About usThe MiniFlex journey began in 1987 when a client walked into Ken Donnell begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting’s guitar repair shop (then located inside Marriott’s Music, Auburn, CA) and asked if it would be possible to install a miniature lavalier microphone inside his Martin D-28. Ken responded that he was willing to try. After some basic, a Countryman mic was chosen, which Ken proceeded to mount on to a strand of copper wire that connected directly to a Switchcraft endpin-output jack. The mic was powered by a separate battery operated power supply that was outside the guitar. It was crude, but functional, and yielded a high quality of amplified sound.
During the next 1-1/2 years, Ken continued to experiment with finding the best mic(s) for mounting side acoustic guitars, and the best method for mounting. He search for a gooseneck design that was: a. sufficiently flexible to mount the mic in a variety of positions, b. sufficiently stable to that the mic would remain in the chosen position, c. able to prevent microphonic distortion by isolating (shock mounting) the mic and preventing acoustical energy from the guitar traveling up the gooseneck and impacting the mic.
In the summer of 1988, Ken finally achieved a gooseneck design that met these criteria. He also discovered a high quality, affordable lavalier mic manufactured by Astatic, and the MiniFlex Model 31 was suddenly born. This model used a unidirectional mic element mounted directly to a Switchcraft 152b output jack (specially modified by Ken) and an external power supply that contained the 9 volt battery. Ken built all of these MiniFlex mics himself at his home workshop, contacted music stores in the Northern California region, and began making sales to these stores. Retail price for the Model 31 was $325.00.
During the fall of 1988, Ken also added a lower priced Model 21 at $125.00. He also added models for other instruments, including banjo, upright bass, and mandolin. Sales were growing and Ken showed the MiniFlex Mics at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in January, 1989. The products were well received, and C.F. Martin agreed to distribute the MiniFlex.
Things took a brief turn for the worse when Ken experienced a difficult divorce that forced him to relocate his workshop to Yuba City CA. But he continued to perfect his designs, and began to add independent contractors to help manufacture the MiniFlex. In 1992, the models 135 and 122 were sold with a battery & power supply mounted directly to the mic assembly. Not only did these improvements provide better sound quality and a more user friendly product, the price dropped significantly, $189.50 for the #135, and $99.00 for the #122. A similar model for mandolin & violin (#235) using a miniature hearing aid battery was also released. Sales continued to grow
In 1993, Ken relocated his workshops again to Chico CA, and began to add several full time employees to the growing number of independent contractors building the MiniFlex. But problems were growing in the form of the feedback that some customers were experiencing when trying to use the MiniFlex when performing. Anyone who has used a P.A. system for live performance knows well the many potential problems of feedback from microphones. Most MiniFlex customers experienced little or no problems with feedback, but others had difficulties. So, finding ways to address the feedback issues soon became Ken’s primary focus with design and development.
The first approach to addressing feedback was to create designs for combination amplification products where a mic would be combined with either a piezo or magnetic pickup. Many prototypes were constructed, but none ever satisfied Ken’s criteria for an affordable, reliable and user friendly design (some competitors, including Fishman and L.R. Baggs, and Seymour Duncan did bring combination mic-pickup products to market). MiniFlex actually manufactured a private label brand mic for RANE for use with their acoustic mixer, but the product line never took off.
The second approach was to create a unique mounting system for soundhole magnetic pickups combined with mics. These designs lead to Ken’s 2d patent (#5,614,688). The result was a highly innovative method for amplifying guitars, but Ken was never able to bring these designs into production.
The third, and most successful approach, was to create the Soundhole Mic, the first quick mount mic system for guitars. The logic behind the design was that, if musicians only experienced feedback problems in certain situations, a quick mount models would permit using the mic when needed, and removing it when not. The first models were clip mounted and released in 1996 as the Mini-Clip Mic. The Soundhole Mic, using an elastic cord for mounting was released in 1997. The Soundhole Mic allows guitarists to install a mic in the instrument soundhole, with the external power supply being mounted on the back side of the guitar. It could be installed, or removed in less than a minute. The model #138 (unidirectional) retailed for $199.00, and the model #128 (omnidirectional) retailed for $125.00. Both mics were instant successes, and MiniFlex expanded its production again.
At this time, Ken also began to experiment with using prototypes that employed multiple mic elements to provide 3 dimensional recording of acoustical energy inside a guitar to improve tone and reduce feedback. In 1998, Ken filed for his 3d patent, (U.S. patent # 6,441,292) to cover both the Soundhole Mic mounting design, and microphones using multiple goosenecks and mic elements.
