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Old 07-17-2017, 10:40 PM
alohachris alohachris is offline
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Honolulu
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Default My Advice - Have a Pro Take Out & Reinstall Your K&K

Aloha Wooly,

Here's another approach & other things to consider.

Everyone seems to want you to switch out your pickup, Wooly. Why?

The K&K SBT is the best manufactured pickup I have ever used in combination with any type of second source - & I've tried 'em all, except for the Dazzo. They are great "glue" pick ups when combined with mic's & magnetic pickups. So I'd say don't give up on the K&K in your Larrivee yet, Wooly.

Additionally, if you're as squeamish as many guitar players seem to be here about taking out & properly installing pickups, then have a reputable repairman take the K&K out & reinstall it properly. That may be a small & inexpensive problem to fix. And then, if you're the type of player who seeks out as natural a sound as you can in your live rig/sound, add a mic to the mix & a dual source preamp or mixer to separately EQ the two sources/channels, blend, pan & sum. Won't get better live, natural acoustic sound than that in most venues.

I have been using self-made or manufactured (when they finally came out) SBT pickups in combo with mic's & other pickups for over 47 years of the 53 years I gigged nightly. Before that, all acoustic giggers had was mic's, which didn't work very well in a lot of situations.

Believe me when I say that No Pickup Alone is complete or can give a gigger what they need in all spaces, even the K&K. Dual-Source Systems with the right controls can get you close. Dual Sources are the way to go if you are a solo gigger playing in a variety of venues night to night. They give you more consistency & quality of NATURAL acoustic sound & much more room control, IME. And a K&K P/U/ internal condenser mic combo is as natural sounding & workable as you can get, IMO, Wooly.

I've installed & taken out hundreds of K&K's for myself & other players. It's not a big deal to do & you don't have to break the K&K on it's way out. I'm not going into how I do it here (basically: sharpened razor blade, several solvent(s), scraper, FRESH Medium Titebond cyanocrylate, patience in installing after lining it up perfectly). But the attitude I take is that it's only a pickup & not open heart surgery - with no trepidation or fear. So, find a competent & confident repairmen to do it for you Wooly. Take it out. Put it back in - properly. And don't freak out about using glue inside your guitar or on SBT's. The better the joint, the better the sound.

I've put K&K's in your Larrivee OM-03 model many times - & they DO NOT sound boomy or bass heavy. In fact, that is a very balanced guitar shape, not particularly as bass-heavy as dreadnoughts, which the K&K can make sound great with out a lot of EQ'ing. So don't give up on your K&K in that OM guitar yet - until you've explored PROPER reinstallation options.

I mean, if you think K&K's are an installation nightmare, wait till you get into Dazzo's or Trance's or even UST's like the old LB6. Those impact your unplugged sound.

Give the K&K another reinstallation shot on your guitar & add a mic to the mix if you're into Natural Acoustic Sound, Wooly. What you really want is to be prepared for every gigging situation, right?

Good Luck!

alohachris

PS: Being prepared: When I gigged every night, at the end, I used a K&K Mini P/U /AKG 416 internal condenser mic combo in my gigging guitars, run through a Pendulum SPS-1 dual-source preamp, a TC M2000 FX unit & out through some custom Koa Daedalus W-803 speakers. This signal chain worked exceptionally well in virtually all situations for me: playing, singing & others sitting in (sometimes I'd add a small Soundcraft mixer to accommodate others needs for channels).

If it was a perfect, mellow room, I added an external mic to that basic combo or used that mic alone (acoustic heaven). If it got VERY loud, I slapped in a Duncan SA-6 Magmic sound hole pickup on the spot, turned off the mic, & either combined it with the K&K, or used it alone in the loudest situations (loud jams, tight stages w/ drums, bass & electric instruments). No feedback, acoustic sound. Lotsa control. The K&K worked beautifully in every situation. Being prepared for every gig - with MORE than a single pickup, Wooly! - alohachris -

Last edited by alohachris; 07-17-2017 at 11:36 PM.
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