K&K Pure Preamp

I've had a K&K Pure Western pickup in my Gibson J45 for several years, and it sounded great all by itself so I never got around to buying a preamp for it. Recently I acquired a mandolin and wanted a pickup in that, so of course I looked first to K&K and selected their new 'Twin Internal'. This newer p/u seems to require a preamp, so I purchased finally purchased the K&K Pure. And it works great! My mandolin (just a Loar VS220) sounds better amplified than natural. And while I was very happy with the Gibson w/o a preamp, that also sounds even better with the preamp. It dawned on me a bit late, but this will give me more control over my own sound at the open mics I play at. I have had trouble with feedback and general boominess going direct to PA's in the past and am looking forward to seeing how much this unit helps there. The only thing I'm worried about is that the 9 volt battery just barely fits, and I'm worried I'm going to break a capacitor replacing the battery one of these years. After using for a month, an update. Don't leave a short cable inserted in the input source, it drains the battery. I see now that the KK website docs tell you this. Also, they could've done better with the way you access the inside to replace the battery. A slightly larger screw that you could turn with a dime would be the bare minimum improvement, but anything that doesn't require me to carry an extra, small slotted screwdriver around in my bag would be a step up.

Love the size and the controls for volume and simple tone controls. My piezo pickup has never sounded better. I wish I knew about this little gem a long time ago. The other struggle I had was with the small headphone amps that plug into the guitar. They sound awful. Instead I bought a headphone adapter so that I can plug my headphones directly into the K&K preamp. Works/sounds great!

Bought to use with a newly installed k&k pure mini acoustic pickup in an Irish bouzouki. Tried a couple of other preamps first, with mixed results. This k&k pure sound preamp was perfect. Full, rich, and balanced sound. Played first gig yesterday and performed flawlessly. Played with all knobs at 12 o'clock and sounded great. This is not a DI box, so no balanced XLR output, only 1/4" in/out, but I knew that going in. Bonus--it costs about half of what DI/preamp combos run. I would buy it again.

I had a K&K pure mini installed in my guitar a while back and was happy with it , compared to the Fishman under-saddle pickup that used to be in the guitar previously. Like all users will testify it has a surprisingly high output as well. High enough that I could get away with not using a pre-amp. I do open mics, and have been in situations where I was really happy with the overall sound of my guitar. Unfortunately, in a scenario like an open mic you are dependent on the available PA, and, crucially, the person mixing the sound. And that is the bottle neck really. I used to do an open mic where my sound left nothing to be desired: a great PA, and a mixer with a good set of ears and the knowledge to get the most out of the equipment. But then the soundguy left, and a manager took over the mixing deck. With poor results; gone was my great sound. My guitar sounded inconsistent from one performance to the next: muddy, or too bright, and not loud enough, or on the edge of feedback during my performance, etc. It did get better over time, but was never as good as before. Basically this means that you are dependent on the circumstances, which is not conducive to an optimal performance. At least for me. If my sound sucks, it's distracting and bugs me, so instead of concentrating on performing I start adjusting my playing style etc. to still try to get the most out of the situation. If you do your own gigs and use your own PA these issues should be a lot less because you know the sound you want and once you find the right settings, these are repeatable. You still have to tweak a little for room size, occupancy and acoustics, but your basic sound should be OK. In that scenario you might not need the pre. But since my results were all over the place I decided to get this pre-amp. Now I am able to tweak my sound myself when it doesn't sound good to me. I have noticed that I actually don't do that much tweaking. Some small adjustments in bass or treble, sometimes volume, seem to be enough to make my guitar sound it's best. (things that a good sound-person could also do on the desk, you would think) And, I have to say, the combination of the pure pick-up and the pure pre-amp makes my guitar sound as natural and realistic as I've heard it. Fuller, is the term I would use, compared to without the amp. (The manufacturer credits the impedance matching between pick-up and pre-amp for this improvement. I am not electronics-savvy enough to judge if that is a valid statement, so fwiw) What's also noticeable is that since I added the pre, frequently people come up to me after my set to compliment me on my guitar sound and ask me what pre-amp I am using. Basically what this pre does, of course, is replace the factory-installed, built in pre-amp that many acoustic guitars come with these days. A disadvantage of ANY battery operated pre is that you are battery dependent, which is one more thing to keep track of and organize (always have to carry a spare). Of course, if I were to run out of battery in the middle of a set, I can just remove the pre from the chain and go directly from my guitar into the DI, like I did before. Final conclusion: Depending on your circumstances you might not need the pre, but my guess is you will like it if you decide to buy it. If I have any criticism it would be the price. Although the unit looks nice and seems sturdy and well made, when you open the box to insert the battery you can't help but notice there is almost nothing inside, as far as electronics go, that would justify the price. $50-$75 seems to be a more realistic price. The pre even costs more than the pick-up, which is counter-intuitive to me.

