|
|
#1
11-25-2015, 08:40 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Help me understand pickups
Several years ago I was part of the praise team at my church, but I did not play guitar. We left that church and did not find a church we could believe in until recently. I miss being part a praise team and now I am a much better guitar player. This church has a really good praise team and I really like the music they do. I don't even know if this new church needs or wants an acoustic guitarist, but if they do, I will need to add a pickup to my guitar.
About all I can reasonably afford is a K&K pure mini. I know nothing about pickups but I know that I don't like the way a soundhole pickup looks. The question is this, do I need to add a preamp if I get a K&K?
__________________
"Your green eyes they don't miss a thing, they hold me like the sun going down, warm me like a fire in the night, without a sound." Kate Wolf Epiphone Hummingbird Studio Martin 000-10e 
|
|
#3
11-25-2015, 11:02 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
K&K sound great and have a hot enough output to be used without preamps. I recommend you start without one, and then add one when you feel the need to improve your tone beyond what it sounds like without a preamp. Also, if you are going to involve yourself in a band situation with a K&K installed, then unless the monitor system is in-ear, I suggest a soundhole feedback plug. It really depends on the quality of equipment, placement on the stage, and the skills of the tech team as to whether or not you need a feedback suppressor. I keep one in my cases. [/size]
__________________
Baby #1.1 Baby #1.2 Baby #02 Baby #03 Baby #04 Baby #05 Larry's songs... …Just because you've argued someone into silence doesn't mean you have convinced them…
|
|
#4
11-25-2015, 11:11 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
__________________
"Your green eyes they don't miss a thing, they hold me like the sun going down, warm me like a fire in the night, without a sound." Kate Wolf Epiphone Hummingbird Studio Martin 000-10e
|
|
#5
11-26-2015, 05:51 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Preamp - if you need one - is to help you adjust the tone of your guitar. It may sound great at home, but you might want to adjust the bass or treble at church . Here is the best for your pickup.
http://www.amazon.com/K-Sound-Pure-Preamp/dp/B0092S3XEQ A sound hole plug is a rubber stopper that fits in the guitar's sound hole. If you have a loud electric guitar amp on stage close by, your acoustic guitar will almost act like a microphone. I was onstage at church once and we had to put a guitar case in front of the guitar amp. This amp made my guitar top vibrate so much my strings started to vibrate and vibrated so hard the bass strings constantly buzzed against the fretboard of my guitar. I also had tons of feedback we Couldn't adjust out. Next week, I got a rubber sound hole plug to seal the sound hole up to prevent the sound from going into the guitar. Made a big difference. The K & K pick up still worked fine and the guitar tone was still good. Hope you get the opportunity to play at church again. I have been in the same situation you are in. I played in a church band for years and since we left that church, I haven't found church that needed a guitar player. All I can say is be ready when your called. I keep playing a few hours each day and work hard to improve. More important than playing is finding the church you can believe in!
|
|
#6
11-26-2015, 08:06 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Quote:
Start with the K&K's plugged directly into the PA. Then, for even better tone, add a preamp/DI like the RedEye later. If needed, add some sort of feedback mitigation but you may not need it unless you're playing with a loud band. If you're playing with other acoustic musicians feedback will probably not be an issue...but you never know.
__________________
Taylor 512...Taylor 710B...Blueridge BR163...Blueridge BR183a...all with K&K's & used w/RedEye preamps Seagull CW w/Baggs M1 pickup...National Vintage Steel Tricone...SWR California Blonde Amp
|
|
#7
11-26-2015, 08:40 AM
|
|||
|
|||
|
As was mentioned, the conditions in any given room or space and how loud the rest of the band is will have a lot to do with whether you need a preamp or not. The another big factor is the person (s) running sound. Skilled and knowledgeable technicians will know how to EQ your guitar to get the best tone in any particular live setting.
Personally, I use a preamp with EQ because I want to "control" my own tone. When I do play, I ask the sound person to kindly set the EQ flat on the board and I take it from there. In many churches you don't have that option because the music worship leader may not allow you to have that kind of control and sometimes for good reason. At the church I attend I am not in the band and the sound guys have total control for better or worse. Unfortunately, sometimes you don't hear certain instruments in the mix, but that's the way it goes. I agree with the others. Put in the K and K and see how it goes. That might be all you need.
|
|
#8
11-26-2015, 11:19 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
Have a K&K Pure Mini installed. No battery inside the guitar, and it has a strong output signal (good thing). And if we try to mic a guitar, it is not loud enough to be heard over a band. That's why we use a pickup inside the guitar. There is supplemental equipment which will make it even more adjustable.
__________________
Baby #1.1 Baby #1.2 Baby #02 Baby #03 Baby #04 Baby #05 Larry's songs... …Just because you've argued someone into silence doesn't mean you have convinced them…
|
|
#9
11-26-2015, 02:24 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Muffinhead,
I agree with Larry that going with just the K&K to start is probably best - the rest can be added later. I would also suggest that you sit down with whoever is in charge of music at your church and find out what they are looking for and what they would be expecting from you before going gear shopping.
__________________
___________________ Colin Ensor ES (Sycamore/Lutz) Halcyon (Flamed walnut/Engelmann) Taylor 324ce Taylor Baritone 6 Warwick Streamer Eastman MD505 "I only drink coffee on days ending in 'y' "
|
