K&K Sound Systems Pure Western Mini

This is a passive pickup. Best features for me are: hard to tell it is even installed, no cutting or heavy electronics to throw off the balance of the guitar, pretty hot output (though I will describe later why this could be a negative), and of course the best of all is the great sound!

My luthier installed the Pure Western Mini in my Crafter TV200/NV OM solid-wood guitar (a legit guitar), which did not have a pickup previously. I chose the K&K for three reasons: it is very affordable compared to similarly reviewed pickups, my luthier highly recommended it, and because it requires almost no modification of the guitar.

Overall, sound quality is superlative.

For a passive pickup, the output level is surprisingly high. Although it is great to be able to not have to use a preamp, I believe a downside to this is that this could cause some users to miss out on this pickups perfect compliment, the K&K Pure XLR Preamp.

To expound a bit, I first used this with a LR Baggs PADI, and was amazed by the clarity and detail of the sound. Everything that I had read here was true. Then, basically on a whim I bought a K&K preamp off of Ebay, and that is when I really fell in love with this pickup.

The tone when used with the K&K Preamp - Yes, it is 'middy' tone, but pulling mids out 6dB (picking) or 8dB (strumming) and adding a touch of highs makes for simply amazing tone. Woody, full, with lots of detail, with a pleasing shimmer in the high frequencies (basically like my guitar, only much much louder). It sounds better than using the PADI as it specifically matches impedence and generally matches electronics better. It is clearer and has a slightly warmer tone. I highly recommend using the Pure Western Mini along with the Pure XLR Preamp!

I play church worship stuff, folk-rock, euro-rock. I have a Fishman-equipped Taylor which doesn't touch this plugged in.

You do need to know that there is a limit to your gain before feedback, considering the fact that it is a contact-style pickup. I find that for my purposes is gets plenty loud, though.

I am also a classical pianist, doing gigs, demos, various studio work for vocalists. I am a tone freak as a guitarist, since playing so many world class pianos. A cheap sounding guitar pickup to me is like playing a concerto on a digital piano.

I love this pickup, and now that I own the K&K preamp that makes it just that much better, I will definitely get another and another as the guitars come along. I love the 'miked' quality to the tone. Although I don't care for the initial 'middy' response, the preamp eq more than makes up for that.

Not long ago I was playing various guitars in a busy guitar shop. A little old used Martin 000X1 had one of these pickups in it. When I saw that, I plugged it in and everyone turned and asked what it was. On that day, that little affordable setup sounded better than the Taylor ES guitars and the Aura Martins. Warmer and punchier. One of the other guys in the room took it home. ... just saying.

This is a simple setup. Three transducers and a jack. No Preamp, no EQ. Passive system but has a lot of output, just as loud as my guitar with a blended Fishman system.

I wanted something that would add minimal weight, require little modification, and no battery while giving great volume... all on a budget.

Installed on a 2005 Martin HD28. Only modification was I had to drill out the end pin for the jack. I'd never installed an acoustic pickup before, so it was nerve racking, but easily done.

I would have liked to see a slightly more definite install jig, but the items and directions they provide are sufficient. But being my first time I was slightly scared, but it turned out fine.

Output level is very high. You won't NEED a preamp...but you might want one. Preamps and direct boxes tend to help balance the sound. Speaking of the sound...

The pickup sounds fantastic. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because it IS a bit mid-rangy. Grab your EQ and scoop out the mids and you'll have a very accurate, detailed sound.

Being a transducer system, it IS a little susceptible to feedback. A Feedback Buster will probably take care of this, but I haven't tested it in a live gig.

I play folk, rock acoustic stuff. Fingerpicking, flat-picking, and strumming. Fingerpicking-- it's great, very detailed and dynamic. Flatpicking- can be a little pingy if you didn't scoop out that mid. However, this is very possibly my setup, as I didn't tune it well for the room.
Strumming- this is where it can go very well, or just well. When strumming I noticed a less-accurate sound. The sound was slightly and, you guessed it-- mid rangy. Scoop out that mid and you have a serious performer.

If this pickup was somehow destroyed, I'd probably buy another one. I wanted to go with a smaller company. I'd heard mixed reviews about the iBeam, and that it wasn't very loud. I didn't want to HAVE to buy a preamp. I'd probably just buy another one of these.

