Pick ups for Martin 000-15m?

[Lordmischief]

What pick ups are you using in your Martin 000-15m.
I want to get more serious with open mic nights, and like the convenience of plugging the guitar straight in.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
Cheers
Lee

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Lordmischief

What pick ups are you using in your Martin 000-15m.
I want to get more serious with open mic nights, and like the convenience of plugging the guitar straight in.
What are your thoughts and experiences?
Cheers
Lee

Hi Lee…

For a versitile, hot pickup with great adjustability and flexibility I find the K&K Pure Mini to be the most accommodating. They are not only easy to use with no internal battery, they are quick-n-easy to set the tone with and be up-and-running.

Not only is the K&K Pure mini a 'hot' pickup (output signal is very strong), it sounds very guitar-like and I've used them over the past decade in about every situation I could find myself in, and they have performed like champs.

They can be plug-n-play used without a preamp (open mics), and can be a serious live tool when you use an external preamp with them.

And if later you want to step up to another level, you can add an internal microphone and a two channel preamp (called a blender).

A K&K Pure mini can be a great first step toward serious playing-out live. They can be acquired for between $80-90, and one of our sponsors of the forum (Shoreline) has a discount for AGF members.

I use them in 4 different acoustics (different size bodies, different builders, and different wood). They work equally well in all 4.

The worship leader at our church has one in his Taylor Jumbo, and runs his monitors very strong (we have a rock band on a small stage), and in the past 6 months I've been playing, I've never heard feedback.

I play electric lead in the band, and I don't use a personal monitor, but I can hear his guitar just great over in my area just fine without a monitor just from his presence in everyone else's monitors. In other words, we run a hot stage and it keeps up with the band without feeding back, and still sounds like the great acoustic guitar it is.

When I'm running sound and 'guest' players show up, I'm always thrilled when I ask what they have in their guitar and they say K&K. We drop it in a ParaDI or UltraSound UltraPDI and we're sound checked and good to go in under 30 seconds.

I hope this adds to the discussion…

[noledog]

LJ makes some good points on the K&K...may I add that if you want added versitility and being able to take the pickup in and out or from guitar to guitar; a soundhole pickup such as the LRBaggs M1A or better yet M80 would give you a full rich sound that develops almost like a dual source...just the endpin jack, so minimal install to your guitar!

[T Texas]

+1 on the Baggs. I had an M1A in my 000-15m and thought it sounded pretty fantastic.

Wow -- the first two responses here pretty much nailed it, IMO. K & K if you want a more permanent installation, Baggs M1 if you don't. Both offer excellent sound and wonderful simplicity.

[llew]

I used a passive McIntyre Feather (GF-30) in both my OM-15 customs and had very good response. Similar to the K&K and with a "hot" enough signal so no preamp was needed but can be used. No impedance mismatch issues either.

[Irish Dave]

Another +1 on the K&K. I have them in my OM-15 and also my 000-17sm. Couldn't be happier. Very full, very natural sound. Not in the way. Not visible. No barndoors and plenty of gain.

I have an Orchid DI/pre for them, but have not yet run into a situation that required its use.

[Jeffe26]

I really like the LR Baggs M80 in my OM-15. Some on this board insist that sound hole pickups are no good, but to my ears it sounds very natural and produces the beautiful tone that I love so much in my Martin. I thought long and hard about the K&K Pure mini but in the end went with the M80 because I could easily remove and resale it if I did not like it. The m80 has needed some adjustments due to my preference for monel strings, but it sounds really nice plugged in. If you are considering the M1 there is a YouTube video featuring it on a 000-15.