Will the K&K mini work on a classical nylon string guitar?

hollowbody · #1 06-25-2023, 02:52 PM

I have recently fitted a K&K mini to my cheap Eastman steel string acoustic and I love the sound. There is no pre amp and just 3 small button transducers that I superglued under the saddle. The sound is perfect.

I also have a Manuel Raimundo classical guitar with nylon strings. I purchased it used around 15 years ago with a K&K trinity classic pickup system already fitted. The sound is poor. I have tried different pre amp settings but not improved the sound quality yet. I contacted K&K around 6 years ago asking them for advice on this pickup and they suggested that maybe the 4 button transducers had been superglued incorrectly.

As you can see I have divided opinion on the K&K. I love the mini but the trinity classic system has never worked on my classical guitar.

I have another classical guitar that I use a lot and I would like to fit the K&K mini to it. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience of this? The hole is a little smaller on the top so access is not so easy but apart from that I can't see a problem physically installing the mini on a classical guitar.

SpruceTop · #2 06-25-2023, 03:23 PM

K&K actually makes a four-sensor "Pure Classic" version for classical guitars. I'd check this out before considering the three-sensor K&K Mini.

https://www.kksound.com/pure-pickup
Pure Classic: The Pure Classic is designed to be installed with superglue for optimum sound transmission. For the players who do not wish to do this we also supply a special extra thin double stick tape for peel-and-stick removable installation. Pickups installed with this tape will require a preamp because output is reduced by about 30% compared to the superglue installation.

phcorrigan · #3 06-25-2023, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hollowbody

I have recently fitted a K&K mini to my cheap Eastman steel string acoustic and I love the sound. There is no pre amp and just 3 small button transducers that I superglued under the saddle. The sound is perfect.

I also have a Manuel Raimundo classical guitar with nylon strings. I purchased it used around 15 years ago with a K&K trinity classic pickup system already fitted. The sound is poor. I have tried different pre amp settings but not improved the sound quality yet. I contacted K&K around 6 years ago asking them for advice on this pickup and they suggested that maybe the 4 button transducers had been superglued incorrectly.

As you can see I have divided opinion on the K&K. I love the mini but the trinity classic system has never worked on my classical guitar.

I have another classical guitar that I use a lot and I would like to fit the K&K mini to it. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience of this? The hole is a little smaller on the top so access is not so easy but apart from that I can't see a problem physically installing the mini on a classical guitar.

You might also want to consider the James May Ultra Tonic:

http://jamesmayengineering.com/

The UTP V3.2-CL is for classical guitars.

Mandobart · #4 06-25-2023, 09:41 PM

I think it will work. I'm basing this on my 15+ years using JJB SBT's which are very similar to K&K.

I've installed these in fiddles and nylon stringed ukuleles as well as lots of mandolins and steel string guitars, banjos and upright basses. This type of pickup works well in everything I've tried it in.

hollowbody · #5 06-26-2023, 04:08 AM

Thanks, I'm very tempted to use the K&K mini. I love the sound from my Steel string acoustic. It's simple, easy to install and with 3 piezo pads I think that is enough to cover all stringed instruments up to 6 strings. The K&K mini is also the cheapest of the bunch over here in the UK.

hollowbody · #6 06-26-2023, 04:29 AM

I've taken your advice and gone for the JJB classical guitar 4 piezo pickup. They are 1/2 the price of the K&K minis here in the UK. Thanks

Rudy4 · #7 06-26-2023, 07:25 AM

I'll be interested in how the JJB quad transducer pickup sounds. This quick video demonstrating the K&K twin installed in a beater classical guitar gives me hope that good sound is attainable using piezos under the saddle.

Intrigued by the sound they got from the K&K Twin Spot, I picked up the similar JJB twin transducer pickup and installed in my Cordoba Cadete Nylon strung guitar. The result is just plain bad. The output is very low and the sound can best be described as horrible.

Back to the drawing board. The JJB is going to get pulled next time I change strings. I've installed somewhere around a dozen of the K&K Pure Minis and have always been totally satisfied, but given that Dieter at K&K developed the 4 head version for classical I have doubts that the 3 head Pure Mini would be a good match for nylon strung acoustic.

I'd be inclined to use the K&K 4 head pickup, but it's a pricey experiment since there's not too many who have posted any actual sound samples of the pickup.

The 4 head JJB is much lower in price, but given my experiance with using them a few times I'm thinking I'm not going to be satisfied with the results.

I'm hoping you prove my suspicions incorrect!

guitarman68 · #8 06-26-2023, 07:25 AM

I had the K&K classical in my classical guitar and never could dial in a good sound - always to boomy. I installed a Schatten HFN classical (passive) and like it a lot. Guitar is a very resonant Ricardo Sanchis spruce/rosewood.
Here is a short vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS_FTd97aGM&t=31s

Rudy4 · #9 06-26-2023, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarman68

I had the K&K classical in my classical guitar and never could dial in a good sound - always to boomy. I installed a Schatten HFN classical (passive) and like it a lot. Guitar is a very resonant Ricardo Sanchis spruce/rosewood.
Here is a short vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS_FTd97aGM&t=31s

Thank you for posting your video. I'm impressed with the Schatten when compared directly to the K&K. I take it that you used the Schatten HFN-C pickup designed for classical guitar.

You've provided food for thought!

Marek · #10 06-27-2023, 06:18 AM

Hi,

4-transducer model would work better on nylon classical guitar because of different bacing pattern.In most classical guitars there is a brace in the middle of the bridge, where middle transducer should be placed.

I you seek for lower price, you may consider other K&K alternatives - BGM Elevation, JJB, etc.

If you anyway go with 3-transducer option, I would place one in the bass side and two of them on the treble side of the bridge bottom

Aspiring · #11 06-29-2023, 11:51 AM

Another vote for the Ultratonic classical. I have it in a guitalele and it sounds great to me so.ilarities to k&k but clearer and cleaner bass with more feedback resistance. I have a Schatten in a classical. The tone is reasonably nice but the level is terrible even with their active pre amp and the gain cranked which I have heard as a common e
Issue with others.

phcorrigan · #12 06-29-2023, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aspiring

Another vote for the Ultratonic classical. I have it in a guitalele and it sounds great to me so.ilarities to k&k but clearer and cleaner bass with more feedback resistance. I have a Schatten in a classical. The tone is reasonably nice but the level is terrible even with their active pre amp and the gain cranked which I have heard as a common e
Issue with others.

Local classical guitar maker Peter Tsiorba (https://tsiorba.com/) here in Portland installs them in his guitars.