I've been playing for 8 years, and the only other acoustic/electric I have is a Fender Grand Auditorium. This guitar naturally blows that one out of the water, and it continues to outshine with the pickup.

I love the price, ease of install, lack of battery and EQ, and hidden quality. I HATE the midrange sound- they should find a way to scoop that out from the factory. I'd love to design a little circuit to drop that midrange but -HEY- that'd be a preamp. Add a decent preamp to the signal chain and you seriously can't go wrong with this one.

ONE WORD OF ADVICE: After the install, check the location of your internal cables. Mine are (currently) going up the cross frame and then come back down to the pin- this is how yours will be installed. Take some time and TAPE THE CABLES TO THE GUITAR. I need to do this next string change. I already had a slight buzz in the guitar that needs to be looked at- but when I hit the low E string hard enough, the strings buzz against the bracing. It DOES NOT come through in the pickup, and in fact, you'll only hear it playing alone in your bedroom. I'm just picky.

This is a passive, transducer pickup that attaches to the underside of the bridge plate.

I had this pickup installed on a Larrivee L-03 with mahogany back, sides, and top. The only modification done to the instrument was super gluing the three transducers to the bridge plate. I desired a pickup that would preserve the quality of tone coming from this amazing guitar, and after a lot of research and long talks with my local shop, I ended up with the K & K.

The output is surprisingly strong for a passive pickup. In the volume arena, this pickup can deliver on its own. However, in the sound arena, you are going to need some kind of pre-amp to get the right sound. I chose an L.R. Baggs Para Acoustic DI which really brought the natural sound out of the pickup. Without the DI the sound was very muddy and artificial. I play flat-pick styles primarily and this pickup "picks up" the subtle tonal nuances of the pick, resonance, string noise. That may not be a good thing for some guitarists, and I definitely find myself tweaking my habits slightly, but I love the fidelity in sound tremendously.

If this pickup was destroyed I have a feeling my guitar would go with it. I would have to replace the pickup since I love how indiscreet this pickup is in my guitar. It does not affect the tone, weight, balance, ANYTHING of the guitar itself.
Again, I have tweaked my playing slightly to improve the sound of my guitar. For instance, since this is mounted to the bridge plate (which is designed to vibrate when sound happens) I find that when I mute the strings while playing a little aggressively, a boom occurs. So I stopped hammering my hand against the bridge--probably should have done that long before but I didn't notice.
I really think this is a transparent, natural sounding pickup that I would recommend for all styles and guitars. Just get a pre-amp to adjust the sound and you are set.

Passive Pick-up mounted under the bridge. Pre-amp available for purchase separately.

Installed in a Martin 000-18GE. Minimal modifications.

Outstanding acoustic sound. Beats the stock under saddle Fishman in my Gibson J-45 hands down. I have also tried the Fishman Rare Earth Humbucker sound hole pick-up which sound good, but it is not even close to the warm sound of the Pure Western Mini. Warm, clear and clean acoustic tone. Strong volume despite being passive. Through my Marshall acoustic amp, it sounds great without the pre-amp, but I would recommend the pre-amp if you are going to DI.

I would defiantly purchase this pick-up again. I will be installing one in my Gibson Hummingbird soon. This is the best acoustic pick-up I have heard. The price is very reasonable compared to other options out there, $99 + installation.

Passive soundboard transducer; very low impedance output compared to most USTs.

Installed into a Larrivee L-03; my installation did not require any modification to the instrument, however the Larrivee already comes with the end-pin reamed out to accept 1/4" jack. A standard end-pin hole would need to be enlarged. Installation requires using superglue to attach the 3 transducers to the bridge plate.

Excellent output for a passive unit and does not require an external preamp in many applications. I am plugging directly into a Behringer UB802A mixer that has onboard mic preamps and drives a Carvin power amp and speakers; was also able to plug directly into my guitar amp, a BK Butler Tube Driver 100w combo although this amp is voiced for electric and not a good match for acoustic. I am also using an ART Tube-Pac compressor and a Lexicon MPX 100 through the aux sends on the Behringer board. Playing style is fingerstyle progressive, jazz, Celtic, rock, country.
The tone of these transducers sounds subjectively very hot in the midrange at first blush, however I infer that this is because the frequency response is actually very flat. I cut the midrange about 6dB and was treated to a perfectly accurate representation of the sound of my guitar, with lots of punch and excellent string to string balance. There is some accentuated handling noise due to the sensitivity of the transducers, however I think a lot of this might be mitigated by polishing out the satin finish on this guitar. Excellent feedback resistance.

