I finally pulled the stock Fishman out of my pre-ES Taylor and installed a K&K. I wish I did it sooner-the K&K sounds sooooo much more natural. I loved it so much I installed one in my pickup-less Martin.
The K&K Pure Mini is great. I play a Martin OMC-28 (cutaway OM style) that originally came with a Fishman system. When the Fishman electronics stopped working, I had my luthier rip the whole thing out and install the Pure Mini. The difference in the plugged in sound was like night and day - a vast improvement. Also... the acoustic sound improved a little bit also, since the the saddle now presses directly on the bridge, and no longer sits on top of a transducer strip.
I was on the fence about the k&k pure minis then I bought a orange acoustic preamp. And wow my Martin sounds gorgeous. Very little EQ. Just mainly rolling off the low end.
I'm gonna need a preamp eventually as things get louder with my new K^K pickups.. I have a PRS clean boost & Compressor pedal, that may do the trick, all adjustable down to full bypass 😮 Aloha
Sounds great in that guitar! I had the K&K Pure Mini installed in my acoustic many years ago and it sounded great, but it did get lost in a mix pretty easy. My biggest problem though was that the transducers kept falling off (I now think it was likely due to it being a brand new acoustic that was introduced to a much more humid climate than the factory as I later noticed the top bowing out quite a lot). I eventually replaced it with an AER AK-15 Plus that I installed myself. It is an absolutely fantastic sounding pickup system and several years now I've never had it let me down.
That sounds like an issue with installation. The transducers can be removed but they should not fall off. When they are attached properly, they are very attached.
@@scottmoreau5630 I figured that at first, so that's also a possibility (he was the only guitar tech I knew of in town and said he hadn't installed one of these pickups before). Either way it was an issue for me and re-gluing them without the jig shown in the video was a pain in the butt. They did last longer once I had re-glued them, but I'm sure if it was done right the first time it would have lasted better. Once it happened a few times they started to have crackling issues with the wiring, so I gave up. Love what I have now though, so it's all good. The lesson to be learned here is: do it yourself if you have the skills and all the information necessary, or take it to someone you know you can trust to do it right.
Jeez that sounds really good. I’m getting a 000-18 pretty soon and for the pickup I am debating between lr baggs and k&k, this sure makes a strong case for k&k!! I do love their trinity system, having the mic option to blend in with the other pickup (though I’m worried about feedback issues).
I have the LR Baggs active element in my Taylor 314ce and it has a great sound. I'm hoping to get a Martin in the future and the K&K came highly recommended!
I am really grateful for this excellent video to show us how to install this pickup! So please don't misinterpret my comment that - per K&K instructions, you are supposed to cover the head of each pickup completely with a fairly thick coat of gel type super glue. This is so every part of each sensor makes contact with the bridge plate. In the end, the amount you used here might work as is, or might work if it squishes flat on the sensor, but they make a point of telling us not to be cheap with the glue and that it needs to squish out the sides. I just ordered one of these and read the instructions which is why I a having a brainiac moment here. If we don't follow the instructions to the letter, we will not be able to tell if it compromised the tone in any way.
The dude used MORE than enough glue to do exactly what you said. Guarantee he had squeeze-out on every side each time (hence why he glued his fingers together on the first one). A little goes a LONG way with super glue gel.
Thanks for the video, I'll be installing the K&K on my Furch Vintage this week, so this video is very helpful, never installed one before. Btw, very nice guitar, which model is it?
Wondering if you ever tried the fishman double helix,, I am torn between the k&k pure mini, the fishman double helix and the fishman rare earth blend…. But yours sounds great
Thanks for the video!. Currently i’m in US and i would like to buy one of this. The thing is, i have my guitar in Argentina and i don’t want to dril the wood. Do you know what size should be the hole of the guitar so i don’t have to drill it?
Great video Michael! Do you know of any other good preamps and or DI boxes for the K&K Pure Mini beside the HX Stomp? I just got this pickup installed in my Martin.
