Impersonator E69 - a Gen-2 pickup
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'69 Strat pickups had great clarity and dynamics, but now there is the Kinman Impersonator E69
(Enhanced 69)
Frequently seen Forum comment “Noiseless Strat pickups don't have Stratocaster highs and snap” Until recently that did have an element of truth in it, but not anymore.
News flash Apr-2021: Now with our new Synergy baseplate that allows switching off Hum Cancelling as well as switching to 'Synergy' mode.
This new Impersonator E69 is the latest addition to our impressive line-up of non-aged-sound Generation-2 Zero-Hum Strat pickups and fills the gap between the low output Scoop and the moderately loud Impersonator E56.
Recommended for ALL clean to distortion Strat* sounds. Nails SRV's Little Wing
Outstanding sonic characteristics: Sweeter, purer, more tinkly highs that feel light and bouncy when played as a chord and has a little less bite/glass than the Impersonator E56. More snap than the Scoop. Remarkable presence factor thanks to more upper harmonics than modern Strat pickups -and- there is no hint of ice-pickup or upper mid spikes - just sweet gorgeous highs like you've never heard before. Low wound strings have more than the much desired Fender snap, scoop & twang factors and the moderately aggressive sound of Fender's CS 69 is instantly recognizable, sans the 60Hz hum. Like a Fender pickup it resists crunching at clean loud room volume.
Additional benefits: There is 40% less magnetic string pull than regular Strat pickups so consequently there is no Strat-itis frequency warbling and string crash, just pure sustaining pure musical energy like you've never heard before. Balanced G-3rd string loudness. Better than absolutely authentic Knopfler-esque Position 2 and 4 sounds.
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.
Ejoyability factor on a scale of 1~10: Twelve (seriously), with the best Fender non-noiseless being 10.
Waxing the Lyrical: The sound can best be described as a very 'pretty' Fender sound, it's just so sweet and lovely ,,, full of gorgeous tone. It packs a little bit of punch and snap too and it's sound is very lively, more lively in fact than a real 69 which sounds a bit ordinary in A/B comparsions. This Strat type pickup is so good we gave it the 5 Gold Star rating because it actually sounds better than it's noisy namesake. This is nothing short of astounding considering this is a Zero-Hum pickup. People can be forgiven for thinking these pickups fell out of a flying saucer they are that technologically advanced.
Loudness: Only The Scoop is less loud. Is a little louder than a Fender CS-69 which is noticeably less than the Impersonator E56 so a graduated set of three would have the E56 in the bridge and the E69 in the neck and middle. Position 2 is not overly compromised with the slightly louder E56 in the bridge.
Comparison to others: In side-by-side comparison the E69 has more tone and greater clarity than the real CS69's which sound a bit ordinary in comparison - unbelievable but true. The E69 is something else and that's the reason we called it the E69 .... Enhanced 69.
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.
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.
This remarkable new model is part of the reason that not only is Kinman the King of Noiseless but also the King of Fender sound regardless of hum or otherwise.
Works well in any Kinman Goodbye-Soldering Harness.
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 E69 you can see the taller upper coil and the squashed lower 600 Ohm Hum sensor. What you can't see is our patented Magnetic Focusing device inside the tall coil.
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Impersonator E69 nomenclature
Introduced 2-August-2018
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 high frequencies as they pass 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
Baseplate options
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.
It's extremely versatile
Soft n slow n just beautiful. Goose bumps at 4:00
Angus Clark gets off on his Impersonator E69 in Kill The King
Angus writes >>>Great pickups, you do amazing work!
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The E69 does 4 flavors of dirt
