K&K Pure Mini (Pure Western Mini)

247

Three-head passive pickup

For steel stringed acoustic guitars
Mounting takes place in the interior of the instrument

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since January 2015

Item number 354991

Sales Unit 1 piece(s)

instrument type steel string guitar

Active No

Passive Yes

Incl. Preamp No

Kind Of Instrument Western Guitar

Pickup System Piezo

Output Jack (mono)

$95

The shipping costs are calculated on the checkout page.

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in Pickups for Folklore Instruments

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4.8 / 5

sound

quality

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192 Reviews

Used successfully on Fylde Bouzouki

Saoirse 15.08.2020

OK - so this was a chance I decided to take on my Fylde Bouzouki.
The bouzouki in question had a passive under-saddle piezo pickup that made the instrument sound hollow and horrible. The Fishman Aura mitigated the problem somewhat, but not enough by a long shot.
So I opted for this 3-head passive pickup - even though I knew it was going to be difficult - the hole is very small and the brace is right next to the bridge.
In the end I got it installed at home. It was tricky and it had to be done with care and patience - especially since I was using superglue. It's important to remember that this is a 3-head pickup - and there are 4 sets of paired strings - my setup: one each under the high and low strings, one between the 4 middle strings.
The result was immediate in comparison to the previous under saddle piezo. Firstly and most importantly, it sounded far more natural and louder - no longer hollow. Despite this bigger sound, feedback was enormously reduced, which was really surprising. The 3-head pickup is plenty enough for bouzouki, by the way - 4 would have been more difficult (maybe impossible) to fit.
In the case of the Fylde bouzouki I would recommend the pickup if you have either a good luthier or very small and steady hands (a cheap C-clamp might help too).

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By far the best pickup for an amplified acoustic sound

Anonymous 16.10.2016

By far the best pickup for an amplified acoustic sound I've experienced. The guitar sounds truly acoustic, but amplified - it is a basic task for all pickups, but the ones I've had in the past, transducers and USTs, always sound 'electric' and/or imbalanced.

I replaced a Highlander UST pickup in my Sobell Steinbeck guitar, the preferred pickup of the guitarist Martin Simpson, with the K and K Pure Mini. The Highlander unfortunately had to be balanced every time I changed the strings and was a bit unpredictable sound-wise (perhaps not always the case for other users) - something I couldn't take the risk on playing live. Sometimes the trebles and basses were hugely different regarding volume. This could be resolved, but it happened regularly. The K and K Pure Mini is predictable and always reliable - once fitted it will always sound the same.

It was simple to install. One change I made to fixing the transducers was to use superglue rather than double sided tape (a trick used by a top luthier). Once the instructions were followed, it was a straightforward installation.

Given the relatively cheap price-point, the pickup is incredible value for what it is - even if it were twice the price it would be good value. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a truly acoustic amplified sound.

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OK but not as good as the writeups it gets

chrisrust 28.03.2018

Update, I now have these pickups on both my guitars and using a Fishman Platinum preamp with a swept EQ to tune out any odd resonance I'm really happy with the sound so I've upgraded this to 5 star.

I needed a pickup for my spare guitar, which is almost identical to my main guitar that has a factory-fitted LR Baggs ribbon pickup. I wasn't completely happy with the Baggs as it doesn't give an even response despite some tweaking by a local luthier. So I was hoping the K&K would give a better sound.

The K&K was reasonably easy to fit but if you are not really confident it's best to get an expert to fit it. The sound is amazingly loud without a pre-amp, so it's good value in that respect and less fuss.

The sound wasn't very natural although it was just about acceptable. So I tried it with various pre-amps, including a couple of expensive parametric ones but actually the best result was with a cheap Behringer graphic EQ pedal which let me tune out the worst effects.

So I bought a Zoom MS70 multi-effects pedal, that has a programmable Graphic EQ and that has been great. I was able to set up a good-sounding EQ for the K&K and another EQ for the LR Baggs and both are sounding a lot better.

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Amazing sound reproduction, and great value!

Anonymous 20.11.2016

Bought two of these passive pickups, after reading many favourable reviews. I was a little apprehensive at first, that the signal might be a little weak, but these little gems really do an excellent job of reproducing faithfully, the sound and nuances of your favourite acoustic. The instructions clearly state that if one uses adhesive strips to secure the transducer discs to the bridge plate, about 30% of tone and signal strength are lost. Super glue gel is the alternative, and this means one only gets one shot at installing them correctly; but a jig and very clear instructions are included.
All in all a great product, giving accurate reproduction, without cutting into your beloved acoustic's side panel! Thanks again Thomann, for top drawer service, and very keen prices.

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K&K Pure Mini (Pure Western Mini)

Three-head passive pickup

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Three-head passive pickup

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