Acoustic Guitar Pickups #10 - K&K Pure Mini
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- čas přidán 18. 11. 2019
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I just install a K&K mini in my Martin M36. It is so much better then any of my other guitars pickups. Thank you for review.
Congrats!
Nice job Aaron
Thank you. Can’t wait to hear you play metal on this! ;-)
Installed mine into my cheap Jim Dandy Gretsch parlor guitar to pair with a Bill Lawrence A300 and it made this little guitar sound amazing. Nice combination of acoustic lowend from the K&K and clear highend from the A300 which is just a singlecoil pickup would highly recommend but pain in the ass to install if your guitar doesn't have string pins.
awesome video!
Thank you Leonard!
Vety informative video! Good job! I have K&K pure mini in both of my Guild F-50R models, as well as my Guild JF-30. (all Jumbos, that's what I play!) I also have, and use, the K&K Pure pickup, just like you have shown. With a bit of tone tweaking, I get a GREAT sound out of it. Also, I had read that you couldn't use the K&K pickup straight into the Fishman Aura Spectrum D.I./Preamp...and that is just not true! It works great! It has the mic/guitar imaging selections (that I use VERY sparingly, if at all), plus it has an onboard compressor, 3 band EQ, phase switch, and the feedback eliminator button that will automatically tune out up to 3 different feedback frequencies...very handy for live performances! And I have a Gibson SJ200 that came from the factory with the Aura Ellipse, a sort of mini on-board Aura Spectrum. I can plug that straight into my amp, or the board, or even through the Aura Spectrum and into amp, board, whatever. My band can get pretty loud, yet I have very few feedback issues.
HOWEVER...and here's the big BUT...you HAVE to put in the time to dial in the proper sound. In this age of "plug-and-play, instant-gratification", very few actually take the time to dig in deep with the settings. And that's a MUST for great acoustic tone. Having said THAT, for recording in a studio, under controlled conditions, nothing beats a well-placed mic! Cheers!
I agree with you but please tune in on Thursday at 4pm EST and see my live interview with the creator of the Tone Dexter!
good demo.
Thank you!
Hey Arron, excited to hear your next video on the Tonedexter.
I recently bought Tonedexter which sounds awesome and I currently have the Fishman Matrix Infinity installed in my guitar (HD-28V) because I play very loud venues with a full band. I'm wondering if you think it is worth upgrading to the K&K or possibly the ultra tonic? From what I hear it sounds better than the fishman but I really need the feedback protection that I have with my current pickup.
It sounds like the undersaddle is suitable for your playing environment and I bet sounds great with the Tone Dexter. I would stick to that for now. Nice guitar btw!
Did you get to switch?
Great thank you!!
Thanks for watching!
The NUX Stageman Floor is 1Mohm and sounds nice with this system. I’m gonna order one in the next couple days
Hi Norman. I reviewed that preamp and it is very nice.
Yes it does👍
Hi Aaron,
Great review and great channel! After you did all those pickup reviews and comparisons - What would be your number #1 recommendation?
I'm looking for the best option that I can find for a full band situations, vary from small clubs to big venus such as arenas and stadiums (no preamp, just a cable straight into a regular DI).
Thanks!
It’s hard to answer the question “which is the best”. If I had to pick one that would suit 99% of people in 99% of venues then I would suggest the Anthem.
Sounds good to me.
This is good stuff. I have been using the K&K Pro Mini system in a D21 Special and it is the best plugged in sound I have had in 40 years. The mic does improve the sound. In a noisy environment I use a Zoom A3 and the feedback suppression is very effective without wrecking the tone. However with a band feedback remains a problem so I use an electric and hope that at least one person shouts 'Judas'.
I am looking forward to hearing the K&K with the Tonedexter, As an aside I have not had very good experiences with the Anthem, Lyric or Venue preamp but that may just be me and my very old ears.
Excellent. I like the Anthem a lot but but K&K and Tone Dexter sounds awesome too!
