K&K PWM By Itself

[Rick Shepherd]

I have a Taylor 814C with a K&K pickup. It may seem strange to hear this, but I am very satisfied with my amplified sound! I still like to mic the guitar for live use, but it sounds nice by itself. Granted, the rest of my PA setup contributes to the overall sound. My PA includes the following:

Pendulum SPS-1 Preamp
Parasound 2125 Amplifier
Daedalus W-803 Speakers

So, my question is: Is anyone else happy with simply the sound of their K&K PWM for live use?

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Rick Shepherd

I have a Taylor 814C with a K&K pickup. It may seem strange to hear this, but I am very satisfied with my amplified sound! I still like to mic the guitar for live use, but it sounds nice by itself. Granted, the rest of my PA setup contributes to the overall sound. My PA includes the following:

Pendulum SPS-1 Preamp
Parasound 2125 Amplifier
Daedalus W-803 Speakers

So, my question is: Is anyone else happy with simply the sound of their K&K PWM for live use?

Hi Rick…
I've heard people play them sans-preamp and be happy with it, but it was because they already felt compromised by having a pickup in the guitar rather than using a live mic.

I've heard a lot of 'RAW' K&K Pure mini pickups at open mics, concerts etc. I've also loaned my spare preamp to players for the gigs and had them purchase one later for their rig. There was always an improvement in the sound of the guitar through PA or amps with a preamp.

Your Pendulum is a gem. Does your Taylor go through it as well?
Same for the rest of your list…

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Rick Shepherd

I have a Taylor 814C with a K&K pickup. It may seem strange to hear this, but I am very satisfied with my amplified sound! I still like to mic the guitar for live use, but it sounds nice by itself. Granted, the rest of my PA setup contributes to the overall sound. My PA includes the following:

Pendulum SPS-1 Preamp
Parasound 2125 Amplifier
Daedalus W-803 Speakers

So, my question is: Is anyone else happy with simply the sound of their K&K PWM for live use?

I've had 4 good acoustic guitars that I've used for live PA work using only a K&K Pure Mini and I've always been perfectly happy with using them without an external pre.

I have tested a couple of them using an external pre and didn't notice enough difference to say I needed a pre.

It depends on your particular instrument and what you're plugging into. Most of my experience has been with sound systems in clubs that have reasonably good PAs. I also have used a few different PAs that I've owned and now have a small solo setup. I still don't need a pre.

The best thing to do it try it for yourself and make a decision one way or the other.

[Rick Shepherd]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Rick…
I've heard people play them sans-preamp and be happy with it, but it was because they already felt compromised by having a pickup in the guitar rather than using a live mic.

I've heard a lot of 'RAW' K&K Pure mini pickups at open mics, concerts etc. I've also loaned my spare preamp to players for the gigs and had them purchase one later for their rig. There was always an improvement in the sound of the guitar through PA or amps with a preamp.

Your Pendulum is a gem. Does your Taylor go through it as well?
Same for the rest of your list…

Hi Larry,

Not sure your about your question, but I plug my PWM Taylor into the Pendulum, etc. as in the list.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Rick Shepherd

I have a Taylor 814C with a K&K pickup. It may seem strange to hear this, but I am very satisfied with my amplified sound! I still like to mic the guitar for live use, but it sounds nice by itself. Granted, the rest of my PA setup contributes to the overall sound. My PA includes the following:

Pendulum SPS-1 Preamp
Parasound 2125 Amplifier
Daedalus W-803 Speakers

So, my question is: Is anyone else happy with simply the sound of their K&K PWM for live use?

Rick, You've got it all, Bro!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Rick Shepherd

Hi Larry,

Not sure your about your question, but I plug my PWM Taylor into the Pendulum, etc. as in the list.

Hi Rick…
Just curious is you were playing your K&K bypassing the Pendulum (given your question).

[martingitdave]

You can count me as one who is satisfied with the K&K pickup. I have them in all of my guitars. While I sometimes wish for a little more "air" when playing certain pieces, I am still getting a very good sound. You can't beat the simplicity.

As far as outboard gear, I have to primary options:

1. SunnAudio DI2 (small enough to live in the guitar case)
2. LR Baggs Voice Print DI

The LR Baggs (IR) pedal has worked out great. I get all the "air" I need in the tone and it has a great feedback rejection control.

[Petty1818]

I recently purchased the Fishman Loudbox mini and have been testing it with my Larrivee guitar, which has the K&K pure mini. I don't use this guitar live ever so I a not very familiar with the pickup in general, but especially not in a live setting. I was shocked at how good it sounded through the Mini. Easily some of the best tones I have heard. Compared to a UST or Amulet, the K&K just has a much more robust/warm tone.

