| Sales: pickups and amplification - K&K pickups and preamps - acoustic guitar pickups |
| Passive bridgeplate systems (no preamp) |
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I'm a great fan of K&K acoustic instrument pickups and preamps. Since 1984, K&K Sound has manufactured top-quality pickups, microphones, and preamps for a wide range 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 has won many awards for its products, and regularly receives favourable comments in the guitar forums and other media.
I keep most of the more popular models in stock, and the complete range is available to special order. Special order items can be ordered using the 'Add to Basket - Special Order' buttons - please allow about 15 working days for delivery. I am also happy to fit your pickups if you prefer to acquire them directly. Please feel free to contact me if you're looking for something special!  Back to K&K pickups and preamps - acoustic guitar pickups
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K&K acoustic guitar pickups
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Pure Mini
This pickup is winning a lot of friends on the acoustic guitar forums, and it's certainly my most popular bridgeplate transducer. The Pure Mini (previously called the Pure Western Mini) is the transducer system which K&K recommends for most steel-string acoustics. (Exceptions are 12-string guitars and other guitars with heavy spruce tops and maple bridge plates - for which the Pure 12-string is recommended.) It features absolutely balanced and linear sound transmission all over the guitar's frequency spectrum. Three special Pure surface transducers are attached to the bridge plate, just in front of the brige pin holes. They transmit a significant portion of the soundboard because they are not as close to the strings as an under-saddle pickup. Each of the three transducers is designed to pick up a specific string pair, but also "listens" to the adjacent area around the bridge. The Pure pickups are not under pressure and therefore do not sound percussive or harsh. The Pure System reproduces all strings nicely balanced, a known problem with under-saddle pickups. The Pure Mini is a transducer system only. It does not include a battery or on-board electronics. It sounds great just in passive mode! Unlike under-saddle pickups which passively sound weak and thin, the Pure Mini puts out a nicely balanced, warm, full range signal. It sounds full and rich and has sufficient output to drive most amps and PA systems directly. Permanent installation with superglue is required for optimum performance. Alternatively, the transducers can be glued to a strip of double-sided tape (supplied) which is then attached to the bridge plate. A simple placement jig is included to ensure that the pickup is correctly located inside the guitar, and the Pure Mini system is supplied ready-wired to a high quality Switchcraft endpin jack assembly.
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Pure Mini + Volume Control
The Pure Mini + Volume Control combines a Pure Mini pickup with an adjustable thumbwheel lightweight volume control element which peel-and-stick installs on the inner edge of the soundhole. The added volume control element is a passive volume control. No batteries or soldering required! If you want a volume control on your guitar without drilling a hole in your valuable instrument, this is the solution.
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Pure Classic
The Pure Classic is a passive system for classic guitar, with four pickup heads and an endpin jack. Four heads ensures that two can be installed either side of the central fan brace, ensuring balanced output. The Pure Classic is designed to be installed with superglue for optimum sound transmission. When installed in this way a battery or on-board electronics is not required. The Pure Classic system sounds full and rich and has sufficient output to drive most amps and PA systems directly. For the players who do not wish to do this we also supply a special extra thin double stick tape for peel-and-stick removable installation. Pickups mounted with this tape require a preamp. The peel-and-stick installation cuts off a little bit at both the low and high end plus the output is reduced by about 30% compared to the superglue installation. The Pure Classic system is supplied ready-wired to a high quality Switchcraft endpin jack assembly.
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Pure Classic + Volume Control
The Pure Classic + Volume Control combines a Pure Classic pickup with an adjustable thumbwheel lightweight volume control element which peel-and-stick installs on the inner edge of the soundhole. The added volume control element is a passive volume control. No batteries or soldering required! If you want a volume control on your guitar without drilling a hole in your valuable instrument, this is the solution.
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Pure 12-String
The Pure 12-String is the transducer system for 12-string guitars and is a good alternative to the K&K Pure Mini for guitars with heavy spruce tops and maple bridge plates. Three surface transducers are attached to the bridge plate, just in front of the brige pin holes. They transmit a significant portion of the soundboard because they are not as close to the strings as an under-saddle pickup. Each of the three transducers is designed to pick up a specific string pair, but also "listens" to the adjacent area around the bridge. The Pure pickups are not under pressure and therefore do not sound percussive or harsh. The Pure 12-String is a transducer system only. It does not include a battery or on-board electronics. Unlike under-saddle pickups which passively sound weak and thin, the Pure Western Standard puts out a nicely balanced, warm, full range signal. It sounds full and rich and has sufficient output to drive most amps and PA systems directly. This pickup system has larger transducer heads than K&K's Pure Mini. (The Pure 12-String's three transducers are each 20mm in diameter, compared to the 12mm of the Mini transducers.) It has a little more output than the Mini system, and features extra strong bass response and pronounced midrange. While this bass and midrange response is too strong for many guitars, especially very resonant ones, it is ideal for 12-strings and other guitars with thicker than usual bridgeplates. The Pure 12-String system is supplied ready-wired to a high quality Switchcraft endpin jack assembly.
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Pure 12-String + Volume Control
The Pure 12-String + Volume Control combines a Pure 12-String pickup with an adjustable thumbwheel lightweight volume control element which peel-and-stick installs on the inner edge of the soundhole. The added volume control element is a passive volume control. No batteries or soldering required! If you want a volume control on your guitar without drilling a hole in your valuable instrument, this is the solution.
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Individual replacement Pure Mini transducers
K&K Mini pickups are extremely reliable, but can fail if removed from a guitar. (Generally, they can be removed without damaging the guitar's bridgeplate, but the transducers may fail unless they are removed extremely carefully.) I can supply replacement transducers if needed. I usually have a couple of Pure Mini transducers in stock, and can get other types to special order.
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