I have a K&K but it's not in a guitar yet. I've had good luck with the Fishmans in several Collings. They still sound like Collings.

Another vote for the K&K Pure mini here. I have 3 of them installed in different guitars. I like their simplicity & effectiveness. Coupled w/ the XLR Preamp they can perform even better...imo.

quote:

Is the K&K difficult to install?

They're really not all that difficult to install. Just have to take your time & do a few dry runs.
Here's a how-to on the process: K&K install

Duolian,
I have a Highlander in my '34 National Style O. This was at the recommendation of the boys at National when they put a new neck on the Style O. I love it in the National. As a result of this install, I put a Highlander in my OM. Very nice, but when I heard the K & K in my C-10, I was floored. It records magnificently, especially when combined with a track using a condenser mic at the 12 fret. The K & K revealed bass that I didn't know the C-10 had. I also have an I-beam in a Braz dread and I'm not thrilled with it. It's too sensitive to finger noise on the pickguard and top. I've also been considering adding a K & K to the OM and disconnecting the Highlander.
BTW, I sold my '37 Duolian when I acquired the Style O and I miss the 14 fret neck of the "plain Jane" Duolian.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Randy Carone,

I'm a big fan of the K&K as well. But another pickup to think about is the 'Pick Up The World' System. Shoreline Music carries them.
I have an H&D TDMC with the K&K and a D2H with the PUTW dual source. It has an undersaddle piezo with two brideplate microphonic strips (similiar idea to K&K).
I had a gig a short time ago in a good room with a very high end system and good soundman. After the show I had guitar players from the crowd approaching me to find out what I was using in the Collings. It's a great system - something to consider.
Tom

Thanks to all for the feedback – I figured I could rely on the Collings crowd for better than the “get a _____, man cause its totally awesome!” that one might get from some other online fora.
It would seem there’s a trend here…
Timing is good, as a friend of mine is getting a K&K put into his Gibson J45 next week, so I’ll get to hear the difference in a guitar I’m very familiar with…(as he's loaned it to me while I've been waiting for my OM to arrive)
Again, thanks to all
Dave

Well, I may just have to try out K&K in my recently acquired Collings 000 (right now, none of my Collings guitars have pickups...except for the 290 ). Maybe my prior experiences have been "colored" (positively) by the use of great pre-amps for a long time (I used to run a Pendulum back in the day...and now the Solstice).

FWIW, my Duolian is a '31 12 fret "Made for Sears" model (5 sets of holes in the cover plate; R serial number). While I loved my tricone, this Duolian is what a resonator guitar is supposed to sound like. And the Duco-frost green has aged in a most psychedelic way.

I have a K&K Western in my Gibson Hank Jr. SJ and a PUTW#27 in my Mcilroy A25c. I like them both but most folks like my SJ with the K&K best.

Nice. Interesting cover and I love the color. My Duotlian sure had "that" sound. The Style O is a bit mellower due to the larger 12-fret body and the bell brass. Is there a better sound than a National?

For delta blues, nope. Check Son House on youtube. Death Letter. John the Revelator. We all come from those roots, and I had the rare honor of seeing him play a long set from about fifteen feet away. Supernatural. tom

I play one or two gigs per week and while I used to always use a km184 Neumann mic, I got tired of dealing with the issues of using a mic live.

I've tried a few different pickups on guitars, but I've found that the K&K's mini's are the best from my perspective. I currently have K&K pickups in the following instruments:

1) D2BaaaAsbvarnish with a vintage jack made of FWI.
2) D1A varnish
3) D1Asb
4) D2HABa
5) Tacoma acoustic Thunderchief bass


With all of these, I run a short cord to the K&K belt preamp, then plug a longer monster cable acoustic cord into the system I'm using, almost always the Bose system. I turn the Bose down as low as I can and use the K&K preamp for volume and keep the EQ pretty neutral. I'm very pleased with the sound I get, and I'm pretty picky about how the guitar sounds.

Dieter and K&K are located here in Coos Bay, Oregon just a few miles from my house. Dieter has installed them for me and has been great to work with. BUT, most important to me, I like the sound, I like the simplicity of a passive system, and I like the dependability.

If I don't want to deal with a mic, I'm using the K&K....I don't think you'd be disappointed with the mini....

Kia Manuia,

Dale

www.daleinskeep.com