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Knopfler set for Sultans of Swing sound




Impersonator E56

 

It's a fact that for authentic Knopfler-esque 'Sultans of Swing' TRADE MARK sound (aka quack/cluck) in positions 2 and 4 all three pickups must have identical vintage specs, non-aged sound pickups.  When different pickups are used, the mixed sound of positions 2 or 4 is compromised according to the difference between them.  This is an Electrical Engineering Law and applies to all brands of pickups.

Our boxed set for Knopfler's trademark 'Sultans' sound is comprised of three Impersonator E56 models.  For You-Tube demos and other details and information look under the Single Strat Pickups TAB.
 
This set is our take on the Artists sound and is not intended to infer the artist uses these pickups although some do.
 
It must be borne in mind that our pickups are versatile and under different amplification environments and in the hands of different artists can deliver a wide range of sounds and that's the reason you'll see the same models included in various different Artist sets.
 
News flash Apr-2021: Now with our new Synergy baseplate that allows switching off Hum Cancelling as well as switching to 'Synergy' mode for those that think hum is part of Fender sound.
 
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)
 

** 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.

Technical & Application info:

 

Impersonator '56 nomenclature

 

Introduced Dec-2015

US Patents  5,668,520    6,103,986    8,791,351 B2

Frequently seen Forum comment “Noiseless Strat pickups sound different to genuine single coils”  Until recently that did have an element of truth in it, but not anymore.

The Impersonator A56 represents a major milestone in the evolution of Fender type pickups as it has taken about 19 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.

Covers

  • Standard Kinman cover without height extender bushings included. 
  • 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

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
  • Intermediate 51mm
  • Standard 52.5mm
  • Option to specify your magnet spreads of sets and singles in our 'After-Order Supplementary 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 Supplementary Questions' email we send you.

Hook-up cable

  • 2 conductor shielded is standard.
  • Middle pickups when supplied with a K9, TK4 or TK9 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

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.