Hey Aaron have you reviewed the k&k Trinity? If so would you recommend it? Is it better than the Anthem? Thx for always responding so many others don’t. I hope your channel grows.
Thanks and I have not but I hear it’s great. Of course it means there will either be a lot in the guitar (with the internal preamp) or you will need to use an external preamp and the microphone will be more prone to feedback than the Anthem.
I have kk installed in my guitar now, but as with all of us, we all wanna try something new all the time. I have a new guitar comming, and what is your opinion. Shatten passive or k&k (I will run them through tonedexter in any case). Gr8 channel btw!
Thank you. The thing is that the HFN sounds cleaner and more usable out of the box but I like that the K&K often gives me too much bass which can then be shaped how I like. The HFN is very easy to try so you should try it in your guitar and decide.
Really interesting video. And probably explains why I’ve heard both wonderful and horrible sounds from this pickup system in user demo videos. The microphone quality and high sensitivity to body vibrations is a blessing and a curse. My stage volume is often loud enough that I require a rubber soundhole cover to keep my stock piezo from feeding back. Do you think a rubber plug in the soundhole would help the K&K?
Yes. A Soundhole plug will help any pickup.
hey aaron, great explanation/demo/review. can you also do a review of the taylor es-2 system? it's a behind the saddle pick up but i find it also responds to body tapping. I also found it picks up outside sound like a microphone. i dont understand why most people dont like the es-2. they are saying it is too muddy. but i found mud can be easily tamed with an eq. i plug my taylor 214ce into an lr baggs venue and it sounds awesome.
The old ES-2 could have been described as muddy but the very latest version is good (they also fixed the battery cradles). The issue I have with it is battery life, over sensitivity and that the g string can have a ‘pinging’ sound. It is a decent system though.
I’m wondering the same- in the market for a 214 and most I find have the older ES-T system. Not sure when they started with the expression 2. So I’m considering buying a 214 without any electric and putting this k and k with it
Love your Channel Aaron. I have a K&K in my Martin, and was looking to get the AER 60/4. Does the AER sound great with K&K straight in, or would having a Tonedexter as well into the AER make a big difference? Thanks, John.
Hi John! I didn’t have much luck with the K&K directly into the AER. You would need to use a preamp, the ToneDexter is an excellent choice. I’ve been using mine live for the last few months and it sounds great.
@@aaronshortmusic Awesome Aaron, Thanks for taking the time to reply. I live in NZ, and the AER costs a heck of a lot of money over here, so good to know not to expect an amazing tone straight out of the box with that and a K&K. The Tonedexter looks an incredible piece of kit from what I've heard, so really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these too. Cheers, John.
John Gorbey To be fair the K&K benefits from a preamp or some kind of impedance box with several amps, depending on several factors of course. Please do ty it for yourself. I’ll talk more about this in a future video. The Tone Dexter is an excellent addition to a K&K though.
with fishman aura pedal or voice print's baggs will sound amazing
It really depends on the guitar and the pickup and the IR in my experience.
Aaron - i just bought an AD27 and love it, but now im wondering if I should go back and return for the AD27E version with the ES2 or should i go with a k&k and preamp?
That’s a tough call. I like the ES2 but I can see why some prefer the K&K in a pure acoustic guitar. If you like the guitar that you have then I would go to a store and try the ES2 version to make sure you like the guitar as much. If I was going to be gigging a lot then I think I would go for the ES2 but if you only plug in occasionally then the K&K is a good option since it is less invasive. Both ways are very good.
Aaron nice review man! I have a question, it may be not related to the k&k but if you could kindly answer it would be of great help! Whatstring gauge is in that guitar? And what pick size you used? More power man!
Hi. I use the Dunlop Jazz 3XL ‘Stiffo’ 1mm pick. I am pretty sure I had 12 gauge Martin Lifespan strings on the guitar at the time.
Thank you very much!
I have the K&K installed in al of my guitars. Sounds great with a correct pre amp. You talking about the wireless solution. Can you tell what the name is of the wireless system you mentioned because i could not hear exactly what you were saying. Thanks in advance. And thank you for the great work what you are doing for us.