Hey Michael, wondering if you have any experience with the Ultratonic Pickup? It’s supposed to be like a K&K but slightly easier to install and help with the boomy bass and feedback.
I’ve never seen one of these let alone watched one be installed, but I have a question. By chance did you install the pickups backwards? Unless there is a reason for clearance or spacing, it doesn’t seem correct to have the wires point toward the neck, then loop backwards towards the jack. Less tension would be on the wires to run straight back it seems?
The very first step should have been removing the strings before doing anything else. The second step is to clean the inside/underside of the bridge plate to ensure the surface is clean for gluing.
I own this pickup with my Taylor GS Mini. But the thing is that , since it doesn`t have a battery and dedicated preamp ; it just distorts too much when I plug it DI to the mixer. Some people told me that its because of the impedance mismatch etc. So my question is that ; What is your signal ? Do you use it with a preamp, if yes which ? :) Because I really cannot achieve a "clean" and proper level signal with it. Cheers !
I typically don’t use it with a preamp. I’ve never had an issue with it distorting. Matching the impedance does help! I’ve noticed a difference even just using a Boss tuner. Sounds like an issue some where though as I’ve never had an issue with it distorting
So if I wanted to put this pickup in my acoustic, and add the k&k pre amp I would buy it separate? I was looking on Amazon but one showed for 109 and the preamp for 221, would I need to buy both? Most likely right
Curious if you know of a good pedal to go with an acoustic that has a pickup like this, that would offer a (a) anti-feedback notch filter (b) bass, middle, treble knobs, (c) a bit of a boost, and maybe (d) reverb and maybe even an integrated DI (balanced XLR output) as well as 1/4" unbalanced line level out. Google suggests Fishman Platinum Pro EQ. Ever tried it? It looks like a 5-in-1 pedal for a gigging amplified-acoustic-guitar player.
I don’t have any experience with that but other than the XLR output, the HX stomp is a great solution for acoustic though it might be overkill depending on your needs.
What's your use case? I'd suggest a good active DI, and maybe a preamp with some super basic EQ. As a FOH engineer, I find a lot of times I end up reverse engineering the EQ that somebody has applied on a preamp, before I can get to making the acoustic work in the mix. Of course if I have any time, I'll ask them to flatten everything, but yeah... simple is better. big notch filters can really wreck an otherwise lovely tone. I'd also be wary of any of these mic modeling preamps, unless you can model your own acoustic, with your own great microphones, like the Audio Sprockets Tone Dexter.
I have a K&K in my Taylor and I run it into a JHS Clover. It doesn’t have a notch control, but has low mid high and volume, plus a XLR out. I also run it through a compressor and a reverb pedal before it hits the Clover.
Yes! It works well. I find the pickup does t really feedback but a guitar will if that makes sense… the strings will feedback from vibrations before the pickup will feedback.
I play K&K live and have never had feedback. I have had to deal with feedback with blended (mic-based) pickups because it’s a mic inside (duh). I also love not having battery anxiety anymore!
The instructions state use latex gloves which would avoid the guy sticking his fingers together. He also only gets the installation correct with the tee on the last transducer so the position of the others which he never checks with a mirror may be out - which could be the reason he now needs to EQ the output. Instructional videos would be so much better if people did them correctly.
The guy here - I have this pickup in multiple instruments, I always end up using an EQ. It’s just the nature of this type of pickup. It’s a very natural sound from the start but generally can use a hi-pass and a little bump in the top end for some additional sparkle (especially on a dark guitar like this one) I’m also not sure why you say I only got it right on the last transducer?
