Roger Williams - Luthier

K&K Sound "Pure" Pickup Systems

K&K Pure  Mini wins Acoustic Guitar Magazine prestigious Gold award 2008

Since 1984, K&K Sound has manufactured top-quality pickups, microphones, and preamps for a variety of instruments including acoustic guitar, archtop/jazz guitar, resonator guitar, upright/double bass, banjo, mandolin, saxophone, flute, piano, harp, violin, cello, accordion, harmonica, and more.

K&K obtain a quite amazing sound from a passive pickup unit.   Several years ago two of my customers who are both professional musicians and teachers each brought a K&K pickup to me for fitting and we were all amazed at the sound quality.  K&K Sound pickups have received rave reviews on many enthusiasts websites.  I am now a UK stockist and recommended installer for K&K System pickups.

K&K have won several awards for their pickup systems including the coveted Acoustic Guitar Magazine GOLD award for their Pure Western Mini.

A wide range of pickup systems are available both passive and active.  Don't be put-off by the term "passive", the K&K pickups do not sound thin and lifeless as many of the cheaper passive units do, these pickups sound full and rich and have sufficient output to drive most amplifiers and PA systems directly!  These are one stunning sounding pickup!

K&K produce a wide range of pickup systems.  Their Pure range is passive.  Their active range includes the UltraPure with soundhole controls, the Pure + Pre-Phase with volume and phase control, and the Trinity systems which incorporate an internal microphone with the Pure bridge-plate pickup and an external preamp and control unit.

My recommendation for excellent value and sound quality is the passive  Pure Classic (for nylon strings) or the Pure Western Mini (for steel strings).  For superior quality and a guaranteed match to any PA you may wish to use an active system.

For Nylon strings

The Pure Classic is passive system for classic or flamenco guitar, with four pickup heads and an endpin jack.  It is a passive transducer system only and does not include a battery or on-board electronics.

The UltraPure Classic is an active system for nylon string guitar and comprises a four-head bridge plate pickup (the Pure classic), together with an onboard preamp with soundhole access, an endpin jack, and a Velcro mounted 9-volt battery holder. The pickup is based on the Pure Classic, which excels at amplifying the natural tone of a guitar. The UltraPure preamp offers precise 3 band EQ as well as a gain control to fine-tune bass, mid, treble and gain.

The Pure + Pre-Phase is an active system which combines a Pure pickup  with a Pre-Phase Miniature Preamp.  The volume control wheel allows for convenient adjustment during performance.  With the Pre-Phase you can plug your acoustic guitar into any amp or PA directly.  The addition of the phase switch is one of the most important tools for live sound amplification of any acoustic instrument.

The Trinity Classic is a dual source pickup/internal mic system with a dual-channel preamp for nylon-string guitars. The four-head, bridge plate pickup is based on the same technology as our Pure Classic. The Trinity microphone features an integrated 5" gooseneck and the Trinity Preamp is a dual-channel, external, belt-clip model with adjustable gain-vol-bass-mid-treb for each channel. The system comes with a stereo endpin jack and a 6-foot stereo cable.

For Steel-Strings

The Pure  Mini is a passive system for steel string guitar, with three pickup heads and an endpin jack. It is a transducer system only and does not include a battery or on-board electronics. Don't be fooled by the sound of some competitors' "thin sounding" passive systems--the Pure Systems are definitely different. They sound full and rich and have sufficient output to drive most amps and PA systems directly!

The Pure + Pre-Phase system is also available for steel-strings as described above.

The UltraPure Mini is an active system for steel string guitar. It comprises  the Pure bridge plate pickup, an onboard preamp with soundhole access, an endpin jack, and a Velcro mounted 9-volt battery holder.  The UltraPure Preamp offers precise 3 band EQ as well as a gain control to fine-tune bass, mid, treble and gain.

The Trinity Mini is a dual source pickup/internal mic system with a dual-channel preamp for steel-string guitars. The three-head, bridge plate pickup is based on the same technology as our Pure Mini. The Trinity microphone features an integrated 5" gooseneck and the Trinity Preamp is a dual-channel, external, belt-clip model with adjustable gain-vol-bass-mid-treb for each channel. The system comes with a stereo endpin jack and a 6-foot stereo cable.

K&K also supply upgrade "kits" to convert a passive Pure pickup into an active system.

Installing the K&K Pure Bridge-plate Pickup

Installation commences with an internal check to ensure that the bridge-plate area is suitable for fitting the pickup heads, this being OK I then drill and ream the hole for the end-jack as on other systems.

The Pure pickup is straightforward to fit when a small jig is made as shown in this picture.  The horizontal pencil lines represent the string spacing. while the vertical lines show the saddle position.  The two bridge-pin holes are used to insert the pins shown.

The transducer head is stuck to the card jig with a small piece of adhesive, the head is then spread with a gel superglue and the assembly inserted into the guitar.  The holes in the card can be seen through the bridge-pin holes and accurately positioned with the pins.  The jig is then pressed up against the inside of the soundboard and held for the few seconds it takes for the glue to set.  Each of the heads is glued in this way and once in place are permanent.