I would replace this if anything ever went awry, however it's such a simple, low-profile product that I don't anticipate this. The product is permanently attached to the guitar, and I wouldn't have done this if I wasn't certain that this was the one for me. I have been playing for almost 40 years and this is the best unit I have come across, since it sounds great without having to use external preamps, batteries, excessive cabling in the guitar. I compared this with B-Band, Fishman, Highlander, and LR Baggs in terms of tone, ease of use/installation, simplicity, cost. I am now preparing to replace the Fishman Prefix Blender system I have in another guitar with the K&K pure Western Mini.

Pickup features: Passive Bridge Plate Transducer
Impedence or other specs: Contains three transducers which attach to the guitar's bridge plate (inside)

Model of guitar or bass: Maton M225
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Fishman Neo D magnetic soundhole pickup
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Not enough. Everyone should use this pickup.
You musical style(s): Fingerstyle, flatpicking and light strumming.
Reason for pickup change: I tried the Neo-D in an effort to keep it simple and inexpensive. I wasn't wrapped in the sound and decided that if I was going to amplify my guitar, I should do it properly so my search continued. Interestingly, because I bought the Neo-D in Australia and bought the K&K over the net, the K&K was actually cheaper.

Perceived output level: Although passive, the Pure Western seems to have a similar output to other active pickups
Tone: Very balanced. Initially it was quite middy but that turned out to be the amp and my guitar doesn't have a lot of natural bass for a dreadnaught. I pulled the mids out of the amp and was left with a very beautiful tone - very close to the much sought after 'my guitar only louder' tone.
Sonic evaluation: The Maton 225 uses a solid spruce top with Queensland Maple back and sides which is similar to but considered superior than mahogony. The 225 is at the lower end of Maton's range which explains it's slightly restricted frequency range. Great for finger playing though and strumming. Basically, it's not a boomy dreadnaught which I see as a good thing. I'm mainly playing through a Roland keyboard amp as a stage monitor which is very clean but over accentuated my guitar's mid range. The amp also has a line out to the house PA. I dialed out the mids and was left with an amazingly beautiful acoustic sound. I was initially running the pickup through a Fishman GII preamp but can't see the need now and will try a few sessions without it. If I do end up needing a preamp I'll probably go with the K&K Pure preamp as it's voiced to match the Pure Western and it has a mid control which the GII doesn't.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Acoustic rock ie James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jack Johnson, originals

