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K&K Pure Western
K&K Sound has been making acoustic instrument pickups, triggers, and transducers for years, making a name for themselves among pro drummers, vibe players, saxophonists, and more. They've now turned that expertise to making acoustic guitar pickups, and their efforts have paid off handsomely—K&K pickups are warm and accurate, hotter than any passive pickups we know of, and non-invasive like the best soundboard pickups. Our customers rave about these pickups, but they're not the only ones: K&K is building up a list of impressive pro endorsers, notable among them recent Winfield winner John Standefer.

K&K guitar pickups all come in two versions: "Classic" for nylon-string guitars, and "Western" for steel-string acoustic guitars. The Western models come in either standard or mini sizes. Here's what they have to offer:

K&K Acoustic Guitar Pickups:

    Pure Pickup - If we were to judge the caliber of acoustic guitar pickups simply by customer response, then the K&K Pure Western would be the hands-down winner. Our customers simply love this pickup, often coming back to order 3 or 4 more after installing one for the first time. Like the B-Band AST and the PUTW #27, the K&K Pure pickup secures to the underside of your bridgeplate, inside the guitar. Although it's officially a passive pickup, it generates a high output, using 3 pickup heads (4 for the "Classic" version), to capture the warmth of your guitar with remarkable accuracy. These pickups are designed to be super-glued to the soundboard, but K&K is now also shipping them with adhesive nylon strips, so you can experiment with placement first, if you so choose. Also, some smaller guitars (like 00s and parlors) require the smaller version of the Pure pickup, with slightly smaller pickup heads. It is worth noting, too, that while this smaller version (the "mini") was originally designed for use in smaller instruments, K&K is now recommending it for all permanent installations of the Pure. You can hear this pickup at one of the links on our MP3 page.

    Ultra Pure - The K&K Ultra Pure uses the Pure soundboard pickup, but gives it an internal preamp. The preamp has a pair of tone controls, and hides just inside your soundhole, kind of like the Baggs Dual Source Remote Control, but in this case it's entirely inside the soundhole.

    Trinity - This system blends the K&K Pure pickup system with an internal gooseneck microphone, and is mixed externally by a K&K belt-clip preamp. It's also available without the preamp (the "Solo") if you already have an outboard blender, or you can order a Trinity Upgrade Kit if you already have the Pure pickup installed in your guitar. It's worth noting two things about this pickup: First, it has the potential to produce absolutely stunning tone. When you listen to some of the recordings linked to on our MP3 Page, you'll likely be blown away by what you hear. However, the combination of a microphone and a soundboard pickup is a recipe for feedback in louder stage situations. So I tend to recommend this pickup for either recording or use in smaller solo settings, perhaps acoustic duos. Not loud stages.

    PowerMix - The K&K PowerMix systems take all of K&K's best electronics and stick them inside the guitar. So, for example, the PowerMix Pure uses the Pure pickup and the Fantastick undersaddle (both included in the package) and blends them with an onboard, internally-mounted preamp. The PowerMix Trinity does this one one better by including the mic that is part of the standard K&K Trinity System.

    Other Pickups - We have just expanded our offerings to include K&K pickups for other instruments. Even if you don't play acoustic guitar, you can still take advantage of their same great soundboard transducer design. Whether it's a banjo, or piano, or standup bass, K&K delivers just about the purest, richest, most acoustic tone you'll find anywhere.

K&K Preamps:

    Pure Preamp - This is a beltclip preamp specifically designed for use with passive Pure pickups. While it doesn't have the robust feature set of, say, the Baggs Para-Acoustic (which is also a great match for Pure pickups), its low cost and matching impedance make this a great choice for use with any of the Pure pickups that don't already have onboard preamps.

    Pure XLR Preamp - This latest offering from K&K takes the guts of the standard beltclip Pure preamp, but adds an XLR out and phase switch. This gives it features much closer to the aforementioned Baggs PADI, but with the added benefit of matching the impedance of your Pure pickup.

