K&K Pure archtop?

[toshiro]

Hello this is my first post so sorry if this is a dumb question, but after a few months of agonizing over finding an archtop guitar I picked up an old kay archtop acoustic that was a little beat up. I know its nothing high end, but I love the character of the guitar and I was wondering if anyone at the forum here had used k&k pure archtop pickups for any guitars and if they could reccommend them or offer advice about why to stay away. I'm planning on modernizing the guitar a little bit just to make it more of a player guitar than an antiqueish vintagey one because the resale on this particular model isn't enough to warrant obsessiveness about vintage value and original specs.

Thanks.

[Geert]

I recently installed a Pure archtop transducer in my The Loar LH-600.
I am quite happy with it though I haven't been able to test it on a decent amp yet.
I use it for rehearsals where I plug it into a small tube amp. Not ideal I know, but with some equalizing I can get a pretty decent tone.

In this thread I posted a little audio example with the signal going straight into the computer.
http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...e-archtop.html

Regards

[hot ford coupe]

Originally Posted by Geert

I recently installed a Pure archtop transducer in my The Loar LH-600.
I am quite happy with it though I haven't been able to test it on a decent amp yet.
I use it for rehearsals where I plug it into a small tube amp. Not ideal I know, but with some equalizing I can get a pretty decent tone.

In this thread I posted a little audio example with the signal going straight into the computer.
http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guita...e-archtop.html

Regards

Pretty decent tone?? I would say that's fantastic tone with a lot of character. That really sounds like a good vintage instrument. Great playing also.

[jzucker]

Hmm, I didn't like the tone at all. It sounded bright and thin to me. I'd rather hear the magnetic KA floater on my sweet 16. One thing that's odd is that there seems to be no provision for mixing magnetic and transducer in the K&K pickup. I guess you have to install your own stereo jack.

[Doctor Jeff]

Re' Geert: I think it's a lovely sound that brings out the acoustic nature of the guitar.

I have an old Kay as well and have been researching this topic.

Here are a couple of options I have come across:

Pure Western - K&K Sound

Pure Floating Bridge - K&K Sound

(An acquaintance amplified his 1908 Gibson archtop (!?!) with the bridge transducer pickup with good results.)

GuitarCenter

GFS Alnico Vintage Wound Dogear Cream Pickup

(I already have an archtop with P90's, so this is less interesting to me.)

Welcome to Lindy Fralin Pickups: Fralin Jazz/Blues Pickups - The Finest Guitar Pickups Available Today!

* WD Music Products - SLIMBUCKER NECK JAZZ PICKUP CHROME

The problem with my guitar, as with many old archtops, is that there is not a lot of room to mount a typical Johnny Smith style, which is the sound I want. #1--the fingerboard was designed to lie really close to the soundboard, and #2 to compensate for the high action I have planed my bridge down very low. There's only about 5/8" clearance between the soundboard and strings. The Fralin pickups sound good, but it would cost more than I spent on the guitar...

I like the Kent Armstrong slimbucker option and will probably get it in the near future when I finish rehabbing the guitar--new "vintage" tuners, tailpiece, bridge, pickguard, etc.

[kamlapati]

I like the tone and the recording, Geert. Nice job.

[Geert]

Thanks

[hot ford coupe]

Originally Posted by jzucker

Hmm, I didn't like the tone at all. It sounded bright and thin to me. I'd rather hear the magnetic KA floater on my sweet 16. One thing that's odd is that there seems to be no provision for mixing magnetic and transducer in the K&K pickup. I guess you have to install your own stereo jack.

You're right. It's not a modern jazz sound at all but a much older one, coming out of the 30's. I listen to quite a few old recordings from the 30's and WWII eras where they did most of their work acoustically. The players I most admire from this period are Allan Reuss, Freddie Green, Al Hendrickson, and the guys who played for the Inkspots and Mills Brothers. There are a number of other players I listen to but I can't remember their names. You'd probably describe their sound they made as harsh, steely, thin, tubby or pingy but that was the sound of the times. I could listen to that sound for days without getting tired of it. Years ago, when I was collecting guitars, I really didn't know what the archtops were really supposed to sound like. I was disappointed like crazy in the sound which is one reason why I got rid of my L5, my Epiphone Emperor and Deluxe and even a 1938 D'A style A1. Now I can kick myself in the ass for getting rid of them. If I knew then what I know now, I'd have thought twice about selling them after the last hurricane I evecuated from.

Now on the other hand, I also like the deep, dark sound of the guitar in periods following the old days that we all strive to get from our pickups and amps. It's just a matter of differing musical styles like apples and oranges.

[63Bigsby]

^I agree! Geert's clip sounded really good, pretty accurate reproduction of guitar's acoustic tone, considering that I'm listening it coming through a crappy computer speaker.

[caravan]

I like the tone of Geert's recording, including the finger squeek. I have found that, quite often, it's necessary to have a rather "bright" sounding guitar when you're mixing it with other instruments in the band. Live bands tend to have too much mid-range and several guitars together may sound muddy, so... a bright sounding guitar can be a good thing.

Just my opinion.

[kamlapati]

Caravan, I'm with you man. Treble is good. And I'll add, one of the things I like about acoustic archtops is that when playing with other guitars, or in other ensembles, they sit in the mix so well, (i.e. those heavy hitting dreadnoughts can't ever out shout me!).