Thanks Paul. I usually recommend this system for the price and connection reliability. It didn’t sound as good as a high quality cable but it is a nice option: amzn.to/3guFcj9
@@aaronshortmusic Hi Aaron. I understand. Thank you again.
Curious if you know why more people don't ever review the K&K trinity pro (the one with an internal mic)! The only K&K reviews i ever seem to find are for the pure mini. Thanks Aaron!
I have heard good things about it but I assume it’s because it’s more expensive and requires an internal or external preamp. A lot of people like the K&K because it’s affordable and noninvasive. That’s just my guess.
Thanks
You’re welcome!
@@aaronshortmusic Installed them yeasterdy, love them with a preamp EQ as you suggested. Found the Bass/Mid/Treble on K&K Preamp didn't have enough range to dial it in but the LR Baggs DI did with the notch filters and presence control.
Hi Aaron. Thanks for the review. I would like to ask you this question. I have a nice guitar from Thomann / Harley Benton, Model No CLD-41SE WN. It has a Fishman Presys 11 pickup and preamp built in. The guitar has got a very good tone. I really do not like the sound of the pickup. Could I install this K&K pickup and connect it to the Presys 11 preamp that is already on the guitar ?. I am hoping that this will improve the pickup sound. If it doesn't I could always run the the K&K pickup to an external preamp that I have.
Maybe but it’s hard to know if the preamp will be a good match. I would just wire it to the existing jack so that you can reuse that and then use a good external preamp. You could also try an IR pedal (Aura, Tone Dexter, Optima Air, Voiceprint DI) with the existing pickup.
Aaron you cut the bass and added the treble for brightness. The guitar went from a Martin and turned into a Taylor. Still awaiting your test of the Myers Feather pickup.
I agree but make sure you listen with headphones as on a cell phone there is less bass to begin with. Bass is all personal preference. I have a backlog of pickup reviews coming but they are all 1st party.
Hi.. Great videos!! I've watched all your pickup videos... Is the K&K transducer similar to the Face Sensor from the Cole Clarke 3 way pick up? I mean, does it use the same transducer technology.. If yes, then Cole Clark will be the best option!! Thank you
Thanks! The K&K is a contact sensor but is quite different to the Cole Clark.
@@aaronshortmusic Oh.. ok.. Thanks for the quick response..
I use this with Orchid DI(from UK), and am happy with the results. Also, in another guitar, I have the JJB Prestige 330 (which is like a clone of the K&K) but much cheaper. The K&K is better though, with a hotter output and a more balance sound.
Hi Alan. I love the K&K, it’s so simple and effective! It does require some decent outboard processing and I plan on covering that in the future. It sounds like the Orchard DI is worth taking a look at. I’m really enjoying the Tone Dexter right now.
Thank you for this video - we need more takes on the K&K Pure Mini, and what goes well with it. I have a Collings OM2H equipped with a K&K Pure Mini (no mic). I plug directly into my Fishman Aura Spectrum DI and Fishman Loudbox Artist. I know the Loudbox Artist and the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI both have an input impedance of 10 m ohm, but everything sounds really good! Surprisingly, when I plug my Collings into my Fishman Auro Spectrum DI into my Henriksen blu, it sounds even better. I play primarily fingerstyle or finger picking. I want to add one more comment. I listened to your video with sealing ear buds, and I think my set sounds a bit warmer and smoother than your setup. Maybe it's just the video compression here, but I just want to note that my sound is pretty warm and smooth and natural. In the future I plan to try the Mesa Boogie Rosette Amp, since it is rated 1 m ohm input impedance. Has anyone tried that amp with a K&K pure mini?
Thank you Robert and I agree. My plan is to demystify live sound and remove some of the guess work. Note that in the second sample I just cranked the treble and cut the bass to show that with EQ the K&K can be made bright. I know it’s way too much. I’ll go into specific EQ and impedance in another video. I will start with the Tone Dexter as it’s an amazing pedal.