Comments: As far as I'm concerned, this is it. There really is no point trying any other product. I'm hoping to get a Maton 12 string later in the year and a K&K Pure Western will be going straight into it. I thought long and hard about what pickup to get and put a lot of time into researching what was available. I'm glad I did and very glad I came across the K&K Pure Western. My decision over what to get was based on a few parameters: primarily not wanting to cut a hole in the side of my guitar for onboard elctronics. I also didn't want an undersaddle piezo as I hate the compressed sound they normally give. I've been playing for 18 years, mainly acoustic, and always disliked the sound of amplified acoustics.
My guitar was a present from my wife and, like her, is beautiful. I knew I wanted a Maton and played all the 225's in the shop and some others when choosing it- this one just rang out beautifully and floored the rest. Even the staff guys couldn't bellieve it when they heard it. I really lucked onto a good one. So, the last thing I wanted to do was cut a hole in the side of it and add a whole lot of weight with an onboard preamp, battery and controls. Maton make great pickups (I know someone who did the Taylor factory tour and even the Taylor guys were talking about how good Maton pickups are). Unfortunately, Maton only do onboard electronics and at $400 for a retrofit, I was keen for something else.
I really like the idea behind bridge plate transducers which led me to the LR Baggs I-Beam, B-Band AST, PUTW 27 and K&K Pure Western. I read everything I could find on the net about them and the reviews certainly point to the K&K being the best option. When I heard the K&K Pure Western on Shoreline Music's mp3 page I got a tingle up my spine - I could not believe that sound came out of a pickup.
The K&K sounded better than anything I'd ever heard, involved no drilling, soldering, routing etc and was the cheapest option. You have to glue it to the bridge plate which is a little tricky and hunched over your pride and joy with superglue, gloves, safety goggles, a torch, mirror etc is quite an anxious experience. In the end it's pretty easy actuallly and there's nothing like a bit of job satisfaction.
Initially I was a bit concerned because, as stated, my guitar sounded a bit middy. A few emails between Dieter at K&K and myself got me sorted (he's very helpful as is well stated). I think K&K know they have a leading product and any problem is more than likely going to be at the users end. They just subtlely help you eliminate all the variables until you find it. In my case, I just needed to turn the mids down. Pretty simple really and now I have exactly what I was looking for. My guitar weighs the same, sounds the same and looks the same. I just have an endpin jack where the strap pin used to be. From there a lead runs to 3 small transducers glued to the bottom of my bridgeplate. This incredibly simple setup just happens to give one of the cleanest and most natural amplified acoustic sounds you're going to find for any price.
If you're doing a lot of gigs in different venues you should probably get a preamp or DI box, however, if you just need to plug into an amp occaisonally, you may find you're cool without one. Many people are concerned about feedback with this style of pickup but as it attaches to the bridge plate and not the sound board, this isn't a big problem as the bridge plate is quite solid. It hasn't been a problem for me and I need to stand right next to the stage amp.
If you want to keep it simple and sound amazing and acoustic, get a K&K Pure Western. If you like fiddling with knobs and EQ's and don't believe how good this pickup is, you'll probably end up spending hundreds or thousands of dollars just trying to emulate what your guitar would have sounded like with a K&K. Kind of makes me want to buy another guitar just so I can install another one.

Pickup features: Bridge plate transducer (passive) with 3 pads
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Larrivee OM-09
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: LR Baggs iBeam Active
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Finger Picking/Light Flat Picking singer/songwriter stuff
Reason for pickup change: LR Baggs iBeam was just not doing it for me.

Perceived output level: Less than an active pickup but good enough.
Tone: Warm, Natural sounding. Clear.
Sonic evaluation: It really does sound nice, very close to the actual sound of the guitar with no 'quackiness'. There's a slight imbalance with the outer strings (low and high E) having slightly less volume however with a little EQ (-6dB cut at around 2.5Khz mid frequency range and a little boost (+3dB at the high and low frequency ranges) it all comes together nicely. Much, much better than the iBeam active it replaced (and over half the cost!).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I'm your typical pop/folk singer songwriter type (think Nick Drake etc) and this is perfect for that. Not sure how it performs at high volume as I don't do that.

Comments: These pickups are great. Not easily found in the UK, probably because they're a little difficult to install (my Luthier didn't enjoy the process). I particularly like the fact that it needs no battery (so no worrying about replacing it just before gigs). Also, it's very usable without a pre-amp or EQ, (although better if you can manage it). At $89 it was an absolute steal. I'm going to install one on my Brook Taw too, and also install the bass one on my acoustic bass guitar.

Pickup features: Passive 3 SBT (Sound Board Transducers)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Martin 000-28
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: See K & Ks web site
You musical style(s): Blues, rock, jazz, finger style and pick.
Reason for pickup change: The guitar comes without a pickup system.

Perceived output level: Perhaps a bit lower than typical onboard setups that come factory installed.
Tone: Reproduces the exact tone of the natural guitar
Sonic evaluation: Amp: Fender XKR100 Keyboard amp. Rack mount EQ, Compressor, Alesis nano verb, Boss foot pedals.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Acoustic guitar. Rock, jazzy, blues etc.

