K+K pickup and my 00-60

[Dr.Lee]

My Luthier feels there is not enough room on the bridge plate on my 00-60 to mount a K+K.  It seems to be the most popular pickup here, how is everyone mounting theirs? Or is he just mistaken? Are there any photos of placement on the Larrivee bridge plate I can show him. I would prefer a passive pickup, but are there any other recommendations for a good match for the 00-60. I will be playing mostly solo on stage but might be playing with other instruments sometimes. Thanks in advance for the advice.

              Dr.

[tuffythepug]

Here's rather lengthy thread about this and the remedy for it.

http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=31304.60


Here's a picture (thanks to Roger)  of the fix




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[Mr_LV19E]

That pic and thread is actually about the LS-03 F-III but a similar fix might be possable depending on the placement of the bridge and cross brace in relation to the x brace.

[Dr.Lee]

What would be the next best choice passive or otherwise for a 00-60. I am not sure my luthier is going to want to undertake this process with the bridgeplate extension.
Any ideas?

           Dr.

[fongie]

Dr Lee, I have just installed a EMG-ACS sound hole pickup on my C-05, WOW! is all I can say. Sounds fantastic and easy to install. Check it out
cheers
fongie

[Dr.Lee]

yes, I have heard good things about this pickup, although I am not a big fan of soundhole mounts, thanks for the info.

                Dr.

[Zohn]

Here's rather lengthy thread about this and the remedy for it.

http://www.larriveeforum.com/smf/index.php?topic=31304.60


Here's a picture (thanks to Roger)  of the fix

What's with the string balls on the pin ends? I suppose it's one way of conserving the bridge plate ... 

[Michael T]

Actually the SBT systems do not necessarily have to be placed as the manufacture recommends (I believe there is a disclaimer on the instructions to that effect), and it is one of the reasons the tape is included with the kit. My 12 string has them in as described by K&K and responds just fine, BUT, my 6 string dread had the K&K put in by a luthier who specializes in building electric guitars, mine was his 1st K&K and he and Dieter had several conversations as to design and placement before he took the job on. He used an oscilloscope to find the optimum placement for the transducers,after several tries it resulted in an offset on the bass and treble disks. He was so impressed with the end result he took on a distributorship for K&K. One of his comments was with the scope he could dial the transducers in fairly easily after he figured out the intent and design of the system.

If you are going to take on the installation yourself you may want to try different placements using the tape application prior to gluing them in. Or, if you are going to have a tech do it you may want to mention the use of a scope or find someone who works a lot on electrics. My DV09 is way hotter than my 12 string & and I don't mean just a bit, I literally need to turn it down almost 2 full notches when switching from one to the other. Another plus is the reproduction of the acoustic sound is striking almost always getting a nod and questions from the board operator.

[Tycho]

I just had a Baggs Element UST put into my 00-50.  I'm picking it up this week and I'll try to remember to report on the results.

[Mr_LV19E]

Michael, is the K&K taped or glued in your 12 string?

[Michael T]

Michael, is the K&K taped or glued in your 12 string?

Glued, it is a fine performer, but the 6 string is out of this world, if you can find someone with a scope to place them the tape is handy to find the right placement then glue them in. You'll get much better performance out of them glued.

[Dr.Lee]

My luthier has agreed to mount a K+K in my 00-60. He has done the bridge plate extension before. I didn't know that, so I am excited to finally see what a K+K is all about.
Stay tuned for reports.

        Dr.

[rockstar_not]

What's with the string balls on the pin ends? I suppose it's one way of conserving the bridge plate ...  

I'm thinking exactly the same thing.  I thought the cylinder (ball) is supposed to get wedged up against the plate, not stick down on the end of the pin like shown in that photo.

Have I had it wrong all these years?

Oh, and by the way, a very similar transducer system is the LR Baggs I-Beam.  If I ever fit another pickup system to an acoustic, that's what I'm going with next time.  I did a K+K Mini Pure Western in my L-03 several years ago.  Only complaint is the rather boomy response from it due to impedance mismatching with my various inputs on soundcards/amps/etc.

I really should get the K+K Pure preamp to go with it, but never have.

[Mr_LV19E]

What's with the string balls on the pin ends? I suppose it's one way of conserving the bridge plate ... 

I'm thinking exactly the same thing.  I thought the cylinder (ball) is supposed to get wedged up against the plate, not stick down on the end of the pin like shown in that photo.

Have I had it wrong all these years?

What are you guys talking about? You're just messing with my head, right?         Either that or you need to look closer, the ball ends are right up against the bridge plate.   

[Dr.Lee]

I just today got my 00-60 back from luthier Randy Hughes in Fairview, NC. I had a setup, fret dressing and installed the K+K with the bridge plate extension. It plays like butter now and the K+K pickup is as wonderful as I had hoped. It sounds loud and as natural as can be. Randy's work is impecable, especially the fret dressing. The bridge plate extension is perfectly done and I can't ask for anything more. I have a Genz Benz Shen 150 LT amp and it is a joy to hear this guitar amplified. What else can I say! 

         Dr.

P.S. Pictures soon to follow !

[rockstar_not]

What are you guys talking about? You're just messing with my head, right?         Either that or you need to look closer, the ball ends are right up against the bridge plate.   

Roger,

Roger that.  On closer inspection - you're absolutely right.