@@aaronshortmusic I see, thank you. Looking forward to your video on the Tone Dexter. Would be great if you could also review some multi-effects pedal, especially the T-Rex SoulMate Acoustic Multi-effects Pedal, and how well it sounds with the K&K. By the way, I forgot to mention that I also have the Red-Eye preamp, which has an input impedance of 1 m ohm. I tried to use it with my Collings OM2H and Fishman amp. I'm not sure I like it, but will give it another try maybe with my Henriksen Blu amp. thanks.
Robert Pajkovski I have a review on the T-Rex up already. I find that the impedance does not always translate well. Some DI’s just work better than others. EQ is also EXTREMELY important.
Aaron - when are you going to try the Dazzo 70 pickup? I hear it's more "woody" and 3D sounding than the K&K.
I will try it one day but I don’t see how it can be much better than the K&K and I don’t know anyone in NYC that would install it.
@@aaronshortmusic Are you liking the K&K better than the HFN? I thought that was going to be it! I'm a long time K&K user (Taylor 810C w/Engelman Spruce Top). Best live sound has been K&K => Baggs PADI.
Revelation 12 Ministries It’s very impressive. Check it out in the video I posted last night of the JBL EON ONE Compact EQ.
Great video! Just one question. Does de K&k pure mini works a a strap button?
Thank you! Where the jack plugs in yes. You will hair need to add one at the heel.
Good review man ! You tell the straight pure truth about the pure mini K&K . Time you buy pre amp and pickup you’ll have $$$ in this system. Still on the fence . What’s your opinion now after awhile. Thanks man ! Jeff Clark from ROCKDALE TEXAS. I am pretty well into the AUSTIN Music sene
I still like it a lot as long as I use it with a preamp. Check out the Baggs Voiceprint DI demo I just put out using the K&K! For a passive pickup it’s a great option.
does k&k's own preamp sound good? Solve the problem" ?
HFN with Tonedexter. Is that a good match, too?
Sure, should work well!
Hi great info, is the HX stomp good as a preamp for k&k pure mini ? I saw another of your videos that you are using but with another pickup I think, thanks
Yes the HX Stomp works great as a preamp and effects unit!
Aaron Short Music Thank you very much
For a Yamaha FG5, would you recommend installing the K&K or just purchase the FGX5 with built in pickup?
If you are purchasing a Red Label guitar then I would go for the pickup. It’s really great. Also I tried the 3 and the 5 models and found them very similar. The 3 comes with a gig bag instead of a hard shell case which I quite like.
Could double sided tape be used? to later remove the transducer without damaging it? Does the tape interfere with the sound quality? What other method can be used to remove it later without damaging it?
That would be great but unfortunately K&K insist that glue is used or it will have a weak output with not enough bass. You could try it though.
Basic question as I’m just getting into acoustic guitar pick-ups. I have a Boss Katana amp that has an acoustic channel (apparently it does the job pretty well). When plugging into the Katana, I assume there would be no point having a separate pre-amp (given the Katana has it’s own pre-amp stage)? Thanks for any guidance, M
Hi Martin. That is correct. It is fine to use more than one preamp but with the Katana it should certainly be all that you need.
@@aaronshortmusic Thanks very Aaron - really appreciate your guidance (and all your great content!).
@@martoneill Thank you Martin!
Could you consider doing a demo of the K&K with the Trinity mic installed as well?
Hi Luke. Check the Sunnaudio preamp review. I use a mic and K&K there. It worked well!
@@aaronshortmusic awesome, thank you! I just got a new D-18 standard and trying to decide what to use. What have you liked best in your D-18?
Perhaps it is an impossible quest but, I feel that pickups simply destroy the sound of guitars. I do have the K&K, with the K&K preamp, in a vintage D28, and I feel I lose 80% of the guitar's rich sound. Nothing so far beats a microphone in front of the guitar to my ears. I also tried to rationalize and think perhaps by blending the Pick Up sound with a Microphone , but in the end, the pick up adds no value to the sound imho. In the end - and I might be wrong - a good pick up will make an "ok" guitar sound "ok", and an amazing guitar just sound "ok" too. I could find it useful If I need to play live and want to avoid the hassle of installing microphones, but again, why do it with a high end guitar if in the end it's going to sound just ok. I think I might try coupling it with another pickup, in-body microphone type, see what I get, and if I'm still not impressed I'll just buy a cheaper guitar and put the pickups on that one.