If you gotta drill a hole in the guitar for the pickup it ain't worth supporting 👎👎👎 Imagine having a 3 or 4 hundred thousand guitar like a Martin D-45 pre 1941 and doing some stupid shit like that I don't care how good these pick-ups sound I don't care who uses them this is a flawed product
I still think electrifying acoustics, especially saddle pickups, is just a misguided mistake of our culture. Your playing is good and I'm sure the guitar sounds good, but there's no way I can no how good the guitar sounds from your sample, because we're not listening to the guitar, we're listening to the saddle. Saddle pickups BYPASS the resonating body. it's the same as if you were to strum chords with a pick and pluck directly on top of the saddle. Obviously this is a farty, thin, terrible sound. I know it's a controversial opinion, but acoustic players... if you need to amplify your acoustic, sit in one spot and MIC it. I know feedback can be an issue and mobility is an issue but we are in the business of music. its first objective is to sound good. This sounds like yet another piezo fart. You're better off playing a really nice strat neck pickup through a nice amp. it's not "acoustic" but it SOUNDS good. I'm not picking on you or your channel in particular. I think this is an industry wide problem and it has created this "default mentality" in guitar consumers that your acoustic must have electronics. My opinion? Don't EVER put electronics in an acoustic because eletronics aren't LISTENING to the acoustic therefore not AMPLIFYING the acoustic. Internal mics are probably the best solution but the diaphrams are too tiny and they are boomy and still not getting a full range sample of the top. Which is why, again, I say just don't bother. Mic your acoustics.
The guitar in the video sounds great, the crowd you’re playing for is never going to notice or care about the true tone as long as it sounds like an acoustic. I’d focus more on the crowd enjoying the music, your actual playing and song selection. You can enjoy the unmic’d sound on your own playing for yourself somewhere on your own time.
Obviously micing is the preferred method but clearly that's not an option all the time and these pickups are arguably as good as anything out there as far as after market pickups.
This comment feels kinda misplaced, and it doesn’t add in any other factors than wanting guitars to sound as natural as possible. Acoustic guitar pickups are a compromise; you compromise sound for maneuverability, showmanship and practicality. Sometimes an acoustic just feels right on stage for some songs, even if a strat could do the job. And acoustic guitars feel vastly different, so if anyone enjoys the freedom of movement, and the visual, I don’t get problem. Btw goosenecks have a tendency to be unruly when it comes to feedback in some scenarios, so they might not be great everywhere.
I finally pulled the stock Fishman out of my pre-ES Taylor and installed a K&K. I wish I did it sooner-the K&K sounds sooooo much more natural. I loved it so much I installed one in my pickup-less Martin.
I've done a couple of these and I leave the original strap button and drill a 2nd hole. That way the strap isn't attached to the output jack.
Practice on the wife's guitar. Priceless 🤣
It dose sound great. Nice work!!!
The K&K Pure Mini is great. I play a Martin OMC-28 (cutaway OM style) that originally came with a Fishman system. When the Fishman electronics stopped working, I had my luthier rip the whole thing out and install the Pure Mini. The difference in the plugged in sound was like night and day - a vast improvement. Also... the acoustic sound improved a little bit also, since the the saddle now presses directly on the bridge, and no longer sits on top of a transducer strip.
Very helpful video, thanks so much.
Thanks, Great video! I think this is the pick-up for me.
Thanks for getting to the point. I can do
Great video with a great guitar!
That sounds great 👍
More gig vlogs please! Love your content!
More to come!
Helpful video and it sounds awesome.
Thanks!
I was on the fence about the k&k pure minis then I bought a orange acoustic preamp. And wow my Martin sounds gorgeous. Very little EQ. Just mainly rolling off the low end.
I'm gonna need a preamp eventually as things get louder with my new K^K pickups..
I have a PRS clean boost & Compressor pedal, that may do the trick, all adjustable down to full bypass 😮 Aloha
K&k was not on my radar until seeing this video. Thank you! And only $100??? Killer option for sure.
JourneyTek makes an even better sounding pickup in the same style as this one for around $50
Thank you
Sounds great in that guitar! I had the K&K Pure Mini installed in my acoustic many years ago and it sounded great, but it did get lost in a mix pretty easy. My biggest problem though was that the transducers kept falling off (I now think it was likely due to it being a brand new acoustic that was introduced to a much more humid climate than the factory as I later noticed the top bowing out quite a lot). I eventually replaced it with an AER AK-15 Plus that I installed myself. It is an absolutely fantastic sounding pickup system and several years now I've never had it let me down.
