Music Talk - #3 K&K vs LR Baggs Lyric Acoustic Guitar Pickups
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2020
- Hey folks! Today we're comparing the K&K Pure Mini Pickups (with the Ultra Pure Preamp) vs the LR Baggs Lyric condenser Microphone. Both are fabulous systems. I've played both of them for quite some time in professional situations and have some things to share about each system. Hopefully, this can help you decide what system would be right for your specific situation. Many thanks for watching. Much Love, Gary
Awesome Video! Great explanation about both pickups. Please never stop with that, you rule! 👏
Anselmo, Sincere thanks for your kind complement! I'm so happy that you found something useful about my video. I certainly hope it inspires you to have more fun with playing music. Cheers to you, Gary
Very good demo and comparison. I have run a Lyric mic in my Huss and Dalton TOM-R for several years. It sounds great when eq'd well and a little reverb. I am impressed with how natural the K&K sounds.
Great playing and a great tone with both pickups!
Great info and demo! I love your playing too! 👍
Thank you so much for this extremely helpful review!
There’s a lot of common sense in this review; experience is always better than sales talk. Thank you Gary! 🫡
Good stuff man. Right up my alley
Beautiful playing!
Very helpful video.
Thank you!
Thanks, exactly the comparison I wanted to hear.
Great demo and lovely playing 👌 I get my k&k in my Martin 000-15 yesterday and it sounds great 👍 hugs from Sweden
Thank you for the demo and explanation. Very clear and helpful. I have K&K in one guitar, having one installed in another. Will probably install in a third.
Hey there Alexander, Thanks so much for watching and responding as well. I'm a huge K&K fan. Has made my professional life so much easier. I'm no longer distracted by questionable amplified acoustic guitar sound. Now, I'm just inspired to play.. Cheers!
Thanks for this video helps me decide what type of pick up to install on my guitar!
Very practical, and playing live with others - context of gig - is really important. Thanks for this comparison!
Thanks so much, Michael. Very kind complements. So glad you enjoyed the video. Cheers!
Agree 100% K&K system is simply amazing in a live situation. Well done, great video!
I have the LR Baggs Anthem in four Martins. I have never heard a better Pick Up !
Good demo. Thanks.
Sounds amazing, Gary! Both sound amazing, but loving the K&K with the Bedell the best. Such a great live tone. Would love to see you do some videos on your electric set up and how you dial in tone for different gigs. Love ya dude!
Paul, my friend! Thanks so much for listening and commenting. I’d be delighted to do a vid on my electric rig. For you!!
Great review. Very informative, and very honest. Most reviews today are all positive because they are trying to sell something, which doesn’t actually help when you are trying to choose between two good options.
Geofffrey, many thanks for taking time to view and comment! So glad you found my video useful. So many great products out there. It all depends on your playing situation as to which gear works best. Cheers to you!
Hey Gary, I finally got the LR Baggs Venue DI and so far I love it! Thanks for the recommendation!
Hey there! Thats fantastic. Just having that one piece of gear alone is a game changer IMO. I own two. Cheers and happy playing to you
Great comparison, thank you!
Hey, thanks so much for taking time to watch and reach out! Cheers
Great demo man. Helped me hugely to decide on a live pickup solution with a loud band! 👏👍👍👍
Hey! Thanks very much for watching and commenting. SO VERY GLAD to have helped you out. Cheers, Gary
@@garypatrick2881 I'm basically going to copy you, have one guitar (Lowden) with a combo-setup (Microphone and Piezo from Fishman Matrix blend already installed) and a Martin Guitar with a K&K Pure Mini Pickup solution. I love the microphone in a solo-setting, but band settings cause feedback issues unless everyone's got in-ears on. But there's lots of old-school electric guitarists who like their trousers to vibrate from their amp on stage still! 😂😂😂
@@givenmedia8134 I totally get you! I'm an amp guy but it's all about the situation you find yourself in. Technology is so great theses days that amp guys can go direct (IF) the IEM setup is top of the line.. thats a whole other rabbit hole to go down. Thank you for chiming in. It's taken years for me to find solutions but if I had to take ONE setup, it would be, hands down, the K&K w/onboard preamp! Cheers to you!!
