K & K without superglue

[rustychicken]

had a Pure Mini installed with superglue and sounded great....but wondering if you can use some type of tape for a less permanent installation.
will the sound quality be greatly reduced. honestly, i would rather use tape.

[kwakatak]

I tried it yesterday and two of the transducers popped off. I may have done it wrong, but I've since glued them in and so far they're holding firm.

[bluesman67]

Yes the sound quality will be compromised becuase you are putting a layer of tape between it and the soundboard.  The glue is more direct and solid and better for soundwaves.

[rustychicken]

i thought it would,,,it's a great pick-up, and i'll most likely buy another when i get another guitar, it sounds great,,, but i would like to take
it with me and install in my next guitar when i sell one, or if i want to tinker with another system. oh well.

[mikey007]

Sorry to bring up an old thread.  But how would it work if you used contact cement? 

Mike

[rockstar_not]

Sorry to bring up an old thread.  But how would it work if you used contact cement? 

Mike

This will likely be even worse than tape.

The physics of how K+K contact transducers work is to follow the vibrations of the bridgeplate as closely as possible.  Actually, the piezo elements in the K+K react electrically to the bending of the discs caused by the small but real bending/flexure of the bridgeplate in vibration due to the strings/body interaction.

If you put tape in between the disc and the wood, the tape will actually 'cushion' some of the flexure so that the discs won't bend quite as much.  Also the tape probably 'cushions' differently depending on the frequency range.

Contact cement - think of it's other name:  Rubber Cement.  Unless you put a very miniscule layer of cement on, it likely will 'cushion' even more than tape.

Fear not the superglue.  Use a jig to place the 3 discs all at once to make it easier.  Make sure the jig is going to place the discs where they should be directly underneath the saddle, and then stick the glue on there and go for it.  Don't put too much of the gel superglue on - as thin a layer as possible.  Hold them in place for the recommended time, and then enjoy the fruits of your efforts the next day (I waited that long, probably didn't need to wait quite that long).

-Scott

[rrgguitarman]

Fear not the superglue

I've done it both ways and to me the super glue gives you superior sound.