Comments: I must admit I was a bit skeptical about installing a pickup system that only had 3 small stick-on mics and no preamp. What?s with that??? My guitar collection includes; Ovations, Takamine, Martins and Taylor. All of course with factory amplification systems installed. Two of which have stereo onboard blender systems. (All include an unsightly pre-amp hacked into the side of the guitars beautiful woods, that once set I doubt anyone ever changes or uses except to change the battery) My newest guitar a Martin 000-28 is bare bone with no sound system installed. I stumbled on to K & Ks web site and decided to give the PURE MINI system a try as the larger pickups on the PURE WESTERN were a bit large for the bridge plate inside the Martin guitar. Again more skepticism using the smaller pick-ups. I choose to go the super glue route and take the chance the system was all others claimed it to be. After a few dry runs practicing placing the pickups in place I held my breath and glued them in. Drilled the end pin hole, installed the jack and was done. More worries. Did I get them in the right place, use enough glue, get them stuck on good, etc. etc. ? At worse I could cut them out and throw the whole package away and start over. (So is all of this cynical enough?) I cleaned up everything put on new strings and was ready to plug in.
Plugging in: I use a Fender XKR100 keyboard amp which is basically a PA system. Rack mount EQ, Compressor, Alesis very slight hall effect, and assorted Boss pedals every now and then.
Leaving the volume settings same as I usually use and no effects applied, I couldn?t tell if I was plugged in or not as the sound coming out of the amp was exactly same as the sound coming out of the guitar. With the exception of a little less volume than the other types of battery powered pre-amps. So I moved the volume up on the amp 2 notches to get more clarification from the natural acoustic volume out of the guitar and the sound coming out of the amp. Things got better yet. Still couldn?t tell the difference from the natural guitar sound and the amp sound. Next just to see what would happen at high volume I turned the amp master and channel volume settings well over half way up and moved 10 feet away from the amp. (I would not need this high of a volume to play any size gig. Plus at higher settings feed-back problems start with my other setups) (I did get feedback but was only a foot away from the amp facing it. But to be expected as loud as I had it) Opps! More natural sound and no feed back yet. Playing finger open tunings the sound is balanced, warm, mellow and natural. The slightest harmonics are picked up easily. Then when attacked with a pick aggressively, Wow! The volume goes up and more crystal clear natural sound from single string leads to full chord strumming. No boomey base, or thinned out mids and trebles. This is going to take some getting use to.
Bottom line so far: Doubtful I will buy another expensive acoustic guitar with the typical pre-amps cut into the side of them. My new guitar looks natural (without the protruding knobs and sliders) and above all sounds very natural when plugged in. The PURE SYSTEM is all everyone claimed it to be in the reviews. NOTHING was over represented the slightest. Must say I am 110% happy with K & Ks system. I have no doubts their other systems are of the same quality. Plus very nice folk up to answer any questions.

Pickup features: 3 Passive Sound Board Transdusers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson CL-35 Delux
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Factory Fishman Acoustic Active Matrix Under Saddle Pizo
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Folk. Fingerstyle, Flatpicking and Strumming
Reason for pickup change: I was unhappy with the way my guitar sounded pluged in.

Perceived output level: The output level of this pickup is slightly less than the Fishman. I play alot in church so instead of an amp volume of 3 I use 4. I see no need for a pre-amp to boost output. I read in the other review that he thought the out-put was low. This is probably because he used the foil tape for a non-permanent install. This causes a 20% drop in output. I gluded the pickups directly to the bridgeplate. It was relativly easy when done with care. There was no noticable change to the tone of the guitar.
Tone: This pickup sounds like my guitar.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Fender Acoustisonic Jr. Amp. The Bass, Mid, & Treble are all set on "5". No need to add or take away anything. The tone is Great. I mean it sounds like my guitar only louder. The sustain is just wonderful. It has a quailty similar to my ES-335 thur my Fender Pro-Reverb. Each string rings loud and clear, even when strumming. I think that this is due to the 3 separate pads on the bridge plate. One pad for a pair of strings. One thing I have to say. In order to install this pick-up I had to remove the Factory Fishman. Because this was an under saddle pick-up' I replaced the saddle with a Tusq Taylor Compensated Saddle. I was shocked by the improvement in tone and volume that removing the thin metal under saddle pick-up made. The guitar "Lit Up". I can't believe how much tone was robbed by having the Fishman between the saddle and bridge. This pick-up is worth it just because of how much better my guitar sounds acoustically.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think this pickup is suitable whatever the guitar is.