I have several acoustics and have installed K and K pickups in nearly all of them. I love the natural sound and the fact that I don't have to mess with batteries. My issue however was an annoying signal breakup from time to time when playing aggressively. I had been using an LR Baggs Venue and or a Para DI (both good units). I started doing some research and found that others were having similar issues, so I took a chance and bought the K and K Pure Preamp. Problem solved. It's really a very simple unit and doesn't have nearly the flexibility of the other two aforementioned pre's, but honestly, that can be handled for the most part at the mixer. I would highly recommend this unit to anyone who is using K and K pickups.

I bought the K&K preamp after several months playing my steel string acoustic guitar with only a passive K&K Pure Mini pickup. I'm totally happy with the pickup on its own when I play at home and can dial in the sound on my own amp. But as I've started playing at more venues and in different environments sometimes the sound comes out all wonky and I'm at the mercy of the sound person to un-wonkify me. Or, even worse, me trying to do it myself if there's no sound person. And then when switching between playing styles I'm again at the mercy of an attentive sound person to adjust the levels. I had considered and tried out some other, more sophisticated preamps but decided to just go with the one specifically made for my pickup. I've only had about two hours fiddling with it since I got it, but I think this preamp is gonna be just the thing. I know sound is a style and taste thing, so let me leave it at: the preamp gives my signal a surprising amount of warmth, gravitas and volume, as well as plenty of room to adjust the levels from the box. I felt like I was three inches taller and could bench press 80 more pounds as soon as I started strumming through the little guy. The only not-so-totally-awesome thing about the whole system was the 'product manual,' which was comically terse and uninformative for a music newbie technophobe like me. Especially since you gotta open the preamp up and do minor surgery on some unlabeled stuff inside to get it set up correctly. Maybe two more paragraphs of text and a little sticker or just a picture would have done the trick. However, what saved its bacon was the K&K customer support system. I got connected with a guy within 2 minutes of placing the call and he patiently walked me through the entire setup process, answering all of my questions and giving me more background when I wanted it. He even started speaking r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-w-l-y when it was clear I had little to no idea what I was doing. But when we got to territory I was familiar with he was also able to talk to me in Normal Voice. So, a great product with great customer support. Just a little thin on the destruction manual. 9-month update (12/30/13): I pretty much never play outside of my home without bringing the K&K Pure Preamp along. I like it more and more as I get more experience using it with my own solo setup and the other systems I most often plug into. I only have one minor design complaint: The main volume knob spins very easily, so when I have had the unit clipped to my belt or back pocket while playing the friction from my shirt or sweater brushing against the knob as I move around has accidentally turned the volume way up or way down. It's happened enough times for me to stop using it clipped to myself at all. I'll leave it on the floor next to me or over by the amp, which kind of negates the ease-of-adjustment-during-a-set thing without some jury rigging.

I wanted a preamp for my K&K pure mini pickup in my guitar, and this seemed a natural choice. It works okay and the sound isn't bad, but the EQ knobs are fiddly and feel very cheap and the lack of a power switch means that if you forget to unplug the patch cords, the battery will be dead the next time you try to use it. I got stung by this a couple of times. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone based on these issues.

Great preamp but you really don't need to use it with the pickup.