Hi man.. can I ask you what's the mic you'd suggest for live performances? I have a d28 too.
@@antoniotancredi98 IMHO there are several factors to consider: 1) What's the formation , do you play alone, or in a band.
2) if so, what are the other instruments, are the acoustic or not, and is there a drum? If there is a drum, does he play loud ?
3) What is your kind of playing ? Strum, Flatpicking, Fingerpicking? Do you use picks? (I use a thumbpick and two fingerpicks for example)
4) What is, your best sound when you play alone, do you play soft or with high velocity ? I know it's a lot of questions, but I sincerely believe it would be absurd to give you my take without considering those points. That's what I do for myself.
Got to agree with you ! This happen to HD-35 Martin 2013 model. Put a LR bags stem in it . Sound muddy now when playing just acoustically. You have too have it if you play gigs this .
Hi i agree, i have messed about trying different pickups, the only way to get the true acoustic sound is to use an external mic! I think we can take lessons from the bluegrass players, they just step up to the microphone and play!!
Would this pickup cause feedback problems with a tonewood amp!?
I haven’t tried the ToneWood amp so I am not sure but it can be susceptible to feedback without the correct EQ.
@@aaronshortmusic Thank you for the quick reply, you're the man!
I’ve been looking for a pickup but can’t commit to drilling into my D28
You could use a temporary sound hole pickup.
Now that you've tested the K&K pure mini as well as the LR baggs HiFi, which one do you prefer?
Totally depends on the application…
@@aaronshortmusic After hearing a lot of examples, I found that I prefer the sound of transducer pickup more than the one's with a mic like the LLR Baggs Anthem.
With the HiFi you have the advantage of not having to carry around a seperate preamp.
With the K&K you have less stuff messing with the natural tone of the guitar.
So till now they both sound equally good. So it boils down to the tone.
K&K pure mini plugged into its pure preamp
Vs the Llr baggs HiFi and eq
I know there is no good and bad tone and everyone has their own taste and preferences. But as I respect your opinion, which pickup do you like better only in the aspect of its tone or the sound you're able to get out of it.
@@wildeocean If I was playing occasionally I would choose the K&K for it’s simplicity but if I was gigging I would choose the HiFi however I use neither right now. I am more interested in a HiFi with mic like the Anthem that I hope will be released eventually.
What did you use to install k&k pick up? tape or super-glue
Professionally installed with super-glue.
So a year after this video. Bought a basic D18- what pickup; still K&K? Thanks
What I tell people at the moment is. If you play out all the time get the Anthem SL (or a dedicated stage guitar). If you only play out occasionally get a K&K. If you never play out then leave it acoustic.
@@aaronshortmusic Do people buy the Anthem xl and not the Anthem with the volume wheel and the mix wheel because its bulkier and it weighs down the top? Just curious.
@@wildeocean Some do. I don’t think it makes a difference but the SL controls can be hidden so the Soundhole looks clean. I prefer that personally.
hey, what do you think of supernatural guitar pickups? and also Schatten Design HFN Player VT aktiv.
Are they good?
Hi! I have not tried either. I have a review of the passive HFN and I love the Maton and Cole Clark systems which were both made in collaboration with Brad Clark (Supernatural). I would like to check that out in the future.
@@aaronshortmusic Actually, I am so exhausted from looking for a pickup I need. There are so many but I have no clue which to choose. I need a very good and high-quality pickup for concerts and also playing at home (undersaddle one, or others, I know there are a lot of them) and also a pickup or everyone calls it microphone inside the guitar because I want that my percussion is heard. Thatsss alll. But I need really good pickups even if they are gonna cost 200$ or 300$. I don't know what choose. K&k or supernatural or HFN. I dontt knoow this is so difficult.