Comments: I always loved the tone of my Gibson CL-35 accoustically, but was never satisfied when pluged in. I tried an external Fishman Pro-EQ-II pre-amp. This helped a little but I still was not happy. Now with the K&K my guitar finally sounds the way I want it to when amplified. Plus I have the added tone accoustically with the under saddle pickup gone. If this pickup were lost or stolen it would mean that the guitar was gone also. If I were ever to get another acoustic guitar, I would most definetly buy one with no pickup installed and then install a K & K Pure Western afterward. No hole cut into the guitar for on board controls. No battery to go dead if you forget to unplug. Just the pure sound of the guitar coming from the amp. I had to use the mini because the bridge plate on my CL-35 was not wide enough. Apparently the mini sounds the same as the full size with slightly less output. A note about installation. For some reason, Gibson drilled a small shallow hole in the bridge plate right where the middle pickup pad goes. I did not want to glue the pickup over the hole because I feared the volume of the two middle strings would be less because that pad was in contact with less wood than the other two pads. I filled the hole with Elmer,s wood filler and sanded it smooth after hardning. I then wiped the bridge plate clean with a rag lightly moistned with alcohol. I let the alcohol fully evaporate before gluing on the pickup pads. This worked just fine. The volume of each string in the same. I would suggest inspecting the bridge plate for any imperfections where the pickups will go and repairing them.

Pickup features: Passive 3 SBT (Sound Board Transducers)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Collings D1A - Adirondack and Mahogany Dreadnaught
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: See K&Ks web site (www.kksound.com)
You musical style(s): Finger pickin' Folk, Blues, Gospel, Ragtime, and Originals
Reason for pickup change: n/a

Perceived output level: This is Mini pickup. Out put is low, at least on my guitar. Needs preamp.
Tone: I had to hear it for myself, but all those other review are true. This pickup sounds like my guitar.
Sonic evaluation: Guitar -> K&Ks Pure Preamp -> Boss TU-2 tuner -> Yamaha EMX640 2x200W PA (or Roland AC-100)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Finger pickin' Folk, Blues, Gospel, Ragtime, and Originals. Thumb pick and bare figners.

Comments: I have been playing acoustic guitar for 30 years. Fingerpicking for 10. Other guitars: "Old Reliable" (1990 Ovation Elite with OP24), and 2000 Larrivee D05 with B-Band 1470AST/UST/A4 (also an excellent system). I did researh for 6 months before making this purchase.
Installation note: The luthier that did the installation was not comfortable working with super glue inside the guitar. To avoid that he took measurements, then cut the Mylar(?) strip to size (leaving extra material on the ends for removal), glued the 3 SBTs to the strip, then carefully installed the strip with the pickups inside the guitar.
Love it! Very natural representation of my guitar, and equally important to me, accurate representation of the way I play. All the reasons I love my guitar, the punchy tight bass, strong clear mids, and crystal balanced highs, all that comes through the speakers. I play with a thumb pick and bare fingers in styles from Chet Atkins to Doc Watson to Jorma Kaukonen. Whether I play soft or hard the Pure Western accurately represents what I?m doing. String noise and brush strokes are also accurately represented, not over-emphasized as with my other guitars equipped with Fishman and B-Band systems. A preamp was necessary due to lower output of the Mini pickups. I tried my Fishman ProEQ Platinum, which worked OK. Found K&Ks Pure preamp on EBay for $60. It actually does a better job sweetening up the mids, but lacks phase and notch filter. I'll use the Fishman if feed back is a problem - so far I've been able to control it with the graphic EQ on my PA with somewhat negative effect on overall sound. See my review of K&K's preamp for more info. The Pure Western pickup on my Collings needs some EQ to sound it?s best. Cutting a few decibels at 2.5 K does the job. Just so happens that the mid EQ on both the K&K preamp and my PA are centered at 2.5 K, which explains, to me at least, why so many reviewers say the full size pickup sounds great plugged straight in.
Home evaluation: I compared this system to my other guitar: 1990 Ovation Elite with OP-24, and a 2000 Larrivee D05 with B-Band?s blended 1470 AST / UST(3rd gen) / A4 preamp system. I also love my B-Band, as it sounds very natural and record a little better than the K&K. Collings with K&K is better live.
Summary: I waited until I had 3 live shows (one with full band) under my belt before doing this review. I like the K&K live even more than I did at home. I have an open-air recording (one mic in middle of room of 30 people where I used the PA mentiond above) of one of the performances. I have to admit - my Collings sounds like it is has a mic in front of it!