K&K Sound Systems Pure Western, Twin Spot

As described in previous reviews. Tried several different outboard preamps.

Installed in Washburn parlor model by experienced luthier. He'd installed several K&Ks before, and is well known for restoring parlor and other old guitars. The guitar is a monster. (Circa teens-20's, killer rosewood, spruce top, ebony fretboard) Builders, pro players and everyone else comment on its volume, projection, and tone. First he installed a Twin spot which didn't seem to put out much sound at all, then we went for the Pure Western. Both glued in.

I'm writing this not to slam the products but to provide a warning to folks wanting one for an old parlor guitar. Both models put out dramatically unbalanced sound with massive feedback at pitiful volumes: once I EQ'ed out the offending frequencies there was no volume left. I ran it through PA systems, solid state and tube guitar amps, Baggs Para DI and other preamps. I blocked the sound hole and tried every other trick I could think of. The luthier was stymied (I trust his competence unreservedly). Emails to the company were answered promptly. "Dieter" and I went back and forth with Q&A, and he ultimately concluded my guitar was constructed in such a way as to be unsuitable for their products. He kindly suggested I try another style of pickup. Probably thought I was a malcontent and just wanted to get rid of me, and who could blame him? I know there is at least one reviewer on this site who used it in a parlor guitar, albeit a new one. I found Dieter's conclusion unscientific and unsatisfying, but there it is. I'm not the greatest techhead in the world, but I am a pro and I know what the hell I'm doing. I'd had enough.

I've been playing professionally on and off since the late eighties. I swore off piezos in '89 and used a Sunrise for years. They sound good and are easy to use for gigs, but add weight to your guitar, clog up your soundhole, and don't represent your guitar's individual sound. I would never put such a thing in a small parlor guitar. For the last decade or more I've miked a National Style 1, or played an electric archtop in "acoustic" style when miking isn't doable for the gig. On a whim I thought it would be cool to put a PU in the parlor guitar so I could plug it in every once in a while. Seduced by copious HC reviews and the luthier telling me his customers liked them I tried two different models. Thorough disappointment. I'm out several hundred bucks, and hours of frustration. The pickup can't really be removed without destroying it when it's glued in. I went with a B-band. Cursory testing at home through a crappy little SS guitar amp produced fine output and tone that crushed any piezo I've ever heard. Eager to try it out for real. I remain utterly mystified by the glowing reviews these products receive.