Thanks for stating a very honest comparison! I've watched numerous videos comparing these two PUP's, but this honest assessment of what venues each one excels at and why is not generally covered. Yes, the Lyric is a more representative reproduction of the guitars particular tone, but not by a lot IMHO. With a preamp and some EQ, It produces a very good acoustic tone. Since I play in a venue that can get loud competing with other instruments, you have helped me make my choice the K&K mini!
akgeezer, Thanks so much for watching and taking time to respond like this. So very appreciated. Quite a journey isn't it. Years of purchasing gear, installing pickups, playing years of gigs.. and WHY am I now just arriving at the K&K??? I'm just glad I found it and happy to share my story and comparison. Cheers to you!
I really appreciate your video. I own your exact Bedell, bought new in 2019. I took out the K & K pickup because of no volume control. Major mistake, I have gone through several brands of pickups, nothing works like the K & K. Now I find myself going back to the original equipment. Your video was a tremendous help in my decision process. Thank you, thank you..By the way, that Bedell guitar is the best guitar I have ever owned. I am talking about Collings, Martin, and Taylor, the Bedell, the best. Thanks again,
Same here. I've gone through the Mojotone NC-1, the L.R. Baggs M80, the L.R. Baggs Anthem and finally settled for the K&K with the volume wheel.
There is a version of the Pure Mini that includes a soundhole-mounted volume wheel. You can also just buy the volume wheel add-on from K&K.
Very practical advice. I wish I seen this before I bought the lyric. The lyric has it’s place but hasn’t worked for me in a band situation. I’m about to install a JJB (k&k knock off) in my gig guitar. BTW the K&K is a piezo crystal that generates a tiny voltage when physically compressed just like an under saddle pick up. It’s the same principal, just a different location. Loved your pedal
board video too. Great ideas.
Hey there Darryl! Man, thanks for watching these vids. I sincerely appreciate you taking time to respond as well. Indeed, the two pickups have their place. The K&K setup has been incredible the past 4 years. Cheers to you!
Nothing like a great player with real world experience! I’m a live sound guy with a bit of experience myself, also a singer-songwriter. Every word this dude speaks is Truth.
Eddie, how incredibly kind. Thank you for watching and taking time to respond. Cheers!
More gear talk vids! Great stuff you really know your gear amd can play
Spencer, Thanks SO MUCH for your kind complements! More Vids on the way indeed
Thanks for your time and work putting up this video! It definitely helped me! I play solo in the streets and in small rooms and I am working on putting a dedicated guitar together for the street. I noticed what seemed like a volume control on your instrument cord!?!!! Can you tell us more about that, so I can get/make one if I am seeing things correctly? Or maybe I am just seeing you fix the guitar cord/bad connection? BTW, you sound great!
DVarga, thanks so very much for watching. I’m excited that you enjoyed the video. The cable I have is fantastic as it has a little red button that mutes the cable so I can eliminate pops when I unplug the guitar. I believe it’s from D’Addario. Cheers and best wishes to you, Gary
Man you can riff!!! Sounds killer
Hey! Thanks for that kind complement! Cheers
Grand guitar gear natter (enjoyed you pedalboard too). I put (OK my guitar shop put) a K & K into my 12 string - chosen because it seemed as good as you can get without a battery from my reading up. For a passive thing it's plenty loud enough - love it.
Sandy, Thanks for chiming in! I'm still loving my K&K setup. Sounds fantastic alone but just incredible with the preamp setup. Cheers!
Really good presentation from a dude that can really play. You just sold 4 pure minis
Paul! So very kind of you to watch and comment.. Thank You! I don't know why it took me years to finally orbit around to the K&K setup. It completely solved my live acoustic guitar woes and now I don't worry. Cheers friend
Many thanks for the great demo. I find myself contemplating what pickup to go for, for my Gibson 1934 Jumbo reissue. It's got lovely deep, full bass. I don't want an under-saddle piezo pickup. I've been struggling to decide between an Anthem and the K&K Mini Pure.
One thing about most RUclips videos of the K&K and other pickups, is that the person demo-ing usually just strums the demo guitar - and you don't get a sense of how it would sound, fingerpicked style - how do the wound strings sound, individually (play an ascending & descending riff on the low strings to really show off the notes) and high up, as well as low down fingerpicking, picking light, picking hard, string bends etc on the treble strings. Also, playing with a slide would help a lot too to really appreciate how the pickups sound, in all manner of playing styles.
So, thanks for that - your video was much better than all the rest I've seen !
