Dual-sourcing A K&k Pure?

[manthoney]

Hello all.

I'm curious if anyone has dual-sourced a Pure Western with something other than an internal mic (not considering the mic for feedback concerns).  I play with a percussive fingerstyle (striving for Ani DiFranco/Patty Larkin) and am wondering if pairing the Western with something else would give me more attack and greater clarity.  When I surf over to the Pick up the World website and hear the superlative definition of their #54 (two AST's) compared to their #27 (one AST), it makes me wonder if it isn't possible to do the same thing with two K&K AST's.  Is there enough room behind the bridge pins for another AST in addition to the Pure (in front of them)?  

I also like the added attack that a UST brings to the mix, but am a little concerned about installing that pickup myself.  Would I need to take it to a luthier for the install?  

How does a AST dual-sourced with a magnetic sound to people's ears?  Any opinions?  I guess that's basically what a Baggs M1 is, but I don't have that much cash to plop down.  Already having the Pure AST would seem to make the AST feature of the Baggs M1 redundant.  

Sorry for the long post.  Thanks for any opinions you might have!  

[HangFire]

Thought about K&K Pure Western with an M-1.

[drmlabs]

Would I need to take it to a luthier for the install?  

I highly recommend finding & developing a close relationship with a good luthier.  I have one that goes over _every_ new guitar I buy: sets the action the way I like, carefully looks for any problems, etc.  He is someone I would trust to do any work on even my most expensive guitar.  And I can also call him at any time if I have any questions.  The piece of mind that gives is priceless.
I encourage everyone to get yourself a good luthier if you haven't yet.
Dan

[manthoney]

I guess this should have been posted in the 'other guitar makers' forum.  Sorry for that.  Feel free to move it, admins.

Dan-- thanks for the tip.  I have frequent questions and am naturally curious, so a luthier that I could drive crazy would be useful.  I am low on cash at the moment and am a DIY type, so I try to do work on my own guitar if I am able.  Having a luthier that I trust would be a valuable resource!

I'm looking for a soundhole mag pickup to supply the smooth and even bass response to supplement the Pure Western.  I'm looking for a humbucker mag that is reasonably priced and has a volume control, adjustable pole pieces and/or sound-shaping controls on the pickup itself.  That way I could hardwire it in series into my K&K jack and use the onboard controls on the mag as a 'blender', mixing the soundhole pickup with the Pure without the need for an additional external blender.  

So, anyone know of a good value soundhole mag pickup that has volume and tone shaping controls?  I've seen the Schaller Western series but can't seem to find it in the States.  

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[ronmac]

Hi,

I think you are on the right track in adding a soundhole humbucker. This will give you lots of extra punch and sparkle.

However, I wouldn't connect it in series with your existing PU. Doing that will dramatically increase the impedance of your electronics. Long story short, that almost guarantees that whatever you plug into will "load" the signal to a point where you will have some frequency response problems. Connecting them in parallell can also have some nasty effects such as introducing crosstalk and some resonant peaking.

Does your K&K have a TRS or three pole jack. If it does then I would connect each PU to a seperate pole and mix/blend outside the guitar. This will give you much better control and a higher quality sound. If the K&K has an active preamp inside the guitar you may be able to add the mag to that. Fishman's website has some interesting articles on these types of installations.

Good luck.

Ron

[manthoney]

Ron,

Thanks for the input.  The Pure Western has a TRSS (tip, ring, sleeve, switch) Fishman Switchcraft jack.  I should wire it in stereo, then?  That makes sense...more flexibility, less chance of interference.  

The K&K is passive, although a strong passive- enough to drive a system by itself.  I own a K&K Pure Preamp that I use with the Pure Western and would like to utilize that somehow in this setup.  I'm trying to keep cost down, too, so that's another issue.  

I'll check out the Fishman articles.  Thanks again!

[HangFire]

Ron,

Thanks for the input.  The Pure Western has a TRSS (tip, ring, sleeve, switch) Fishman Switchcraft jack.  I should wire it in stereo, then?  That makes sense...more flexibility, less chance of interference.  

The K&K is passive, although a strong passive- enough to drive a system by itself.  I own a K&K Pure Preamp that I use with the Pure Western and would like to utilize that somehow in this setup.  I'm trying to keep cost down, too, so that's another issue.  

I'll check out the Fishman articles.  Thanks again!

Keep us posted, I'd like to see the outcome of your dual  source adventures. :)  

[Mike S]

I'm curious about this too. I'm thinking of adding a Pure Western to my current onboard Fishman UST. I think it would add some air/wood to my sound. The K&K seems like a great choice for this since it can run by itself in passive mode and gets such great reviews from users. I think it ships wired to its own jack. Anyone know how easy/difficult it would be to pull it apart and wire it to my Fishman's jack?

Also, while we're on the subject, I was thinking of using the K&K Dual Preamp to mix outboard. Is this a better choice than the Baggs MixPro? The K&K is cheaper and has more control, so it is tempting.

Mike

[manthoney]

I have the single input version of the K&K amp (Pure Preamp) and it sounds great.  It matches the Pure Western pickup well and warms it up remarkably (although I wish it had a notch filter).  The Pure Western sounds great in passive mode, but paired with the Pure Preamp it blows me away.  The K&K amps are quiet and clean.  I chose the Pure Preamp because it has High, Mid, and Low controls on the outside of the box.

The only thing I've seen as a negative about the K&K Dual Preamp is that the tone shaping pots are inside the box.  So, not as flexible in that regard.  Still a convenient amp, though, with plenty of gain.          

[Mike S]

Um....why did this thread get moved to Technique and Playing?