring claw (or bridge) and
shielding points and from the middle pickup.

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NOTEs about existing ground wiring: We do not advocate Star grounding in passive guitars as
desirable, in fact it can cause headaches but don’t change it if that’s how it is. With that in mind all
shielding and ground wires (usually Black) should be somehow connected (either directly or indirectly) to
the lower port of the Connector block. This included the control cavity shielding (if present), output cavity
shielding (if present), and the strings - direct from the bridge as in the case of hardtails or via the spring
claw on vibrato models. If there are 2 or less individual grounding wires insert them into the lower port of
the connector-block. If there are 3 or more separate wires all these wires can be (and usually are already)
connected together at another point and a single wire leading from that point can be terminated into the
lower port of the connector-block (image 3 below refers). Failure to ground any shielding will result in
unwanted noise. Please navigate to >Technical >Faults & Solutions > Harness Diagnostics to solve your
noise/shielding issues.
15) Mount the switch (module) and tighten the screws.
16) Insert the pickup plugs into their respective sockets as shown in Photo 3 below. Red is bridge pickup and
is the bottom plug. White is the middle pickup in the middle and Blue is the neck pickup at the top. Make
sure the ‘Hot’ pins go into the correct holes (the bottom one in the photo). Push the plugs all the way into
the sockets. Arrange the cables for neatness and tighten the cable tie. The word HOT should be visible on
the outside of the plugs. For added security apply a small section of adhesive tape over the plug and
socket to prevent unwanted dis-engagement (although this is highly unlikely as the cables are confined).
DO NOT TAMPER with these
types of tags fixed to wood as
the connection to underlying
shielding will be permanently
damaged.
With a sharp blade cut the insulation around the
wire in two places, about 12mm or ½” apart. With
the same sharp blade cut the insulation away
from the wire to leave an exposed section of bare
wire.
Tightly twist other ground wires around this bared
section of the main ground wire. Solder if
convenient but it’s not absolutely necessary.
Insulate the join with Heat Shrink Tubing or
electrical tape to prevent shorting.
This common end is inserted into the
ground Port of the 3 Port connector block
Ground wires from
cavity shielding points
and strings ground
wire.

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17) Humbucker coil splitting connections into a K9 go to Image 5b on page 8 page
18) CAUTION: AVOID bending the sockets away from the circuit board, i.e. don’t strain these cables on the
plug.
19) Tighten the switch mounting screws. Connect the K9 plug to the K9 control; connect the Tone and Volume
plugs to the switch assembly (as shown in Photo 3 below) and arrange the twisted black/white wires so
they will not get between the cavity floor and the terminal block after install into the guitar.

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20) Assemble the pickguard to body taking care not to cross thread the screws in the wood, and proceed to
restring and adjust the pickup heights.….. Please refer to >Support >Adjust & Set-up …for detailed info
on how to get the best out of your pickups and guitar. There is a wealth of information in this section of my
Website that will fascinate and delight you for many hours.
21) For anything not right go to www.kinman.com >Tech Support >Faults & Solutions > Harness Diagnostics.
Pickup sockets
and plugs. Ensure
the Hot pins are
connected to
correct side. The
word Hot on the
plugs should be
visible.
Pickup sockets
Image 4
Volume Pot load switch 500k / 250k
Tone Cap selector switch HD / .022
Remove or cut these links to revert the indicated pickup load to 500k

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Connecting bare wires of hook-up cable
It might be necessary to extend the ground by soldering a section of single black wire to the ground take-
out point of a Kinman Strat hook-up cable, like this cover the join with tape or heat shrink tubing to
prevent short circuits.
Image 5
Connect the bare wires of hook-up cable to the screw down terminal blocks as shown in the picture below
(5). The (Hot) Red wire connects to the lower port marked with a Red dot and the Word Hot printed onto
the circuit board. The Black ground wire connects to the unmarked upper port.
Image 5b
3 or 5 wire
Humbucker cable
ground
Hot –(link between coils, refer to
manufacturers color codes)
Hot +
K9-H Humbucker connections
Connecting a splittable Humbucker to a K9-H

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End
Connecting a 2n1 Gen-2 Humbucker to a K9-H
Plug into the harness in the usual manner
Flying ground wire on Kinman
humbucker with Harness plug
Connecting a older Gen-1 Humbucker to the K9-H.
Plug into the harness
Image 6
Image 7