That sounds like an issue with installation. The transducers can be removed but they should not fall off. When they are attached properly, they are very attached.
@@scottmoreau5630 I figured that at first, so that's also a possibility (he was the only guitar tech I knew of in town and said he hadn't installed one of these pickups before). Either way it was an issue for me and re-gluing them without the jig shown in the video was a pain in the butt. They did last longer once I had re-glued them, but I'm sure if it was done right the first time it would have lasted better. Once it happened a few times they started to have crackling issues with the wiring, so I gave up. Love what I have now though, so it's all good. The lesson to be learned here is: do it yourself if you have the skills and all the information necessary, or take it to someone you know you can trust to do it right.
That intro music is 🔥
The K&K is so natural sounding. So cool that it’s not a major job to install.
Nice hat!
Excellent vid. Just bought a Taylor mini and will be installing one asap.
What was that fab riff you played to test it please.
Henri
Jeez that sounds really good. I’m getting a 000-18 pretty soon and for the pickup I am debating between lr baggs and k&k, this sure makes a strong case for k&k!! I do love their trinity system, having the mic option to blend in with the other pickup (though I’m worried about feedback issues).
Some of the best sounding acoustics I’ve ever heard is their dual system. So good!
I have the LR Baggs active element in my Taylor 314ce and it has a great sound. I'm hoping to get a Martin in the future and the K&K came highly recommended!
I am really grateful for this excellent video to show us how to install this pickup! So please don't misinterpret my comment that - per K&K instructions, you are supposed to cover the head of each pickup completely with a fairly thick coat of gel type super glue. This is so every part of each sensor makes contact with the bridge plate. In the end, the amount you used here might work as is, or might work if it squishes flat on the sensor, but they make a point of telling us not to be cheap with the glue and that it needs to squish out the sides. I just ordered one of these and read the instructions which is why I a having a brainiac moment here. If we don't follow the instructions to the letter, we will not be able to tell if it compromised the tone in any way.
The dude used MORE than enough glue to do exactly what you said. Guarantee he had squeeze-out on every side each time (hence why he glued his fingers together on the first one). A little goes a LONG way with super glue gel.
Thanks for the video, I'll be installing the K&K on my Furch Vintage this week, so this video is very helpful, never installed one before. Btw, very nice guitar, which model is it?
Nice TWOD shirt!
hey sounds great! what interface/DI you plug into?
Wondering if you ever tried the fishman double helix,, I am torn between the k&k pure mini, the fishman double helix and the fishman rare earth blend…. But yours sounds great
Unfortunately my hig b and e strings are very low in the mix. K&K recommends adding a 4th transducer.
Has anyone used "JourneyTek Passive 3-piezo Pickup EP001K" ?
Please advise how it compares to K&K pure mini ? Thank you.
Thanks for the video!. Currently i’m in US and i would like to buy one of this. The thing is, i have my guitar in Argentina and i don’t want to dril the wood. Do you know what size should be the hole of the guitar so i don’t have to drill it?
Great video. what exact model is that guitar?
Great video Michael! Do you know of any other good preamps and or DI boxes for the K&K Pure Mini beside the HX Stomp? I just got this pickup installed in my Martin.
I have the LR Baggs Para DI and love it. Reasonable price too.
I think you should have kept the brown plug (G string hole) when glueing the first sensor
I see you realized your mistake 👍🏼
Considering this for my Furch Vintage 2 dreadnought. LR Baggs Anthem also a contender. Setting up mics every time I want to record is tedious
No...... buy the LR Baggs Anthem. Much more natural
What a cop out! “Oh gee, there’s already a hole there”!
