K&K Pure Mini (passive)

[TRU]

How much did you pay for it?
I see them all over and I'm wondering how low is too low to request.

I'm also wondering how I will like it, considering that I have always thought of the Fishman Rare Earth as the be-all-end-all. But I can just do a topic search, I suppose I find stuff.

This would be going into my 1946 00-17.

[pieterh]

There is a lot of love for the Pure Mini here - I have it in two of my three acoustics and I love it. It rewards partnering with the right impedance to get the best out of it but it sounds very natural and is easy to work with. I partner mine with a Tonebone Pz-pre and, recently, a TC Body-Rez.

Dunno about prices where you are but here in Sweden it’s around the equivalent of $120-150.

[Gordon Currie]

I've had 6 of them, and I think they were $95-100 each. I probably got some nicely discounted, and all but one was purchased online.

Compared to the Rare Earth (a nice magnetic pickup), the K+K has MUCH more presence. That is not always a desirable thing when playing live, but it sure can be engaging to play.

An SBT (soundboard transducer) like K+K also picks up body vibrations, which can be good or bad depending on what you like to hear (I personally love it).

I happen to like the advantages of an SBT for live work over any other alternative, with the exception of a condenser microphone mixed by a very capable sound person.

I'm now slowly replacing my K+K pickups with Dazzo and Schatten, as I find they have better clarity and less midrange buildup. But I am a tone freak.

By the way, an SBT and magnetic pickup can complement each other nicely. I may start experimenting with that myself.

[martingitdave]

I would not glue a K&K into a 1946 Martin. I love K&K, but I might suggest you consider a less permanent solution if this is a collector grade guitar.

[alnico5]

I paid about $110 for one and put it in my Taylor 412. I am not looking to change it. I am satisfied. I've heard lots of recorded stuff on the internet people made of my acoustic duo.

[guitarman68]

Dazzo is superior to K&K.

[tadol]

And UltraTonic may be superior to Dazzo - Its just the Martin/Taylor/Gibson argument with different names. But with pickups, alot also has to do with what comes after the pickup -

I have bought unused but not new K&Ks for $90, new for about $120. What may be the most important part of any "permanent" pickup mounting is the experience and skill of the person doing it. Its a pretty major PITA to try and re-do one -

[varmonter]

if you plan on playing at club volumes than stick with the rare earth.
after fighting so long with many sbt pups ive gone back to mags.
i honestly think they start to wig out a bit when there is too much
volume ..just the nature of piezo. if you attend open mics dont expect to
get a nice plug and play out of a mini. not without dragging alot of outboard
gear around with you.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by TRU

How much did you pay for it?
I see them all over and I'm wondering how low is too low to request.

I'm also wondering how I will like it, considering that I have always thought of the Fishman Rare Earth as the be-all-end-all. But I can just do a topic search, I suppose I find stuff.

This would be going into my 1946 00-17.

Publishing prices is a violation of rules.

Contact Shoreline and use your AGF member discount, it doesn't get any cheaper.

[gfirob]

All this advice is good. I have K&K's in four guitars, and I play them through a Tonedexter with good success. But I don't play with a band and I rarely have to crank the volume into a range where feedback is an issue. I think a lot of this is variable depending on venue, style, and the particular guitar.

[phcorrigan]

K&Ks typically sell online in the States for about $100. I paid $225 for mine, installed in my HD-28V. If it was a less-expensive guitar I would have done it myself.

[AZLiberty]

K&K go for about $99 online in the US.

Last time I bought one it was $75, and install was $35 or so, but that was a few years ago. I dodn't want to get superglue anywhere near my finish, so I figured it was worth it to pay someone.

They have their good and bad points.

Good = no batteries, and generally a pretty good acoustic tone.

Bad = plug-n-play is really hit or miss. If you have a short run to the board you are generally ok. I've had enough bad experiences that I bring along my own DI box now.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by AZLiberty

Bad = plug-n-play is really hit or miss. If you have a short run to the board you are generally ok. I've had enough bad experiences that I bring along my own DI box now.

The biggest problem, other than basic piezo "quack," is impedance mismatch. K&K's like a 1 megaohm input impedance, which most amps and mixers don't provide. A preamp, or an acoustic modeler pedal like the Behringer ADI21 V-Tone Acoustic Driver DI Pedal, will do a good job of cleaning up the signal.

Of course, IMO, the best solution available right now is the ToneDexter, but that's $400 versus the ADI21 at less than $30. A good preamp is in the middle at about $150.

[shufflebeat]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

Of course, IMO, the best solution available right now is the ToneDexter, but that's $400 versus the ADI21 at less than $30. A good preamp is in the middle at about $150.

I was going to post on this thread but it took on a life of it's own:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=547989

Headline - don't rush to buy a Tonedexter without properly assessing your needs.

P.S. I have one of those Behringer boxes, it's great to have in the emergency box but I wouldn't want to rely on it. Well worth the money apart from the Behr-nxiety (new word - you heard it here first, about 20yrs too late).