#16
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I think the new internal micing systems sound great, and I don't bother with them. Here's why: 1. The K&K pure mini -- which I also use to great effect with a Red Eye -- sounds "good enough" for any live application where I'll need more volume. These are usually ensemble situations where individual instrument sound quality doesn't really matter. It's like the difference between playing a solo acoustic piano and playing a sampled piano in an ensemble setting. And it works great when I want my acoustic guitar to be more electric sounding (e.g. adding distortion) or am using a looper pedal. I can get a really nice woody archtoppy sound out of it when I need to, with less concern about feedback. OR if I'm just playing solo and still need to amplify, I'm usually just "goosing" the volume with the pickup and amplification, to add to the acoustic voice, which is exactly the point of a dual pickup/mic system in the first place. 2. If I'm in a situation that needs the clarity and "authenticity" of a mic'd sound, then an external or internal mic isn't going to make much difference to me, and an external mic is far more flexible and nuanced in terms of placement/voicing and not be that much more trouble. An internal mic can produce a great sound but is much more difficult to move around to get the different effects you can get with an external mic. So in this sense it's a "maybe nice to have" sort of thing, but... 3. I hate, hate hate having multiple batteries in multiple instruments. One single external preamp for me, thank you. That's about what I can manage in battery maintenance and upkeep. It's part of an ethic I feel in keeping my acoustic guitars mostly acoustic, with mostly-reversible upgrades. I NEVER buy an instrument with pre-installed electronics, unless it's a K&K mini or similar system. That's the side of the compromise I fall on. A lot of folks really like the internal mics. They can sound great. I just don't see the need for them in my circumstances. If you don't mind having one mic'd sound or preamps and batteries in individual instruments or you find you need the mic'd sound but also need to have freedom of motion then YMMV. If I need EQ, i just add it to the FX loop on the Red Eye. I have a couple to choose from. I prefer the more parametric vs graphic ones because I find it's just one or two frequencies I need to boost or cut to get things sounding right.
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#17
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Whoa, those look like fantastic updates. For me, #3 and #4 (ground lift and power input) have the most meaning. The silent switch I personally don't see the point of. I think the current switch has a great feel to it. And the increased headroom...? I can't say I've ever risked running out of headroom before! Has this happened to other users? It seems like they designed them originally with already some best-in-class audio engineering. ...which makes me wonder, how many design iterations and versions of the Red Eye preamps have there been?
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#18
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I generally use an internal mic in my guitars, and I have no batteries anywhere. The mic is helpful when the situation is right, tho increasingly with things like ToneDexter, Voiceprint, etc, you can get a very good sound without a mic. And of course, in the right situation (stationary, good sound system, good room acoustics, low-moderate volume), an external mic is a very good option, depending on the sound you want and what other effects and so on that you use.
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Music: Spotify, Bandcamp Videos: You Tube Channel Books: Hymns for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), A DADGAD Christmas, Alternate Tunings book Online Course: Alternate Tunings for Fingerstyle Guitar |
#19
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With dual source, especially with a mic, it ends up being *very* useful to be able to EQ each source separately.
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Music: Spotify, Bandcamp Videos: You Tube Channel Books: Hymns for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar (std tuning), A DADGAD Christmas, Alternate Tunings book Online Course: Alternate Tunings for Fingerstyle Guitar Last edited by Doug Young; 12-02-2022 at 01:27 PM. |
#20
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My Cargill custom has an onboard K&K Trinity with battery inside! (called the K&K Trinity Onboard). The luthier ordered and installed it by mistake - I wanted the Trinity Pro system with external pre. But it sounds so good that I kept it! I have the Trinity Pro in other guitars, no batteries in guitar! It is just Murphy’s Law that the battery IN the guitar will give out in a bad moment while the external pre battery will never go flat! BluesKing777. Last edited by BluesKing777; 12-03-2022 at 12:36 AM. |
#21
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Hi folks…
Just jumping into this 'resurrected' thread to comment on Trinity 'Pro' and other dual source configurations of K&K Pure mini with an internal mic. This combination is superior to just the K&K Pure mini alone (with an exception). I played a 'self-styled' K&K Dual Source (2005-2006 K&K Pure Mini and K&K Silver Bullet mic), with outboard preamps full-time till 2019 when my wife gave me a ToneDexter for Christmas. I drive the ToneDexter with the K&K Pure Mini. I left the Old Style Silver Bullet mics inside each of my 4 K&K dual source equipped guitars. That way I have a backup…and a quick dual source rig (for one or two song gigs) where the ToneDexter isn't as convenient. I use both a Raven PMB II and a DTAR Solstice for outboard 2 channel preamps, and they sound nearly as good as the ToneDexter (which has far superior feedback resistance and tweak-ability). The ToneDexter was an experiment on my part to see if the sound could be more 'natural' than the internal dual source. It is (marginally) better. I can hear the difference, but most others never would. I continue to use it for it's handier, adjustable, feedback resistance. Hope this adds to the (already been around for a while) thread… |
#22
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This is a “for what it’s worth” post because I appreciate the K&K mini for what it does but....
I replaced the K&K mini with a Schatten HSF SBT in a K&K dual source set up. The hSF sounds better (more natural to my ear) and works great as a plug and play option with the K&K pre amp. Especially since the K&K pre has a 3 band eq for each source. It’s a set and forget deal, unless you need some Eq adjustment.
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David Webber Round-Body Furch D32-LM MJ Franks Lagacy OM Rainsong H-WS1000N2T Stonebridge OM33-SR DB Stonebridge D22-SRA Tacoma Papoose Voyage Air VAD-2 1980 Fender Strat A few Partscaster Strats MIC 60s Classic Vib Strat Last edited by Mbroady; 12-03-2022 at 12:54 PM. |
#23
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Thanks for clarifying, Doug!
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#24
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I emailed Daren and he responded: Quote:
I'd be curious to know how unique the foundational impedance matching design of the Red Eye is in the preamp world. I didn't even know that's what I was buying when I bought the Red Eye. It just sounded better than any other preamp I had ever used before, including ones that allegedly had the "correct" fixed impedance for my pickups. So naturally, I thought it was magic and left it at that...
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#25
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Hi all…
Actually there is a version of the Trinity (K&K Ultra-Pure system) that has the preamp installed internally (as well as the battery). The adjustments are installed in the vertical edge of the soundhole. And it adjusts all three tone ranges, as well as volume from the soundhole. The battery is 'bagged' internally. oops - that model is single source (mini only). They (K&K) still list an 'onboard trinity system with internal preamp' on their site. I have played a guitar with one of those in it.
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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… Last edited by ljguitar; 12-05-2022 at 10:36 AM. |