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  #16  
Old 05-26-2015, 06:34 AM
gibbyguy gibbyguy is offline
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Love JJB and love K&K. I do have JJB installs that are hotter than K&K with a fuller sound and vise-versa. I've installed probably a dozen of these. I really like them both. It really depends on the responsiveness of the bridge plate of a particular guitar. After hearing this video, it confirms my belief in this technology. A $50 pickup in a several $K guitar...seems that money is no object to great sound.
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  #17  
Old 05-26-2015, 10:13 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kydave View Post
K&K Pure Mini.

Friends don't let friends use sound-hole pickups...

And I feel the same way about K&Ks and every other piezo pickup I've heard so we can just disagree,..

Under $150 for a decent sound hole pickup, that would be the Dimarzio Angel. Installed one on a friends guitar and I was impressed.

Quote:
the Seymour Duncan Woody XL soundhole pickup sure sounds good! Doug Young thinks it's basically a Sunrise.
Nope, not by a long shot. The beauty of the Sunrise is the dynamic response and you only find that out with stage use.
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  #18  
Old 05-26-2015, 10:31 AM
Hotspur Hotspur is offline
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The thing about the K&K is that a lot of people feel they need a preamp for it, so it's really not quite as cheap as it looks at first glance.

Whereas something like the Lyric or the M80 needs a preamp much less.

Now, a lot of people just flat-out like the K&K sound, so I'm not knocking that. But if we're talking price, I wouldn't budget for a K&K without also budgeting for a preamp.
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  #19  
Old 05-26-2015, 10:59 AM
frank4001 frank4001 is offline
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I get very good sound with JJB's also.

One guitar, my J-40 puts out a stronger signal than my other two, which I happened to buy on the same order. Those two are as strong or stronger than a couple of sound hole pickups I have. So they are fine.

I used to use them with out a preamp but I picked up one up (an Ashdown) a few months ago and I love it.
So I agree about factoring in a preamp.
I can get a very good sound through virtually anything.

Over two years now never a problem. Great service too.
I found the installation to be important for good string balance.

Learned that lesson with the first install and that's how I can tell you their service is excellent.
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  #20  
Old 05-26-2015, 11:12 AM
Gypsyblue Gypsyblue is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hotspur View Post
The thing about the K&K is that a lot of people feel they need a preamp for it, so it's really not quite as cheap as it looks at first glance.

Whereas something like the Lyric or the M80 needs a preamp much less.

Now, a lot of people just flat-out like the K&K sound, so I'm not knocking that. But if we're talking price, I wouldn't budget for a K&K without also budgeting for a preamp.
I have heard a very close friend of mine plug directly into a PA and sound very good with K&K's.

I didn't even know what she was using until I asked her.

She told me she had installed the K&K's I'd recommended to her.

So you don't have to use a preamp...although I do and I think they tend to sound even better with it.

But clearly a preamp is not a must have.
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  #21  
Old 05-26-2015, 11:32 AM
Goat Mick Goat Mick is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by frank4001 View Post
I get very good sound with JJB's also.

One guitar, my J-40 puts out a stronger signal than my other two, which I happened to buy on the same order. Those two are as strong or stronger than a couple of sound hole pickups I have. So they are fine.

I used to use them with out a preamp but I picked up one up (an Ashdown) a few months ago and I love it.
So I agree about factoring in a preamp.
I can get a very good sound through virtually anything.

Over two years now never a problem. Great service too.
I found the installation to be important for good string balance.

Learned that lesson with the first install and that's how I can tell you their service is excellent.
I've got two guitars with JJB pickups and one with a K&K. Got the K&K first and then picked up a JJB for a cheapo guitar I was taking to "rougher" establishments. The K&K is brighter and has more sparkle, but the JJB is smooth, natural and much easier to control. None of the feedback issues I have with the K&K so when the time came to get a pickup for a 3rd guitar I chose to go with another JJB. Some folks take it kinda personal when someone suggests that a JJB is a good value in a good quality pickup but from my experience they're really good. Now that being said, I'm losing my love for SBT's since I picked up a Baggs M1A.
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  #22  
Old 05-26-2015, 12:20 PM
frank4001 frank4001 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Elmicko View Post
I've got two guitars with JJB pickups and one with a K&K. Got the K&K first and then picked up a JJB for a cheapo guitar I was taking to "rougher" establishments. The K&K is brighter and has more sparkle, but the JJB is smooth, natural and much easier to control. None of the feedback issues I have with the K&K so when the time came to get a pickup for a 3rd guitar I chose to go with another JJB. Some folks take it kinda personal when someone suggests that a JJB is a good value in a good quality pickup but from my experience they're really good. Now that being said, I'm losing my love for SBT's since I picked up a Baggs M1A.
I know... it's a bit nuts. I think it's great that people are happy with both.
While I've never tried the K&K I've not felt the need to try it or anything else for that matter. I'm real happy at the moment.
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  #23  
Old 05-26-2015, 02:28 PM
Gypsyblue Gypsyblue is offline
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So who are the winners at this point in the poll?