Hey Michael, wondering if you have any experience with the Ultratonic Pickup? It’s supposed to be like a K&K but slightly easier to install and help with the boomy bass and feedback.
I’m not familiar with this one!
GET THAT JEGGOFF!!!
I’ve never seen one of these let alone watched one be installed, but I have a question.
By chance did you install the pickups backwards?
Unless there is a reason for clearance or spacing, it doesn’t seem correct to have the wires point toward the neck, then loop backwards towards the jack. Less tension would be on the wires to run straight back it seems?
I get what your saying (because I wondered the same thing) but it actually says to install it that way with the wire looping back.
The very first step should have been removing the strings before doing anything else. The second step is to clean the inside/underside of the bridge plate to ensure the surface is clean for gluing.
I own this pickup with my Taylor GS Mini. But the thing is that , since it doesn`t have a battery and dedicated preamp ; it just distorts too much when I plug it DI to the mixer. Some people told me that its because of the impedance mismatch etc. So my question is that ; What is your signal ? Do you use it with a preamp, if yes which ? :) Because I really cannot achieve a "clean" and proper level signal with it.
Cheers !
I typically don’t use it with a preamp. I’ve never had an issue with it distorting. Matching the impedance does help! I’ve noticed a difference even just using a Boss tuner. Sounds like an issue some where though as I’ve never had an issue with it distorting
Just make sure you use the gel super glue, the liquid will get sloppy and make it difficult.
Absolutely!
Is it possible to install the pickup into my fishman Prefix preamp instead of the Jack strap button?
That is exactly what I want too know , I've had to shave the bridge down so removed the transducer too lower the action.
So if I wanted to put this pickup in my acoustic, and add the k&k pre amp I would buy it separate? I was looking on Amazon but one showed for 109 and the preamp for 221, would I need to buy both? Most likely right
Not necessarily. The preamp does sound incredible but I’ve never owned one. I just use the pickup with a DI or the HX Stomp for tone shaping.
Guitar sounds amazing? You mind sharing what model it is??
Looks like an L09…but not positive
@@alexlowenthal9567 I think it’s a 000-40
Curious if you know of a good pedal to go with an acoustic that has a pickup like this, that would offer a (a) anti-feedback notch filter (b) bass, middle, treble knobs, (c) a bit of a boost, and maybe (d) reverb and maybe even an integrated DI (balanced XLR output) as well as 1/4" unbalanced line level out. Google suggests Fishman Platinum Pro EQ. Ever tried it? It looks like a 5-in-1 pedal for a gigging amplified-acoustic-guitar player.
I don’t have any experience with that but other than the XLR output, the HX stomp is a great solution for acoustic though it might be overkill depending on your needs.
@@MichaelWWestbrook All Line6 products seem to have a terrible preamp design for passive acoustics sadly. I do love the HX stomp for electrics.
What's your use case? I'd suggest a good active DI, and maybe a preamp with some super basic EQ. As a FOH engineer, I find a lot of times I end up reverse engineering the EQ that somebody has applied on a preamp, before I can get to making the acoustic work in the mix. Of course if I have any time, I'll ask them to flatten everything, but yeah... simple is better. big notch filters can really wreck an otherwise lovely tone. I'd also be wary of any of these mic modeling preamps, unless you can model your own acoustic, with your own great microphones, like the Audio Sprockets Tone Dexter.
I have a K&K in my Taylor and I run it into a JHS Clover. It doesn’t have a notch control, but has low mid high and volume, plus a XLR out. I also run it through a compressor and a reverb pedal before it hits the Clover.
Zoom A3
Do you use this pickup live? If so, how do you find feedback?
Yes! It works well. I find the pickup does t really feedback but a guitar will if that makes sense… the strings will feedback from vibrations before the pickup will feedback.
I play K&K live and have never had feedback. I have had to deal with feedback with blended (mic-based) pickups because it’s a mic inside (duh). I also love not having battery anxiety anymore!
Damn I love my Larrivee... beats the crap out of Martins and Taylors.