Here's my issue though.. My main gigging guitar is a Taylor 310 with Koa back and sides. It's admittedly a brighter sounding guitar, but it has opened up nicely and actually has a nice warmth to it. Definitely not the Koa bright most people might think about. It kind of reminds me more of Mahogany. I have just always struggled with this guitar live as a lot of pickups really emphasize the high end of the guitar. Even the Dtar Wavelength that's in the guitar right now sounds bright and thin which is odd.

I know the K&K would probably be an awesome pickup choice for this guitar as it would round off some of those highs. However, feedback is a major issue. I am not sure why, but the K&K seems to get more comments about feedback issues vs. the Dazzo or Amulet. Do any of you use this pickup on a busy or loud stage? I am not a huge fan of sound hole covers so that's another issue. I see guys like Billy Strings using the K&K in massive venues that are loud and with monitors so I feel like it's possible.

[leew3]

Different instrument but still a K & K: I run my Breedlove mandolin direct to the PA and it sounds fine. I've done this with a LB Artist, Bose S1 and currently Fishman sa330x. Each have some EQ that I can adjust but for the mandolin I don't have to do much. With my CEO 7 I dial back the bass a bit and it too sounds fine direct to the above PA choices.

[Petty1818]

Originally Posted by leew3

Different instrument but still a K & K: I run my Breedlove mandolin direct to the PA and it sounds fine. I've done this with a LB Artist, Bose S1 and currently Fishman sa330x. Each have some EQ that I can adjust but for the mandolin I don't have to do much. With my CEO 7 I dial back the bass a bit and it too sounds fine direct to the above PA choices.

I have a K&K in my Kentucky mandolin and it's awesome. It took a bit to get used to the tone at first as it was a bit hollow sounding, but I realized it was due to needing a preamp. I believe I went direct through a pa the first time I tried it.

[Rick Shepherd]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi Rick…
Just curious is you were playing your K&K bypassing the Pendulum (given your question).

Okay Larry, no, I guess I was thinking along the lines of single source verses dual or external mic.

[J Patrick]

…I have them in three guitars currently and am totally happy with the sound….in 20 years I haven’t found anything I like better….

[J Patrick]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

I recently purchased the Fishman Loudbox mini and have been testing it with my Larrivee guitar, which has the K&K pure mini. I don't use this guitar live ever so I a not very familiar with the pickup in general, but especially not in a live setting. I was shocked at how good it sounded through the Mini. Easily some of the best tones I have heard. Compared to a UST or Amulet, the K&K just has a much more robust/warm tone.

Here's my issue though.. My main gigging guitar is a Taylor 310 with Koa back and sides. It's admittedly a brighter sounding guitar, but it has opened up nicely and actually has a nice warmth to it. Definitely not the Koa bright most people might think about. It kind of reminds me more of Mahogany. I have just always struggled with this guitar live as a lot of pickups really emphasize the high end of the guitar. Even the Dtar Wavelength that's in the guitar right now sounds bright and thin which is odd.

I know the K&K would probably be an awesome pickup choice for this guitar as it would round off some of those highs. However, feedback is a major issue. I am not sure why, but the K&K seems to get more comments about feedback issues vs. the Dazzo or Amulet. Do any of you use this pickup on a busy or loud stage? I am not a huge fan of sound hole covers so that's another issue. I see guys like Billy Strings using the K&K in massive venues that are loud and with monitors so I feel like it's possible.

….I’d take a hard look at a James May Ultra Tonic….I’m gonna try one in my next guitar…

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Rick Shepherd

Okay Larry, no, I guess I was thinking along the lines of single source verses dual or external mic.

Hi Rick
I liked my K&K as single source, but adding the mic brought a more natural sound/feel to it.

Nowdays, I use a ToneDexter, which uses only my K&K Pure mini. I have not bought into the supplementary part which allegedly makes the K&K 'better' - because I never play the K&K alone.

And I left all the internal mics in my acoustics, so I could plug into my Raven or DTAR preamps and be up and running dual source in 3 minutes.

The ToneDexter was a gift from my wife for Christmas 4 years back, and it's serving me well. But it was an experiment to see if I could improve on the Dual Source (Pure mini plus internal mic). It is an improvement, but one I enjoy and appreciate - not necessarily the audience.

The ability to dial out the hot frequencies and work without the feedback buster was a great update to the firmware.

It's still not good enough to record with.