One thing that I've noticed, but could just be the RUclips video compression, the quality of recording etc, is that videos of the Anthem seem to show the pickup overloading into unpleasant distortion, when playing hard on the strings - like the pickup can't handle the whole dynamic range of picking strengths of a guitar. Have you noticed that with either the Anthem or the K&K Pure Mini pickups ?
Many thanks !
PS. I use an external preamp for my reso guitars so I'd probably use it for the K&K too (I'm leaning more towards the K&K pickup).
Hey there! Thanks for your complements and inquiry. Apologies for the late response here. I've owned both Anthem and Lyric systems and yes, if you really slam the guitar with your right hand they'll clip. Even the K&K will clip if you palm-slap the face of the guitar. It's a different kind of transient sound that the microphones but still its a transient clip sound. Over the years, I had to really work on right hand dynamics with the acoustic guitar. In the studio and live, "it's EVERYTHING" to keep the instrument from going "explodo" if ya know what I mean. I hope this helps. Cheers to you, Gary
Good review
Thanks David! Happy Playing to you, Gary
I've always used a K&K, however I've recently discovered the Schatten HFN Passive. I'd love it if you tried one and let us know what you think!
Love that Bedell
Thank you Christopher! That guitar has changed my life. Cheers to you!
Play some Beautiful acoustic Tesla after lesson please! Or do a separate "tube" with just acoustic. It all sounds Beautiful!
Try putting Velcro (the "cloth" or "fuzzy" side only) on the area of your guitar strap that rubs against your guitar, and that might get rid of the squeak (hopefully).
Thanks man
Thank You for taking time to watch and reply! Cheers, Gary
hey brother sound awesome...i work five nights a week as a solo singing guitarist and I use the Anthem SL in a Larrivee LV03 now for over 7 years. Bought an Eastman acoustic as a backup while I get refret job and am thinking of trying the Lyric. I play outside on a patio and very low volume so hope it works for me. You're video is spot on! Do a song with you singing?
Hey! Thanks very much for watching and taking time to respond. Those guitars you mentioned are fabulous. I do believe there is great gear for different applications. We are so fortunate these days to have this equipment at our fingertips. Cheers to you!
A Good demo , and I heard you play some notes from a Song by. Dan Fogelberg which was Nice 😉
Fantastic playing! I've had a K&K for 15 years - much better with a preamp. These days is use Venue DI, before that it was a Paraacoustic DI. Both were/are great. Often wondered about the Anthem/Lyric options but I think you've put that idea to rest for me. Nice one.
oh man, yeah.. if you've had the K&K all these years, I wouldn't touch it! I sincerely thank you for taking time to watch and respond!!
Man, great comparison! You can seriously play...sounds awesome. I have a Martin OOO15 M w a K&K. But no preamp. I'm just getting into playing through a PA. Do you recommend a specific external acoustic preamp/processor unit? Also I'm wondering if I can add a preamp to the K&K or if I'd have to switch to an entirely different model? I dont know much about live sound so if you have recommendations for good resources on how to learn, that would be awesome. Thanks!
Hey there! Thanks so much for your kind complements and for reaching out. In most cases you can easily add the preamp to your K&K's. My Bedell came with only the K&K crystals. You're gonna LOVE what the preamp adds. I highly recommend the LR Baggs Venue DI. Any EQ changes that need to be made quickly can happen at your feet. Check out my video on "My Acoustic Guitar Pedalboard and Setup". I think the info could answer most of your questions. Many thanks again and hit back if there's anything I can help you with. Cheers, Gary
@@garypatrick2881 awesome! Thanks I'll check out you acoustic pedal board vid.
Yep, I have a Lyric in a Martin CEO5. It sounds great BUT, as you indicated...it doesn't work well on stage because it will feedback quite easily if the PA Amp is set other than rather low. It works OK at, say a coffee-shop gig but it's really not usable for "louder" gigs, even as a solo performer.
I use LR Baggs Anthem pick ups in all my guitars…it’s the only way to get an accurate representation of the true character and tone playing live. I turn up the volume up on the pickup until it just starts to register and then set the gain on the PA or house sound…this avoids all the pickup catching strap noises etc. LR Baggs Anthem allows you to blend between the mic and piezo too…which is awesome.
Looking to mic/electrify my Martin D35... I'm leaning towards this k&k mini... Any issues with using the feedback buster hole cover with that system?
nice video. what model is this gibson guitar you are playing? Humminbird artist? I loved the guitar. Congrats!