@@bogdangrund3913 There are many options and they all have compromises. I am sure the Supernatural is good but it does involve some modification I believe. The Baggs Anthem SL is a safe bet.
@@aaronshortmusic www.thomann.de/gb/lrbaggs_anthem_sl.htm
this one? As I've understood it includes a microphone and pickup together?
@@bogdangrund3913 This is the exact one I am talking about. It has an undersaddle pickup and a microphone: m.thomannmusic.com/lrbaggs_anthem_sl.htm?partner_id=15823
You first left it boomy. Then went bright. What about somewhere in-between, why didn't we hear that?
Thanks. I don’t feel it was much brighter than the mic. Of course you can use EQ to dial it in to the exact brightness that you require but it will always have that piezo harshness than a mic does not have.
Request to try the Myers pickups.
I heard about them recently but I prefer using permanent installs.
@@aaronshortmusic My case - mandolin, mandola, guitar, so non permanent preferred. I understand your premise however.
quigley 45-100 I hear you. I will reach out to them.
So does it pair well with a Fishman Aura? I'm keen to put a K&K in my OMJM.
I tried the Aura (and several other pedals) with the K&K this week. It sounds great with the K&K preamps but still a little metallic in my IEM’s. Nothing really worked for me. I am going to try adding the Trinity microphone next week.
@@aaronshortmusic thanks. Not using IEMs, just interested in the sound via the PA/amp, where I'm assuming the Fishman Aura is as capable as the other preamps you tested?
@@2inthecorner Not really because the IR’s are made with undersaddle Matrix pickups.
Could I use a boss GE-7 as a preamp? I run through a fishman loud box amp into mixer anyway?
You can. You may not even need it but it would give you a lot of extra EQ flexibility and it also provides a 1 MegOhm input impedance I believe.
Ah ok, I may even by pass the acoustic amp then and go straight into mixer?
Cheers for the videos Aaron. I have bought it and getting it installed Saturday. Hopefully I get it back before Christmas 😂👍
@@paulloveridge8619 Congrats!
This is a passive pickup right? So it would always work?
That’s right. It doesn’t need a battery.
@@aaronshortmusic Awesome, planning to get it installed in my FG830
So getting a pre amp is a must??
It depends what you are plugging into but for me it is. I would choose carefully and always have the K&K battery powered preamp in my gig bag.
I am kind of surprised how bad this KK sound? I have a “similar” pick up, but play through a really good preamp, and I find it sounds as good or maybe better then micked up - actually the best acoustic sound I have ever had. And I have tried A LOT -)
All K&K’s sounds like that unless you use something like a Tone Dexter. Which pickup and preamp do you use?
Aaron Short Music hi Aaron, I use a Headway EDB 1. After testing endless preamps, this one is the best I have ever tried. For years there has been an EDB 2, at bit different but same “sound”. Its the only preamp that makes the K&K or similar transducer, go from okay to really great :-)
Gos wo That’s good to know. I’ll check it out!
@@aaronshortmusic did you?
@@jasper_north I haven’t seen one yet. I think they are special order only but I did review a preamp from Sunnaudio that was very good. No preamp makes a drastic change to the tone for me though.
Boast the treble lower the bass.
This is the way.
Totally agree.
is the lip sync out, or just my computer?
It’s out. Fixed on recent videos!
What is the signal chain here?
Direct to interface and then I use the K&K preamp later on for some EQ.
Do you think The k&k pure mini sounds better than lr baggs lyric/anthem?
No I do not.
I thought it seriously lacked bass.
Na sounds to much like an electric pickup 👎
I feel it sounds better than a lot of acoustic pickups but it definitely needs some EQ and possibly an internal mic blended in to sound really great.
@@aaronshortmusic I use the LR Baggs Anthem IN four of my Martins. Ive done a solo act for 50 years, and i have never heard any pickup system sound as amazing as the anthem. i also use the Baggs Venue. people all the time now come up to me and tell how Awesome my guitars sound !!!