A versatile Icon, from Marvin to Malmsteen
Impersonator MV (Modern Vintage - formerly known as Impersonator 54 v5) with Kinman's Gen-2 technology Customer Stuart says ..."These Kinman Impersonator 54 pickups sound very similar to the Bare Knuckle 63 Veneer 64's – but better. There’s more clarity, and there’s more top-end. Honestly, the Kinmans are making my other Strats sound dark – and they’ve got true single coil pickups in them. Noiseless pickups aren’t supposed to have better top-end than true single coil pickups, but these do". (read the Report Cards for more from Stuart)Impersonator MV
$160
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Product Info
The YouTube at top was recorded with a VOX AC-30 which is a quite bright amp and the signal chain set up to mimic that of Hanks Marvin playing Shadows tunes. Under identical conditions the Impersonator MV is noticeably louder, brighter and less sharp than the Impersonator E56.
Outstanding sonic characteristics: You can expect a sound comparable with the best Fender Strat* pickup you’ve ever heard but with more presence from the plain strings, greater clarity and more overall girth, especially in the bridge position. Produces a very nice twang with heaps of piano-mid-tones from the wound strings, and very nice high note glassiness … more so than other Strat pickups (play the YouTubes above). Better dynamics and note separation than a real Strat and more bounce from the E-6th low wound. More intense Position 2 & 4 Knopfler-esque ‘cluck’ sounds.
Customers report the MV is the most outstanding bridge pickup of all time, especially for Hank Marvin’s sound because we’ve hit a sweet spot that’s not as sharp as regular Strat pickups and is packed with beautiful piano-mid-tones.
Enoyability factor on a scale of 1~10: Twelve, with the best Fender non-noiseless Strat pickup being 10.
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 sustaining pure musical energy alive like you’ve never heard before. Like all Kinman Fender genre pickups the MV has balanced G-3rd string loudness.
Loudness: Noticeably louder than the Impersonator E56 making it the optimum companion for the E56 in the middle and neck.
Tech stuff: The Gen-2 models have taller magnets and taller coil with Kinman’s patented tone and attack enhancing magnetic focusing device incorporated which means it’s a highly responsive pickup. 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 (CSCT) coil spread compensation technology which restores the slight but noticeable loss of attack & presence when the magnets are placed closer together.
Opinion: And not just our’s, “Kinman makes not only the best noiseless Strat pickups but the best Strat pickups period” Dave Cohen (RIP) – founder of Equilibrium Guitars in Boston.
Signal chain requirements: Any old cable won’t do. As with all pickups it is best to use a low capacitance cable to get the incredible sonic performance of this pickup.
You will also like the balanced 3rd string loudness and our Alnico-K** rod magnets for low string pull and no Strat-itis pitch warble.
Works well in any Kinman Goodbye-Soldering Harness for Stratocaster.
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 99.9% 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
Released 1-Dec-14
US Patents 5,668,520 6,103,986 8,791,351
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 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 recently manufactured Strat pickups.
Kinman, like no other noiseless Strat pickup, has broken through the compression / transparency barrier. Now you can compare Apples with hum to Apples without hum. Introducing the 2nd generation hum cancelling Stratocaster pickups, the world’s first non-aged hum-cancelling Strat pickup.
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 re-affirms Kinman as the King of noiseless.
Height adjustment: With the 12th fret closed the neck pickup gap between top of magnet and bottom of E-6th should be 2.2mm and for the E-1st it should be 3mm. This is our experience and a good starting point but might need to be tempered somewhat for different amps, strings and guitar responses.
Mixing and matching with other Strat pickups: Some players will love the Impersonator MV in all 3 positions (bridge, middle and neck) to get nicely balanced authentic vintage sounds from all 5 positions. The new Texas Jalapeno, surprisingly, has higher output, and makes a good companion bridge pickup and pos 2 is reasonable authentic Knopfler-esque. But if you prefer an even hotter bridge pickup the Big-Nine-O is powerful, sweet, thick and loud, a perfect companion at the bridge if growl is your thing. However position 2 sound will not produce authentic Knopfler-esque sound but will sound good anyway with a lot of retained attack.
How does it compare to the Traditional Mk-III set? The Trad Mk-IV produces aged sound which means more midrange content (less scooped), less brilliant highs and compresses when picked hard. The Impersonator MV has non-aged sound and therefore the midrange is more scooped with brilliant bitey highs and, like a new pickup, does not compress when picked hard.
Covers
- Standard Kinman cover without height extender bushings.
- Available in White, Black, Aged White.
- With and without Kinman logo.
- Can be tinted with food stains such as Coffee and Tea.
- Generic covers will not fit Kinman Strat pickups. We sell replacement covers in three colors.
Connection means available
- Bare wires for soldering.
- Kinman connectors for plugging into any Kinman Goodbye-Soldering Harness.
Dimensions
- click for dimensions page
Pot & Capacitor values
- Best with 250k Ohm (measured minimum) volume pot. Less punch and more bright with 500k.
- Tone pot is usually the same value as the volume but for a little more top end brightness can be 500k, 1meg or a No-Load.
- Stock pots can actually measure as low as 175k. Pots in our Goodbye-Soldering Harness are guaranteed to measure no less that 250k.
- Normal tone cap value of 0.022uF, 63 ~ 100 volt Polyester. Smaller uF value lessen the severity of Treble cut, higher values increase it.
- The voltage rating of Caps is not important but 63 ~ 100 volt have thicker lead wires that result in a neater job.
Magnet spreads we normally ship (ensures magnets align with the strings in each position)
- Narrow 49.5mm – Neck
- Intermediate 51mm – Middle
- Standard 52.5mm – Bridge
- Option to specify your magnet spreads of sets and singles in our ‘After-Payment’ Additional Questions‘ email we send you.
Magnet Staggers
- Normal improved Stagger to suit 7″ ~ 14 inch uniform radius fretboards including USA Custom Guitar Compound 7-1/4″ ~ 9-1/2
- Flat Stagger 14″ ~ 20″ for specific compound radius fretboards (Warmoth 10 ~ 16 inch and Post 2010 Fender Deluxe 9 ~ 14″)
- Option to choose your magnet stagger for sets and singles in our ‘After-Payment Additional Questions‘ email we send you.
Hook-up cable
- 2 conductor shielded is standard.
- Middle pickups when supplied with a K9 or neck pickup with a TK4 harness have 3 conductor shielded.
- 3 conductor by request with Order.
- Custom lengths by request with Order.
Output Polarity:
- in-phase with Gibson and Copy humbuckers
- in-phase with all other Kinman pickups
- opposite phase to Fender Strat (match phase with 3 Conductor hook-up cable)
Mounting hardware included
- 2 Pan head mounting screws.
- 2 Silicon Rubber tube springs.
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.
*Stratocaster and Strat are a 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.
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