So under rated!
The instructions state use latex gloves which would avoid the guy sticking his fingers together. He also only gets the installation correct with the tee on the last transducer so the position of the others which he never checks with a mirror may be out - which could be the reason he now needs to EQ the output.
Instructional videos would be so much better if people did them correctly.
The guy here - I have this pickup in multiple instruments, I always end up using an EQ. It’s just the nature of this type of pickup. It’s a very natural sound from the start but generally can use a hi-pass and a little bump in the top end for some additional sparkle (especially on a dark guitar like this one)
I’m also not sure why you say I only got it right on the last transducer?
For steel good for nylon I'm not so sure.
Yeah, I’m not sure either. Haven’t tried it
They have another one for nylon called the k&k pure classic
The Journeyman pickup is better than
It's honestly an amazing sounding pickup. Too bad the price skyrocketed from 49€ to 111€ overnight. More than doubled. That's definitely less amazing.
You kidding me? This is one of the simpler acoustic pickup installs I’ve seen.
What a pain in the arse it is to fit this pickup!! And a nightmare if you want to take it out. Fuck that.
If you gotta drill a hole in the guitar for the pickup it ain't worth supporting 👎👎👎
Imagine having a 3 or 4 hundred thousand guitar like a Martin D-45 pre 1941 and doing some stupid shit like that I don't care how good these pick-ups sound I don't care who uses them this is a flawed product
How would you plug a cable in without a hole?
Technically, you just need to ream it to widen it. So there will be no “new” holes.
You are wrong? Start by removing the strings wow are you wrong. THUMB DOWN
I still think electrifying acoustics, especially saddle pickups, is just a misguided mistake of our culture. Your playing is good and I'm sure the guitar sounds good, but there's no way I can no how good the guitar sounds from your sample, because we're not listening to the guitar, we're listening to the saddle. Saddle pickups BYPASS the resonating body. it's the same as if you were to strum chords with a pick and pluck directly on top of the saddle. Obviously this is a farty, thin, terrible sound.
I know it's a controversial opinion, but acoustic players... if you need to amplify your acoustic, sit in one spot and MIC it. I know feedback can be an issue and mobility is an issue but we are in the business of music. its first objective is to sound good.
This sounds like yet another piezo fart. You're better off playing a really nice strat neck pickup through a nice amp. it's not "acoustic" but it SOUNDS good.
I'm not picking on you or your channel in particular. I think this is an industry wide problem and it has created this "default mentality" in guitar consumers that your acoustic must have electronics.
My opinion? Don't EVER put electronics in an acoustic because eletronics aren't LISTENING to the acoustic therefore not AMPLIFYING the acoustic. Internal mics are probably the best solution but the diaphrams are too tiny and they are boomy and still not getting a full range sample of the top. Which is why, again, I say just don't bother. Mic your acoustics.
The guitar in the video sounds great, the crowd you’re playing for is never going to notice or care about the true tone as long as it sounds like an acoustic. I’d focus more on the crowd enjoying the music, your actual playing and song selection. You can enjoy the unmic’d sound on your own playing for yourself somewhere on your own time.
Obviously micing is the preferred method but clearly that's not an option all the time and these pickups are arguably as good as anything out there as far as after market pickups.
This comment feels kinda misplaced, and it doesn’t add in any other factors than wanting guitars to sound as natural as possible.
Acoustic guitar pickups are a compromise; you compromise sound for maneuverability, showmanship and practicality.
Sometimes an acoustic just feels right on stage for some songs, even if a strat could do the job. And acoustic guitars feel vastly different, so if anyone enjoys the freedom of movement, and the visual, I don’t get problem.
Btw goosenecks have a tendency to be unruly when it comes to feedback in some scenarios, so they might not be great everywhere.
@@Ari_Calamari I know it's not a popular opinion. I just think no amount of benefit justifies how frikin HORRIBLE electrified acoustics sound.
Is your real name Keith Butler?