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  #1  
Old 11-22-2020, 08:00 PM
Steve Berger Steve Berger is offline
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Default K&K Pure Mini Questions

I’m about to have a K&K PURE mini pup installed in one of my acoustics and am wondering if my sound / tone will significantly improve if I add a K&K Pure Preamp.

These days I’m not gigging and will primarily be playing at home either through an AER Compact 60 or a Henriksen BUD.

Thanks for your input.
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Old 11-22-2020, 08:39 PM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Yes. The K&K really needs some sort of preamp to sound it's best and the K&K preamps work really well, as you would expect. I ran my K&K for a few years just going through my amps and a few different preamps but when I bought the little belt clip K&K I was pleasantly surprised just how much better that simple little battery-powered box livened up my tone.
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Old 11-23-2020, 08:37 AM
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ljguitar ljguitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Berger View Post
I’m about to have a K&K PURE mini pup installed in one of my acoustics and am wondering if my sound / tone will significantly improve if I add a K&K Pure Preamp.

These days I’m not gigging and will primarily be playing at home either through an AER Compact 60 or a Henriksen BUD.

Thanks for your input.
Hi Steve

Long time user of K&K Pure Mini pickups (over 15 years and installed in every guitar).

They are better with ANY decent preamp. I own a K&K preamp, and it lives at the bottom of my gear drawer. It is my loaner preamp.

There are many other preamps which are superior tone wise and more adjustable than K&K preamps.

To me K&K preamps are over-priced and because of K&K's caution that they need to be precisely impedance matched people buy them thinking they are the best gear for K&Ks.

Everything from the $30 Behringer ADI21 to the Grace Felix work so well with K&K preamps. Baggs Venues are super, as are RedEYE preamps.

I have a pair of ancient Raven PMB-I and II preamps, and a DTAR Solstice (because all my main guitars also have K&K internal mics) which produce solid tone with K&K gear.

Have fun working it out…




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Old 11-23-2020, 09:01 AM
Steve Berger Steve Berger is offline
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‘Everything from the $30 Behringer ADI21 to the Grace Felix work so well with K&K preamps. Baggs Venues are super, as are RedEYE preamps.”

Hey Larry, please save me the leg work and rank order these four options for me. Money is not a concern at this price point. Thank you sir.
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Old 11-23-2020, 09:32 AM
guitarman68 guitarman68 is offline
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Yes, a preamp is a "must have" for decent sound quality as long as you plug straight into a mixer (no High Z input available).
If using a dedicated acoustic amp like AER an external preamp is no longer a "must have", same if you have a mixer with a High Z - input (some mixers have).
I always used K&K with external preamps such as the K&K Trinity Preamp, Fishman Platinum, Redeye, Grace Felix. My bandmate sounds great plugging his K&K equipped Collings (I did the install) directly into his AER Compact 60.
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Old 11-23-2020, 10:20 PM
Steve Berger Steve Berger is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Methos1979 View Post
Yes. The K&K really needs some sort of preamp to sound it's best and the K&K preamps work really well, as you would expect. I ran my K&K for a few years just going through my amps and a few different preamps but when I bought the little belt clip K&K I was pleasantly surprised just how much better that simple little battery-powered box livened up my tone.
Thanks Methos1979
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Old 11-23-2020, 10:24 PM
Steve Berger Steve Berger is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by guitarman68 View Post
Yes, a preamp is a "must have" for decent sound quality as long as you plug straight into a mixer (no High Z input available).
If using a dedicated acoustic amp like AER an external preamp is no longer a "must have", same if you have a mixer with a High Z - input (some mixers have).
I always used K&K with external preamps such as the K&K Trinity Preamp, Fishman Platinum, Redeye, Grace Felix. My bandmate sounds great plugging his K&K equipped Collings (I did the install) directly into his AER Compact 60.

Thanks guitarman68. My plan is to install and test drive the pup solo and if need be . . . add a preamp.
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  #8  
Old 11-23-2020, 10:59 PM
6L6 6L6 is offline
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All of my acoustics have K&K’s installed.

When playing through either my Fishman Loudbox Mini or Performer amps I find no need for a preamp. If going through a PA however, I find my K&K Preamp is worth using.
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Old 11-23-2020, 11:59 PM
guitarwebguy guitarwebguy is offline
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I will +1 ljguitar on that, 3 of my instruments have K&K’s and I’ve used a variety of preamps and been happy (my favorites were the Felix and Venue)
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  #10  
Old 11-24-2020, 05:49 AM
varmonter varmonter is offline
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The kk pure xlr is a great preamp.
Designed by kk for the mini.
But the 1mgohm input impedance works
well on many pickups. I've bought
a plethora of pres over the years
and I currently use a grace felix.
But Its on a pedalboard along with
some other stuf. So if I go to an open
mic or sit in with a friends band
I have a small zipper bag that
has a 1/4 inch cord an xlr cord
and the kk pure xlr. A fly rig if you will.
I'll never sell it.
But if like you said the money is no object.
The Grace Felix is a superb preamp and for me if it broke
I'd buy another..
People all like the behringer ad21. I've never tried it .always thought
Of behringer as sort of sub par. But you cant even buy a decent di box for that price...I think they are like 29 dollars ha..
I've owned alot of preamps over the years even the renowned pendulum stuf...the Grace Felix is my favorite..

Last edited by varmonter; 11-24-2020 at 06:05 AM.
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  #11  
Old 11-24-2020, 11:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Berger View Post
‘Everything from the $30 Behringer ADI21 to the Grace Felix work so well with K&K preamps. Baggs Venues are super, as are RedEYE preamps.”

Hey Larry, please save me the leg work and rank order these four options for me. Money is not a concern at this price point. Thank you sir.
Hi Steve
  1. Grace Felix
  2. Baggs Venue
  3. RedEye (point-n-shoot)
  4. Behringer ADI21

And I meant to say the preamps I listed work well with K&K Pickups (not preamps).

If money is no option, the Grace Felix is a lifetime, high quality, nearly infinitely adjustable two channel preamp with tons of other configurable options.



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Old 11-24-2020, 11:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Berger View Post
Thanks guitarman68. My plan is to install and test drive the pup solo and if need be . . . add a preamp.
Hi again Steve

That's always what I recommend to people who hear my systems and want to install a basic pickup. They always ask if they need a preamp, so I encourage them to have a K&K installed, and run it without a pickup until they feel they need something 'better' or 'more'.

Then start looking at the options. I have friends who the pickup is all the want/need and they are good with the simple straightforward use.

I know others who are experimenting with preamps, mixers, amps etc like they are in a research lab. And they are happy with doing that.

Interesting what it takes to make we players happy sometimes (I mean that it actually IS interesting what makes us happy).

The audience may have been totally happy before we even considered adding a pickup. Depends on the audience…

And it's also interesting what makes audiences happy (often not what makes musicians happy).



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