blindboygrunt Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I got myself a k&k pure ultra mini pickup for my d35 yesterday. Had it installed by the time it took the wife to cook a chicken biryani. And it was out of a jar Fiddly for sure but if a novice like me can fit it then it must be straightforward. Took it to the local pub gig last night and I can agree with all that's said about these pickups. Marvellous piece of kit and didn't put a big hole in the piggy bank either. I have two problems now Firstly , I removed a fishman piezo pickup but had to put the piezo back in the slot because , obviously , my saddle is too short. I'd like to throw it in the bin but I need a saddle fixed . would be easy enough but whoever had my guitar set up did a work of art on the saddle (some if you will have seen pics of it). So , I'm thinking of a little wooden shim. How do I get the correct thickness ? Or do I buy lots and stop adding them when the saddle is tall enough again? You all know the height of a piezo bar , that's the increase I need. What would YOU do ? Secondly , The k&k makes the amp /pa 'pop' if I tap the bridge in any way . I'm assuming that the pickup is a little too lively . I just took it out the box and stuck it in. The preamp has 3 small screwdriver adjusters for bass middle and treble , and a 4th for gain. These are all set at 12 o'clock. The way they came. Should I turn the gain down on the preamp ? Hopefully one of you has had a similar issue. And been able to fix it of course . I didn't mean I hope there's lots of people with problems :) Cheers folks. Anyone thinking about a pickup needs to consider one of these little things . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 See? Hard to carve a new version of that. Intonation on the guitar is perfect. Don't wanna mess. I guess I could get a new saddle and see of it makes a difference and throw it away if it screwed things up. But hopefully one of you geniuses will tell me what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Grunt, Let me check my box... I may have some ebony saddle shims I can send you... Give me a tad. Yup. I have two shims i can send - .100" and .125" email me an address Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 If you liked the acoustic only sound before and it was nice to play, I would just leave it in there for now. Investigate some options down the road when you have the K@K working properly. The right height already? BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 The shim/piezo isn't connected to the k&k in any way BK. I hear what you're saying though... Just niggles me a little that the ugly pink (yes pink) piece of metal is in there under that lovely saddle . Maybe it is what's making it sound so great though !! :) Thanks Sal. I'll mail ya. You're really high up in my Xmas card list . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickB Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I replaced the Baggs PU on my J-45 with a K&K mini, but not the Ultra version, so it's not apples-to-apples, but... I know you hate to part with that purty saddle but I say bite the bullet and have a new one made. You'll never be content with it until you get rid of the piezo strip or any shims you might put in there, no matter how good it sounds. I had a guitar tech install my mini and make a new saddle; I'm just not as brave as you are. As I said I don't have the version with the included preamp, but I have no problem with pops or other noise from the K&K. I normally run it directly into my PA (set on "Mic" so it is very sensitive), or sometimes into a K&K XLR external preamp. For sure I would try turning down the gain on yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 I replaced the Baggs PU on my J-45 with a K&K mini, but not the Ultra version, so it's not apples-to-apples, but... I know you hate to part with that purty saddle but I say bite the bullet and have a new one made. You'll never be content with it until you get rid of the piezo strip or any shims you might put in there, no matter how good it sounds. I had a guitar tech install my mini and make a new saddle; I'm just not as brave as you are. As I said I don't have the version with the included preamp, but I have no problem with pops or other noise from the K&K. I normally run it directly into my PA (set on "Mic" so it is very sensitive), or sometimes into a K&K XLR external preamp. For sure I would try turning down the gain on yours. You may be right ****. Next time you plug it in would you tap your bridge and see if it does anything. That's how mine pops , or 'cracks'. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullmental Alpinist Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Please don't get rid of that saddle. Please..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwalker201 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 What made you go with the K&K over others ie LR Baggs anthem? I am wanting to put something in my D28 but cant make a decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 I've never really heard a bad word about k&k. It ended up a toss up between the k&k and a baggs lyric, which also gets good reviews from a solo performers point of view. In am ideal world where money doesn't matter i probably would've put a trance amulet system in, but to be honest the cost was a bit high. My partner in music had a baggs anthem fitted and while it's good I don't think it's any better than mine and I don't think I could've fitted it myself. So , in order 1 great reviews 2 ease of fitting (it really is simple to fit) 3 cost I've only had it fitted three days now , and if it falls apart then I'll tell y'all. But I'm well pleased at my own choice. I'll try and do a sound example one of these days . it sounds like an acoustic guitar , yes its a pickup , but they all are really . Would recommend one to anyone that plays solo / small group acoustic music. They have recently changed the preamp to a nice soundhole one (mine is a soundhole preamp but not as contoured as the new one). I would check that out if I was you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne8 Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I first tried the Anthem SL in a Recording King 12 fretter. Then I tried a Lyric in my Martin OM. Had the Lyric replaced with the K&K Trinity. That's the one. The Trinity will now be replacing all the pickups in all of my guitars. The difference is night and day. I've tried various factory USTs, Fishman Infinity Matrix UST, Aura Spectrum, and the LR Baggs pickups mentioned before. The K&K is the one. The only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jjunk Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I removed the Baggs from my J-45 and had a K&K installed as well. I had a new saddle made at the time as I didn't want to use any kind of shim to get the height back up. However, my luthier told me that they can always graft additional bone material onto the underside of an existing bone saddle to increase its height if needed. I might ask around about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I first tried the Anthem SL in a Recording King 12 fretter. Then I tried a Lyric in my Martin OM. Had the Lyric replaced with the K&K Trinity. That's the one. The Trinity will now be replacing all the pickups in all of my guitars. The difference is night and day. I've tried various factory USTs, Fishman Infinity Matrix UST, Aura Spectrum, and the LR Baggs pickups mentioned before. The K&K is the one. The only one. I am a bit confused by the variety of K&Ks. Does the Trnity system you describe have a special stero output jack of some sort? I loved my rance Amulet stereo, and it had a special 5-pin connector jack, and a really robust external pre-amp/ control box. Is the Trinity the dul souce with a mic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne8 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Yes, the Trinity is a mic added to the Mini and it has an external preamp/blender. You use a stereo cable (TRS) from the guitar to the preamp and then you can use regular cable from the preamp to the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Soundboard transducer pickups like the K & K are sensitive and will pickup and vibration of the wood, including tapping the top or bridge. Might try turning the preamp gain down a bit to reduce the volume of the pop.........output spikes like those can overdrive the front end of your amp pretty good. Might have to find a compromise between adequate guitar gain and minimized extraneous soundboard noise. Might have to adjust your style a bit if the popping is going on as you play. Nice looking guitar, by the way, that 35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 Thanks folks. All sorted. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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