Installed a K&K Pure Western on my new GAD-50...

[Fstpicker]

I got a new K&K Pure Western standard sized pickup earlier this week from another forumite for a greatly reduced price. Well, I finally got around to installing it on my new Guild GAD-50 today. Here's how it went:

The installation was definitely easier than installing the Fishman undersaddle pickups that I've done a few of before. After drilling and then placing end-pin part into the end-pin hole, I carefully super-glued the 3 tranducers to the bridgeplate following the instructions.

I then plugged it into my guitar amp, and....WOW! I have never heard as good an acoustic pickup sound before! This thing sounds incredible!!! I must admit that I was skeptical of an underbridgeplate pickup before, but I'm sold on them now. I will never install an undersaddle pickup in a guitar of mine again, as this sounds much more natural and is very loud, even without a pre-amp. It's amazing how good a sound K&K builds into these. How do they do it? I don't know, but I know I like them. My Folk guitar friend wants one on his guitar now after he's heard mine. I played onstage at a festival with him this afternoon, and this thing sounded great. Thicker sounding than his Fishman Ellipse system, although he fingerpicks and I flatpick, so that may have something to do with it perhaps. This pickup is very warm, loud, clear, and natural. I am so pleased with it.

Just had to share and say that I highly recommend this pickup if you haven't tried one before.

Jeff

 

[Guildmark]

Nice review, Fstpicker. Thanks for posting it. I've been planning for some time to install electronicals in my D-55, but hadn't been able to make up my mind on type or Brand. Been leaning toward Fishman until I heard about the K&K. Then I eased up on the throttle to do some more research. I had heard it could be a DIY job, but I hadn't heard that the transducers need to be super-glued to the bridgeplate. Do the installation instructions offer an option that allows them to be moved? The review I read about this indicated they could be moved to really "dial=in" your preferred response, based on type of guitar and any idiosyncracies it may have. Is this not correct? It might not make a difference to me really, but it seemed to be a feature that set it apart from under-saddles.

Any chance you can post some mp3's of the new rig?
Thanks, again for the review!

 

[Fstpicker]

Nice review, Fstpicker. Thanks for posting it. I've been planning for some time to install electronicals in my D-55, but hadn't been able to make up my mind on type or Brand. Been leaning toward Fishman until I heard about the K&K. Then I eased up on the throttle to do some more research. I had heard it could be a DIY job, but I hadn't heard that the transducers need to be super-glued to the bridgeplate. Do the installation instructions offer an option that allows them to be moved? The review I read about this indicated they could be moved to really "dial=in" your preferred response, based on type of guitar and any idiosyncracies it may have. Is this not correct? It might not make a difference to me really, but it seemed to be a feature that set it apart from under-saddles.

Any chance you can post some mp3's of the new rig?
Thanks, again for the review!

The K&K's come with a sticky foil sheet that you can stick the pads onto instead of gluing them, perhaps to test it or just try it out to see if you like it or not. However, you do sacrifice a little bit of tone using this method, as they say so in their instructions, and about 20% less volume than the direct method. The best sound is obtained with a direct attachment, via superglue.

As far as the MP3's, I'll try to do it this week later on. I'll probably do a video and post my results on here when I'm done.

Jeff

 

[Guildmark]

Ahh! That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[doc]

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Jeff, thanks for sharing your experiences with the nut and saddle and now the K&K system. It is really helping me out.

I was wondering if you could tape it down from on top of the pickup to test the position out and then glue it down afterwards without damaging it? Just a thought. A solution there must be. I am very interested in doing the K& K to my D-25 and have looked it up. There seems to be about different configurations of the K&K ranging in low price to somewhat pricey and more complicated such as placing a preamp and mic inside the guitar. Does anyone know how the K& K mic and transducer combination pickups sound? 8) BTW will do you do a youtube video, that would be cool.

Another possible solution would be use a paper cover on the top of pickup to hold it and put the tape on the paper cover and not on the pickup. Then when you have found the right spot for the pickup you could mark it with pencil for final superglue placement. 8)

 

[Fstpicker]

Ah, all good suggestions there! I don't see why one couldn't tape the pads in place with either scotch tape, duct tape, or electrical tape. Seems logical to me, anyway.

Jeff

 

[West R Lee]

Mark,

If you do use the Superglue method and decide you want them elsewhere, you can always use the crowbar removal method. Jeff will be along shortly with the details!

West

 

[Fstpicker]

Yes, I'm the super-glue removal specialist! :lol:

Jeff