    Dual Channel Pro - This is a nice little beltclip two-channel mixer, with basic EQ controls and a blended mono output. It's very similar to the K&K Trinity Preamp (which is also available as a standalone preamp), but while the Trinity preamp is optimized on one channel for a microphone, the Dual Channel Pro is intended for blending two pickups. The ST version of the Dual Channel offers both blended and individual channel outs. Given this greater flexibility—at no extra charge—I tend to recommend the ST over the regular version.

K&K Guitar Pickups Description Price*
Pure Western K&K Pure Western Pickup Unique soundboard pickup; mini version recommended
$86.10
Pure Classic K&K Pure Classic Pickup Like Pure Western but with 4 pickup elements. For classical guitars.
$107.80
Ultra Pure Western K&K Pure Western Pickup K&K Pure pickup with internally-mounted preamp. Mini version recommended.
$147.00
Trinity Western K&K Trinity Pickup Pure pickup, internal mic, and outboard beltclip preamp/blender. Mini version recommended.
$256.20
Trinity Classic K&K Trinity Pickup Pure pickup, internal mic, and outboard beltclip preamp/blender.
$278.60
Trinity Solo Western   Pure pickup and internal mic, pre-wired to stereo jack. It's really the Trinity without the external blender.
$143.50
Trinity Upgrade Kit   Internal mic and outboard beltclip preamp/blender for upgrading from the standalone Pure pickup.
$183.40
Powermix Pure Western K&K Powermix Pickup Trinity System with premium blending preamp.
$270.20
Powermix Pure Classic K&K Pure Western Pickup Trinity System with premium blending preamp.
$291.90
Powermix Trinity Western K&K Pickups Trinity System with premium blending preamp.
$376.60
K&K Preamps Description Price*
Pure Preamp K&K Pure Preamp Beltclip preamp, specifically matched for passive K&K instrument pickups.
$81.90
Pure XLR Preamp K&K Pure XLR Preamp Also best with K&K pickups; adds XLR out and phase switch to standard Pure preamp.
$147.00
Dual Channel Pro K&K Pure Western Pickup Dual channel beltclip preamp. For mixing two pickups.
$124.60
Trinity Preamp K&K Pure Western Pickup Preamp from K&K's Trinity system. For mixing a pickup and microphone.
$124.60
K&K Pickups for other instruments Description Price*
Bass Max K&K Bass Max Bass Pickup Contact pickup for wedge mount in bass bridge
$96.60
Double Big Twin K&K Pure Western Pickup Jazz bass contact pickup with one pickup head per string
$102.20
Bass Master Pro K&K Pure Western Pickup Dual source bass system, includes Bass Max, Double Big Twin, and two-channel beltclip mixer.
$279.30
Bass Master Rockabilly Plus K&K Pure Western Pickup Dual source bass system, includes Bass Max, single-head bridge transducer, and two-channel beltclip mixer.
$241.50
Pure Piano K&K Pure Piano Pickup Contact pickup for piano soundboard.
$84.70
Violinissimo K&K Pure Western Guitar Pickup Contact pickup for violins. Fits under bridge.
$86.10
Banjo Twin K&K Banjo Twin Pickup Contact pickup for banjos.
$84.70
Mandolin Twin K&K Mandolin Twin Pickup Contact pickup for mandolins.
$84.70
Pure Archtop no picture Contact pickup for archtop guitars.
$67.20
Pure Floating Bridge K&K Pure Western Mini Guitar Pickup Contact pickup for floating bridges.
$84.70
Pure Resonator (biscuit bridge) K&K Pure Western Pickup Contact pickup for biscuit-bridge resonator guitars.
$67.20

*All K&K pickup prices include free shipping anywhere in the US. CO residents add 2.9% sales tax (7.4% in La Plata county). Please see our Shipping page for additional shipping information.

K&K Pure Western Guitar Pickup