Rambler Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Hi, gang. Bit the bullet this week and put pickups on my J35 and National Vintage Steel. Played one gig too many being under-mixed through a mic. Put a K&K mini in the J35 and a Lace Ultra-slim on the National. Happy with both. Neither one colors the sound much--you get the essence of the instrument coming through. Both are bare bones set-ups--no volume knobby, but, then, no battery to worry about. Works for me. If you get the mini, use the gorilla sticky tabs, not the tape that comes on the pups. We did, and it didn't stick on the first round. Once installed, we had to fiddle with the amp EQ a bit before we dialed in the best tone. We cut back on the mids and raised the bass and treble. Once dialed in, it was a very natural sound. Given the way it sounded when we first plugged in, I think this one would do best through a preamp or into and amp, not straight to the board. I considered a Baggs lyric, but didn't like the idea of a battery, the larger unit on the bridge and the extra gear taped inside the sound hole. No regrets. The Lace goes on the face of the National--we used a spray glue rather than the sticky tape, because there was not a lot of extra clearance. But enough--you can slide up past the 14th fret. The wire can go through the f-hole or you can drill a hole under the pup. This is one powerful pup, but clean as a whistle. You'd have no trouble being heard, yet it hardly colors the sound at all. Sounds like a national through and through. This is the cheapest and easier install to electrify a single-cone national (if you have a trigone, Id consult NRP before installing one). Don't have to mess with the biscuit like the highlanders. It's a more natural sound than the hot plates. And it costs half as much as the National ultra-slim. Mark Dearborn, repairman extraordinaire, did the honors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Rambler, I just had a K&K installed in my J50, which I played out for the first time last night. I had the J50 plugged into a K&K Pure Preamp (belt clip), and from the preamp into an Orchid Muting DI, and from the Orchid into my Fishman SA220. I had a great sound, and when I needed more oomph for a lead, I had the volume control on my beltclip. It worked great. I use the Orchid not because it enhances the sound, but rather it is a simple DI with a muting switch, which is convenient when I retune to a different tuning, so that the audience doesn't need to hear. If you dont need oomph for a lead, I would can the K&K pre-amp and just use the Orchid. Simple is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 Thx for the tip, Sal. For now, I'll be using the amp (my PA), but good info to have in my pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Why not just get the pickup with the preamp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 Why not just get the pickup with the preamp? Money, honey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Can't be that rambler , sals minted 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted March 29, 2016 Author Share Posted March 29, 2016 Oops, sorry. Sal's minted, not me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salfromchatham Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Ha. Sal ain't minted. Stupid yes... I like the simplicity of the K&K mini, and I like the integrity of the guitar preserved as much as possible. That K&K internal preamp will be fastened to the top. It will restrict the top. It might be a little, so that few would discern a tone difference, or not. All I can say is that this J50 I have... I dig it so much... I want it as close to pure as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted March 29, 2016 Author Share Posted March 29, 2016 "All I can say is that this J50 I have... I dig it so much..." Her you, mate. Feel the same about my J35. Beautiful sound, but cuts through in a room full of Martin dreads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 BK is minted since he gave up smoking! And the govt is about to make them $40 a pack here! Wow. I would save some coins for a nice Baggs DI preamp or similar. It just makes what you have more adjustable and usable - cut the mids, turn down the volume for smoother sounds, compression? Etc. Can also go straight to a PA if needed. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.