A nice old '56 Strat - an Iconic model with excellent presence & bell, but now there is the Kinman Impersonator E56 (Enhanced 56)
Impersonator E56 with Kinman's Gen-2 technology. We changed the name from A56 to E56 (E for enhanced) which better describes this pickup (7-Aug-18).
Frequently seen Forum comment “Noiseless Strat pickups don’t have Fender highs, snap and crispness” Until the advent of our Gen-2 models that did have an element of truth in it, but not anymore, Kinman Gen-2 pickups are the real deal. Click below and listen to see if it's true ..... see if this Kinman sounds like a 1950's Fender pickup when it was new.
News flash Apr-2021: Now with our new Synergy baseplate that allows switching off Hum Cancelling as well as switching to 'Synergy' mode.
Outstanding sonic characteristics: You will get archetype Non-Aged with scooped lower midrange which characterizes wonderful old Strat pickups. You'll also get pristine crystalline highs and 1956 bell ring, exceptional presence and bite/glass, sharp snappy dynamic thwack attack and fantastic twang full of piano mid-tones. The E56 has exceptional clarity / presence in the neck position, in fact you will have rarely experienced such clarity previously.
Additional benefits: You will also get longer sustain and minimized fret buzz with this pickup and if that's not enough you'll also get authentic Knopfler-esque quack from positions 2 & 4 as well as Zero-Hum in all 5 positions. Balanced G-3rd string loudness, Alnico-K** rod magnets for low string pull and no Strat-itis pitch warble plus longer sustain.
Signal chain requirements: Any old cable won't do. It is essential to use a low capacitance cable to get the incredible performance of this pickup.
Enjoyability factor on a scale of 1~10: Eleven or twelve with the best Fender non-noiseless being 10.
Waxing the Lyrical: Genuine 56 pickups are some of the most iconic Strat* pickups ever, renown for their exceptional twang, bell-like ring and extra bite & glassiness in clean mode). We changed the name from A56 to E56 (E for enhanced) which better describes this pickup (7-Aug-18). The Impersonator E56 is one of our supreme Strat* models, but it’s not the only one of the amazing new generation-2 hum-cancelling pickups coming from Kinman, The KING of noiseless & Master of Tone.
Loudness: Moderately loud and strong, louder than our Impersonator E69 and a 6.3K Fender pickup.
Tech stuff: The Gen-2 models have taller magnets and taller coil with Kinman's patented magnetic focusing device incorporated. In concert with a squashed 600 Ohm hum-sensing coil all these new features produces non-aged sound. 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 to align with strings off a narrow spaced twin Pivot bridge. More technical info below.
Comparison to others: You will find this remarkable new model sounds pretty much like a genuine 56 Stratocaster* did when it was new in 1956 .... just superb. You will also find this is one of the most lively and juicy Strat* pickup we make, it's so alive and juicy it outshines a lot of non-noiseless single coils. We have a selection of very nice Strat pickups here and side-by-side comparison with our E56 reveals a startling contrast, when adjusted close to the strings the E56 produces lushly rich highs with a wonderful harmonic corona but the Strat pickups sound what we can only describe as a little blunt (lacking sparkle).
Applications: Use to best advantage for low and medium gain applications where you need the archetype Stratocaster* sound, tone & feel and nothing less will do. Great for Surf, Instrumental, Country, Blues, Soft Rock, Reggae, Indie, early Clapton, Hendrix and Shoegaze .... the endless list goes on and on. The kind of terrific sound Stevie Ray Vaughn gets at 1:10 on this clip
And in Chris Rea's solo in It's All Gone in his album 'On the Beach' @ 2:45
Graduated set of 3: The Impersonator 54 produces a similar sound that is more mellow (warm), this and that it's louder makes it a great match in the bridge position.
Works well in any Kinman Goodbye-Soldering Harness.
Signal chain requirements for best tone: As with ALL passive pickups it is a good plan to use a low capacitance cable to get the incredible Tone and dynamic performance of these pickups. Learn why here Any old cable won't do.
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
Under the Hood of the Impersonator E56
Impersonator E56 nomenclature
Introduced Dec-2014
US Patents 5,668,520 6,103,986 8,791,351 B2
To cancel hum we add a sonically transparent 600 Ohm Hum Sensor coil to the bottom of the pickup which is designed with a low profile coil so it doesn’t make the pickup too tall. This Hum Sensor is extremely efficient and uses big wire and low turns count to minimize parasitic coil capacitance so it has no impact on the string signal as it passes through. The Hum Sensor is so transparent it can be disconnected without causing any difference to the sound of the pickup (except it will have hum of course). Additionally, the low profile Hum Sensing bobbin allows us to make a taller string sensor which in turn and in combination with a Patented magnetic invention allows the pickup to produce non-aged sound. That is ….. bright and sparkly with varying degrees of mid scoop just like the best old Strat pickups had when they were new.
Kinman, like no other noiseless Strat pickup, has broken through the compression / transparency barrier. Now you can compare Pickups with hum to pickups without hum. Introducing the new T-100 generation hum cancelling Stratocaster pickups, the world’s first non-aged hum-cancelling Strat pickup. T is for Triumph and 100 is 100% single coil sound.
This new model represents a major milestone in the evolution of Fender type pickups as it has taken about 26 years of inventive and innovative thinking to achieve. The Kinman P-90 Hx and this new model Strat pickup re-affirms Kinman as the King of noiseless.
Covers
Connection means available
Dimensions
Pot & Capacitor values
Magnet spreads we normally ship (ensures magnets align with the strings in each position)
Magnet Staggers
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.
** Alnico-K is a unique proprietary Alnico rod magnet developed by Kinman in 1985. It is Alnico-5 but 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.
* Fender and Stratocaster and Strat are registered Trade Marks of Fender Musical Instrument Corp, Inc. Kinman is not associated with FMIC but they kindly permit us to refer to their Trade Marks to reference our products.
IMPERSONATOR E56 Zero-Hum
Pickups-Demo
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Comparing Impersonator E56 with Suhr v70
Kinman impersonator E56
front pickup test