Looks like the K&K's and the JJB's although according to Larry (ljguitar} the output of the JJB's is about 60% of that of the K&K's and when the JJB's are boosted to the same volume as the K&K's, Larry says the JJB's get a little harsh and muddy.

So I've gotta give the #1 spot to the K&K's...even though I thought the JJB's sounded great in the Youtube video I posted earlier in the thread. I'd love to compare them side by side.

How about magnetic soundhole pickups?

IMO, the winner in the $150 or under price range is the Baggs M1. The Baggs M80 might sound a little "better" to some ears but at $248. it's $100 more than the Baggs M1 which is priced at $149.

The Seymour Duncan Woody XL sounded very good too! Full and warm and at $70 or less, it's less than half of the $149 price tag of the Baggs M1. It's one where the cord dangles out of the soundhole though. Kind of a turn off for a lot of people.

The Baggs M1 comes with a prewired endpin jack so you don't have a cord dangling out of your soundhole...unless you want that, because it comes with that kind of cord too, so you have your choice.

The thread's still open. Any other recommendations?
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Last edited by Gypsyblue; 05-26-2015 at 08:04 PM.
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  #24  
Old 05-26-2015, 04:56 PM
Wasper Wasper is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsyblue View Post
So who are the winners at this point in the poll?

Looks like the K&K's and maybe the JJB's although according to Larry (ljguitar} the output of the JJB's is about 60% of that of the K&K's and when the JJB's are boosted to the same volume as the K&K's, Larry says the JJB's get a little harsh and muddy.

So I've gotta give the #1 spot to the K&K's...even though I thought the JJB's sounded very good in the Youtube video I posted earlier in the thread.
Don't let one man's opinion sway you away from the JJB. I had one installed in a guitar I since sold (wrong neck profile for me) and it sounded great. It was not weak at all and it was not harsh or muddy. It looks like Larry's experience with JBB was the exception and not the norm.

For my JJB set-up, I installed a JJB Prestige-330 (15mm) and I installed it myself. It was installed in a Grand Auditorium, Solid cedar top and solid mahogany back & sides. I thought it sounded awesome. Very natural and loud. Not weak and not muddy/harsh. I was very happy with it for the money I spent on it. In fact, I'm contemplating adding a pickup to the S&P in my signature. If I decide to do so, I already know I'm putting in a JJB.

Just figured I would add my few cents to the discussion.
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  #25  
Old 05-26-2015, 05:43 PM
Goat Mick Goat Mick is offline
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Also the premise of the question was pickups under $150 which limits things quite a bit and also gives the asumption that it's going into a modest priced guitar. Well a M1 Active is out because they run @ $170. I suspect that takes the passive M1 out of the equation because of the need of a preamp. It probably also kills the K&K because while the pickup is only $99 I did have to drop another $99 on a K&K Pure XLR Preamp to go with mine. Over the $150 mark again. The JJB is still looking good because it pairs nicely with the $99 K&K Pure XLR preamp and comes in at $40 as long as you do the install yourself. So far that's the only one that's ready to play for less than $150. Between $150 - $200 things open up a lot though. I don't know much about the less expensive sound hole pickups with the chord dangling out the front, but some are supposed to be fairly respectable.
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Last edited by Goat Mick; 05-26-2015 at 05:57 PM.
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  #26  
Old 05-26-2015, 06:47 PM
Gypsyblue Gypsyblue is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasper View Post
Don't let one man's opinion sway you away from the JJB. I had one installed in a guitar I since sold (wrong neck profile for me) and it sounded great. It was not weak at all and it was not harsh or muddy. It looks like Larry's experience with JBB was the exception and not the norm.

For my JJB set-up, I installed a JJB Prestige-330 (15mm) and I installed it myself. It was installed in a Grand Auditorium, Solid cedar top and solid mahogany back & sides. I thought it sounded awesome. Very natural and loud. Not weak and not muddy/harsh. I was very happy with it for the money I spent on it. In fact, I'm contemplating adding a pickup to the S&P in my signature. If I decide to do so, I already know I'm putting in a JJB.

Just figured I would add my few cents to the discussion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elmicko View Post
Also the premise of the question was pickups under $150 which limits things quite a bit and also gives the asumption that it's going into a modest priced guitar. Well a M1 Active is out because they run @ $170. I suspect that takes the passive M1 out of the equation because of the need of a preamp. It probably also kills the K&K because while the pickup is only $99 I did have to drop another $99 on a K&K Pure XLR Preamp to go with mine. Over the $150 mark again. The JJB is still looking good because it pairs nicely with the $99 K&K Pure XLR preamp and comes in at $40 as long as you do the install yourself. So far that's the only one that's ready to play for less than $150. Between $150 - $200 things open up a lot though. I don't know much about the less expensive sound hole pickups with the chord dangling out the front, but some are supposed to be fairly respectable.
The passive M1 doesn't need a preamp. When I plugged it into my Fender Princeton Reverb Amp I tried it with my RedEye preamp and without. It sounded much better without. That's how I use it now: no preamp and straight into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp or Princeton Reverb Amp.

The K&K's work well straight into a PA. I prefer running them through my Red Eye and then into the PA but they sound fine without it.

