K & K Sound Systems Pure Preamp

Pickup features: Preamp for Pure Pickup System
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Maton 225
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: K&K Pure Western Mini
Artists using this pickup: Not enough but I think that will change
You musical style(s): Fingerstyle, flatpicking and light strumming.
Reason for pickup change: I needed a preamp with mid freqency control. Didn't feel like I was getting the most out of pickup.

Perceived output level: The Pure Western is quite hot for a passive pickup but a preamp is always going to match the impedance and get you a better overall sound.
Tone: Very balanced. Spend the time to set the gain correctly and the EQ to your specific guitar and needs and it will pay dividends.
Sonic evaluation: From the Pure Preamp, my Maton runs into a Roland keyboard amp (KC100 I think) as a stage monitor and is then lined out to the house PA. I'd rather DI directly but for various reasons this isn't happening at the moment. The amp is quite clean, as keyboard amps generally are, but does colour the sound a bit - one reason why I wanted a decent preamp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My personal stuff is good old fingerstyle and flatpicking acoustic in the James Taylor and Crosby, Stills and Nash vein (wish I was that good though). This pickup/preamp combination excels at this. I recorded some guide tracks recently using both a studio mic and recording the pickup signal as a secondary source for effects if needed. Listing to the playback I had to keep asking the engineer which track was which. Obviously you'd always record with a studio mic but for a secondary track or a live recording the K&K setup would be unbelievable. I do play regularly in a church worship band and therefore play the usual contemporary soft rock worship style songs. Depending on the band, you might find a bit of trouble cutting through and may therefore want to look at adding an undersaddle or soundhole pickup and blending the two. Honestly though, you wouldn't want to stray too far from that Pure Western sound. I just added a touch more treble than normal and it seemed to work fine.

Comments: I wanted to wait until I'd played live and done some recording before I submitted this review (hard to do as I was stoked from the moment I heard it). My previous preamp didn't have a mid control and I felt that I wasn't getting the full potential from the Pure pickup. As soon as I ran it through the Pure Preamp I knew it was one of the best gear decisions I'd made (the Pure Western pickup was another good decision). I also realised how much my older preamp was colouring the sound. By spending a bit of time setting the gain and adjusting the EQ (doing this at stage volume) I achieved the most incredible 'acoustic' sound.
When you have a nice sounding guitar, it's nice to be able to get that same sound when you plug in. By using the Pure Preamp in conjunction with the Pure Pickup I got that: clear, defined, loud and acoustic. Unmistakably my guitar; all those wonderful nuances I know from playing my guitar, I could now hear coming through the amp. Interestingly, the occasional feedback problems I had experienced with my previous preamp disappeared with the Pure Preamp. By getting the EQ right, I'd actually notched out that troublesome frequency. This is now pretty much plug-and-play which is what I was after. A slight EQ adjustment depending on the band situation is all that is needed.
This is definitely the pickup/preamp combination of choice for me. When you look at the price it is quite remarkable what K&K are achieving. My search was embarrisingly long and more detailed than I had intended but I learned a lot along the way. I always hated the quacky, compressed sound of undersaddle transducers which led me to sound board transducers and K&K in particular. Like many folks, I didn't want to cut a hole in the side of my guitar for onboard elctrics. I love my guitar the way it is and didn't want a hole or the extra weight. The Pure Pickup is an unobstrussive, non-invasive option and the matching Pure Preamp is a fantastic piece of outbord gear that, at its small size, can easily be clipped on a belt, a strap, a music stand or whatever.
There are good options out there nowadays for those searching for a great 'acoustic' live sound and I truly believe that the K&K setup has to be leading the rest in this field. It certainly has to be the most cost-effective solution to amplifying an acoustic guitar. The astounding thing is, it also sounds fantastic. I would highly recommend the Pure Preamp, especially if you also have the Pure pickup installed in your guitar. I'm sure it would also bring a few other pickups to life as well.

Pickup features: Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Volume, 1/4 inch jacks.
Impedence or other specs: Contact Dieter at K&K for this information.

Model of guitar or bass: Collings D1A - Adirondack and Mahogany Dreadnaught
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: K&K Sound Pure Western Mini
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Finger pickin' Folk, Blues, Gospel, Ragtime, and Originals
Reason for pickup change: n/a

Perceived output level: This preamp has an internal gain control. My pickup is weak, so I set it at about 3/4 max.
Tone: This preamp provides three bands of EQ and volume control without otherwise flavoring the sound.
Sonic evaluation: This preamp does not flavor the sound at all. It simply provides gain, 3 bands of EQ, and volume. This is important because I love the pickup, it just needs more volume and some mid shaping. I can't say the same for the Fishman. If I set everything flat, the Pro-EQ-Plat still changes the tone of my guitar - it sounds a bit more harsh and and thin.

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

Comments: Excellent value! I would replace it if stolen. I compared it to Baggs PADI and Fishman ProEQ Platinum, both of which are great pieces of equipment. The sweepable mid on the Fishman and Baggs doesn't sweeten up my Collings/KK Mini as well as the K&K Pure preamp. I suspect the mid curve is more wide and shaped differenlty on the K&K. Fishman/Baggs both have Phase and Notch filters, though, and both are extremely valuable for fighting feedback. I've played three shows with the K&K system, and had low-register feedback at one show. I controlled it by cutting some bass on the preamp, but I'm sure that made my guitar sound a bit thin. Why does anybody produce an acoustic preamp without a notch filter??? I often play in limited space, and sit close enought to touch my single 12" PA speaker and 10" monitor. If the venue is loud at all I WILL get low-register feedback. Hear that Dieter? Add a notch filter to the preamp! (Dieter is a Great guy, and very helpful. He patiently answered my many emails during my search for a pickup.) Add a narrrow-band notch filter and rating would be 10!