K&K Pure-Mini Acoustic Guitar Pickup
The Pure Mini is K&K’s award-winning pickup for acoustic guitars.
Installed on the guitar’s bridge plate, the Pure Pickup is a great choice for achieving a rich, natural guitar sound.
Many of our customers tell us that it’s the best passive pickup on the market.
It is available in three formats optimized for either 6-string, 12-string, or nylon-string classical guitars.
All of the base models are passive, which means no batteries to change!
If you are looking to expand your system, the modular design accommodates multiple options: A passive, sound hole edge mounted, volume control add-on is available. As is the “pre-phase”, which is a basic pre amp offering a sound hole mounted active volume control and phase switch. For the most serious tone tweaker, the “ultra pure” model adds a three band EQ for tonal sculpting as well as a “low battery” indicator light.
About K&K Pickups
K&K Sound Systems makes high quality acoustic amplification products. Founded in Germany in 1984, K&K relocated their headquarters and manufacturing plant to Coos Bay, Oregon in 1995. Within a couple of years, K&K’s product line shifted from drum triggers and mics towards acoustic guitar, upright bass, and other acoustic string instrument’s pickups. This is the product line K&K is best known for today.
K&K built its reputation on its authentic, high-quality gear and personal customer service. Calico Guitarworks is proud to be an authorized dealer for K&K products.
K&K Pure Mini Installation
K&K provides detailed instructions and an installation jig with the pickup. However, it does require some specialized tools to properly fit the jack and incorrect installation can cause permanent damage to the pickup and/or the instrument. We recommend professional installation. This and many other commonly requested prices are available on our Repair Menu.
Fitting The Endpin Jack
When installing any type of electronics on an instrument for the first time, the first step is to remove the stock endpin and prepare the hole to accept a combination endpin / output jack.
Endpin jacks require a significantly larger hole than the original. In shop, we prefer a specialized reamer to slowly enlarge the hole, preventing chipping of the surrounding finish.
After drilling, we vacuum inside the guitar to remove the debris created by reaming.
Mounting The Transducers
Using the pickup mounting jig, we begin positioning the first of the three transducers for installation.The first pickup will be located underneath the saddle and in line with the first string.The second and third pickups will be set between the third and fourth, and fifth and sixth strings respectively.
Since we are working blind during installation, we position the jig on top of the bridge, outside of the guitar, to find the proper location on the bridge plate ahead of time.
To assure proper positioning, we take a test run mounting each transducer before applying glue. The transducers are difficult to remove once glued in position. This presents an additional complication should the instrument ever require a repair such as a bridge reglue.
Alternatively, the pickups can be installed with double sided tape to allow for easier removal and reinstallation. However, for the best sound transmission, K&K recommends installation with gel superglue.
Installing The Endpin Jack
To install the jack, we use a special tool to feed it through from inside the body. Once correctly positioned, we install the outside nut and washer that will firmly fix the jack in place.
An additional specially designed strap button nut then screws on top of these to allow the jack to serve double duty as a strap holder. The strap button is the only externally visible sign of installation.
With the pickup installation done, it is a perfect time to perform a setup on the guitar to make sure that she plays as good as this pickup sounds!
Erik Salomon - Calico Guitarworks Owner / Head Technician
Tech Talk articles are part of an ongoing effort to provide clear and detailed answers to common questions about guitar maintenance, modifications, and repairs.
While not intended as a step-by-step guide to servicing your own instrument, we hope that you will find value in the information provided.
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About Calico Guitarworks
Calico Guitarworks is the area’s premier destination for fretted musical instrument care and maintenance. Owned and managed by Erik Salomon, the shop is dedicated to providing quick, honest and reliable service. The staff at Calico Guitarworks has a combined 25+ years of professional guitar repair experience. Sharing the knowledge that we accumulate in this focused pursuit is at the core of what we do. Learn more About Calico Guitarworks, explore our Frequently Asked Questions, or Contact us with a specific request.