In 1999, Ken reached an agreement with GHS Strings Inc. to license and distribute the MiniFlex line of products. Production continued in Chico until March of 2000, when manufacturing was first moved to the GHS facility in Battle Creek MI, and later to Korea, and then China. GHS decided to concentrate only on mics for acoustic guitars, and focused on two unidirectional models… A131 (external mount), and A137 (original end pin mount). GHS also chose to market both products under the Soundhole Mic tradename. Ken continued to design and quality control all of the mics manufactured for GHS. In 2000, Ken retired from the Music Business, moved to mountains in Greenville CA, and focused on raising his two teenaged sons.
By 2006, Ken’s sons had both gown and moved away, leaving him with the time to begin experimenting with some of his designs using multiple mics and goosenecks. Tests of these new prototypes were very successful, with the new prototypes having improved tone, and a much greater resistance to feedback. After 20 years of hard labor and experimentation, the solution to feedback was finally achieved. Ken had soon designed a new generation of microphone products, and he filed for his 4th patent in November, 2007. Ken also decided to re-start MiniFlex Microphones. A high quality manufacturing company in China was secured to produce the new MiniFlex Mics, and in July of 2008, the first shipment of the new MiniFlex Model 1 arrived at the new MiniFlex offices in Greenville CA. Model 1 is based on the original MiniFlex design, and with the mics and goosenecks mounted directly to the end pin-output jack. Model 2 (quick mount), using the new 2Mic gooseneck is anticipated to arrive in the spring of 2009.
Timeline:
1986 - Ken built first prototype guitar microphone using a Countyman lavalier mic.
1987 - Ken continued to experiment with mounting mics inside guitars, and began working with Audio Technica.
1988 - After efforts to create a product for Audio Technica came to a halt, Ken finally perfected a workable gooseneck design that could be mounted directly to an endpin-output jack.
1988 - August - MiniFlex Microphones was begun in Ken’s garage in Grass Valley, CA. Model 31 (later the 145), the first MiniFlex mic model was released with a retail price of $325.00, using a unidirectional Astatic lavalier mic and external power supply November - First patent filed for the MiniFlex (U.S. patent #5,010,803)
1989 - January - first NAMM show for the MiniFlex. The model 121 for acoustic guitar (omnidirectional) was released. Also released were models for banjo (332), mandolin (222 & 232), upright bass (#432), and dobro (#532). June - Martin Guitars becomes the first MiniFlex Distributor
1990 - offices and factory moved to Yuba City CA.
1991 - New models were released using an internal power supply and battery mounted directly to the microphone with a special co-axial cable for the gooseneck. The new models were: #135 & #122 - guitar #235 - mandolin #335- banjo
1992 - Offices and factory moved to Chico CA. Harris-Teller added as a distributor. Foreign distributors added for Japan, Germany, England, and Italy.
1993 - Model 145 for guitar added as a high end product with a retail price of $325.00.
1996 - First models of quick mount mics for classical guitar were released under the trade name “Mini-Clip microphones” Ken receives second patent (#5,614,688)
1997 - Mini-Clip design changed to become the Soundhole Mic for acoustic and classical guitars. The clip is eliminated, and mounting is re-designed to use a padded hook and elastic cord.
1998 - Patent application filed for Soundhole mic and other multiple gooseneck microphones (U.S. Patent # 6,441,292).
1999 - Licensing and distribution agreement for MiniFlex and Soundhole Mics signed with GHS Strings Inc of Battle Creek MI.
2000 - MiniFlex factory & offices closed in Chico. Production for MiniFlex and Soundhole mics is moved to GHS factory and/or Korea. Ken Donnell continues as design and product development consultant.
2001 - GHS chooses to continue marketing only mics for acoustic guitars (models A131, A137, and A141), and classical guitars (A111). GHS also chooses to only use the Soundhole Mic trade name for all of the mics.
2004 - GHS and Ken redesign A131 & A137, with production moved to China.
2006 - Ken resumes experimental work with guitar mounted mics using multiple mics and goosenecks.
2007 - Ken develops new twin gooseneck mic models (Later to become the 2Mic gooseneck) that both improve tone and reduce feedback versus older MiniFlex and Soundhole Mic models. Ken chooses to reclaim MiniFlex trade name not used by GHS and market these new mic models independently. Provisional application is filed for the new 2Mic MiniFlex designs in November 2007
2008 - August - First shipment of new MiniFlex Model 1 mics arrives from China using two goosenecks mounted directly to the endpin output jack. A regular patent application (based on the provisional) is filed in October 2008. |