I do see your point, although if you already have a good preamp there's no need to buy another one.

I use K&K's myself but I really liked the sound of the JJB's in the Youtube video. For $60 they appear to be a great deal even if they do have about 60% of the output of the K&K's. At least according to ljguitar.

I respect Larry's opinions, as do many others on this forum. But the JJB's did sound excellent to me in that Youtube video. I was very impressed and would love to try a set for myself.

K&K's are in all but one of my acoustic guitars, and I do have them in my '95 Taylor 710B Brazilian. That is a valuable guitar so I don't think of a $100 pickup as being for modest guitars...not by a long shot!

I didn't start this thread to push my own preferences though. Hearing the JJB pickups was something new for me and for just $60 a set, I'd like to try a set myself.

I'm interested in learning about other really good pickups in that $150 and under price range, so if there's more of them out there, let's hear about them.
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Last edited by Gypsyblue; 05-26-2015 at 09:33 PM.
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  #27  
Old 05-26-2015, 10:42 PM
jlipoth jlipoth is offline
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You haven't looked at the LSM pickup yet? It's a dual source and it's under $150.

http://www.lsmsound.com/en/product_view.aspx?id=408
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  #28  
Old 05-27-2015, 01:13 AM
bayoubengal bayoubengal is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsyblue View Post
So who are the winners at this point in the poll?

Looks like the K&K's and the JJB's although according to Larry (ljguitar} the output of the JJB's is about 60% of that of the K&K's and when the JJB's are boosted to the same volume as the K&K's, Larry says the JJB's get a little harsh and muddy.

So I've gotta give the #1 spot to the K&K's...even though I thought the JJB's sounded great in the Youtube video I posted earlier in the thread. I'd love to compare them side by side.

How about magnetic soundhole pickups?

IMO, the winner in the $150 or under price range is the Baggs M1. The Baggs M80 might sound a little "better" to some ears but at $248. it's $100 more than the Baggs M1 which is priced at $149.

The Seymour Duncan Woody XL sounded very good too! Full and warm and at $70 or less, it's less than half of the $149 price tag of the Baggs M1. It's one where the cord dangles out of the soundhole though. Kind of a turn off for a lot of people.

The Baggs M1 comes with a prewired endpin jack so you don't have a cord dangling out of your soundhole...unless you want that, because it comes with that kind of cord too, so you have your choice.

The thread's still open. Any other recommendations?
The M1 Passive goes for $139.29 at Musician's Friend so it is a little more under the $150 budget, which makes your point a little stronger.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/acous...id^53736456387
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  #29  
Old 05-27-2015, 04:38 AM
Goat Mick Goat Mick is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsyblue View Post
The passive M1 doesn't need a preamp. When I plugged it into my Fender Princeton Reverb Amp I tried it with my RedEye preamp and without. It sounded much better without. That's how I use it now: no preamp and straight into a Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp or Princeton Reverb Amp.

The K&K's work well straight into a PA. I prefer running them through my Red Eye and then into the PA but they sound fine without it.

I do see your point, although if you already have a good preamp there's no need to buy another one.

I use K&K's myself but I really liked the sound of the JJB's in the Youtube video. For $60 they appear to be a great deal even if they do have about 60% of the output of the K&K's. At least according to ljguitar.

I respect Larry's opinions, as do many others on this forum. But the JJB's did sound excellent to me in that Youtube video. I was very impressed and would love to try a set for myself.

K&K's are in all but one of my acoustic guitars, and I do have them in my '95 Taylor 710B Brazilian. That is a valuable guitar so I don't think of a $100 pickup as being for modest guitars...not by a long shot!

I didn't start this thread to push my own preferences though. Hearing the JJB pickups was something new for me and for just $60 a set, I'd like to try a set myself.

I'm interested in learning about other really good pickups in that $150 and under price range, so if there's more of them out there, let's hear about them.
I'm sure any of these pickups will be fine plugged directly into an amp without going through a preamp. Especially something as cool as a Fender Princeton (my Telecaster loves those things) but when I'm deciding if I'm going to need a preamp or not I have to think about walking on stage and plugging into the house PA. Is my passive pickup going to have enough signal to give the guy at the board something to work with? And I honestly don't know that answer with the M1 passive. I know that for both my K&K and JJB equipped guitars I needed to use a preamp even if I was just plugging directly into my Bose L1 Compact. I don't need a Preamp with my M1A. I haven't dropped the cash on an M1 passive to find out for myself, but I'd love to know.
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  #30  
Old 05-27-2015, 06:34 AM
Gypsyblue Gypsyblue is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlipoth View Post
You haven't looked at the LSM pickup yet? It's a dual source and it's under $150.

http://www.lsmsound.com/en/product_view.aspx?id=408
These are Chinese? They make microphones too apparently.

I searched for online reviews and went to YouTube as well. One demo was so amateurish and out of tune that I could not get into it at all.

Do you have an LSM dual source in a guitar? What are your thoughts about it because I didn't hear or read anything that made me want to run out and buy one.

The JJB YouTube demo, on the other hand, was quite impressive.
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