Hello Daniel, Thanks very much for watching and responding. I have a late 90's Gibson Southern Jumbo. It's a J45 with special fretboard inlays.
Sold me on the K&K!🙌🏻 I guess I’m going to need some sort of preamp pedal?
Hey there Randall, install the K&K onboard preamp. It's a little extra money but it sounds incredible. That's what I have in my Bedell Guitar. Cheers, Gary
Very cool Dire Straits solo..... are you using Monel strings.... what strings/gauge are you using? Thanks, great video!
Hey there!! Those, more than likely were Elixir Light Phosphor Bronze .12-.52. Thanks very much for watching and taking time to comment!
Hey man! I noticed you seem to control your volume with the cord. What cord is that by chance? Great video by the way!
Hey there! The cable I have is by Planet Waves and it has an On/Off Button on it so I can mute the cable. Cheers and thanks for watching, Gary
And a transducer sounds like a transducer. What about the LR BAGGS "ANTHEM" where you can blend between mic and piezo according to the sound level on the fly from the guitar ? You can still give it a little mic sparkle at loud volumes.
Hey there Forest! Thanks very much for commenting. I actually had the Anthem in that Gibson before the Lyric. I couldn't make friends with it. I tried for a few years but wasn't happy with the sound. I found myself always twiddling with the balance but never finding the sweet spot, but that's just my experience. Cheers!
Hi Gary, thanks for sharing, could you plz provide a purchase advice, I ma debating getting a kk pure mini without preamp due to limited budget or a external mic like sm57, I don't do gig, I just like to record the acoustic guitar on my cover video. Both pick up and mic will direct plugin to soundcard. What's your thought? Thx
Hello Jiayu Yang! Thanks for watching and reaching out. If you are only planning to record your guitar in your home or studio, I'd definitely get a microphone. The K&K mini pure is the perfect solution for a "Live" gigging situation, but it won't capture the sound of your guitar like a microphone will. I hope this helps.
so I bought a new Gibson hummingbird fixed bridge 1960s reissue and I was thinking between the anthem or the k&K and I want to be able to do both Play in a loud church band or just at a coffee shop. Which is going to have the most versatility. Honestly, if I am playing in a coffee shop I would just use a mic, but you get the point.
Hey there! Thanks so much for watching and reaching out. I’d honestly go with the K&K with the ultra pure preamp. To me, it’s unbeatable and it always plug and play without to much fuss. Cheers!
I would like to know more about the pramp inside your guitar with the K&K
Hey there! The preamp is very simple. It hides inside the sound hole. It has a volume slider, bass mid and treble controls and a phase button. It really does wake up the K&K passive setup
Any thoughts about putting the K&K in a Baby Taylor? In terms of sound quality vs. body size
Hey there BombusQueen! Thanks very much for watching and reaching out. I absolutely think the K&K setup is great for any acoustic guitar that you want to amplify. I highly recommend the additional preamp as it really makes the system complete. These are all tools to help inspire us and ultimately have fun at music. When I play live, I no longer worry about my sound, I just play The K&K has helped that happened for me. Cheers :)
@@garypatrick2881 Thanks so much!
its too bad to be a musician in brazil. hard to find the lr baggs lyric...really high price, and its hard to finde. then, i see a lot of videos comparing the lyric to the pure mini....everyone on youtube changes the lr baggs lyric to the k&K pure mini. #Sad haha sounds really amazing! would like to have this pickup one day. thanks for the video!
Icaro, Thanks very much for watching and responding. The K&K plus it's preamp have been game changer for me in live performances. Can you order the products from the states? Cheers, Gary
@@garypatrick2881 i was trying tô find it in brazil. Nobody have it tô sell, in any state :/ i Will see IF a friend Will travel tô USA soon. Thanks for The vídeo!
By the way, do you recommend the K&K Pure Mini with the Ultra Pure Preamp over the basic K&K?
Hey there Tommy! Thanks so very much for taking time to watch and reply. In 100% agreement on the Bedell. For me, it's been the best working/ sounding acoustic instrument in my 33 years of playing professionally. I know thats subjective but for me, I've enjoyed it more than any Martin, Gibson, Taylor, etc that I've owned. I too removed the original K&K and installed a Baggs Lyric. It came back out immediately and reinstalled the K&K WITH the Ultra Pure Preamp. Game Changer! Plug and Play sound in every venue. The preamp is a MUST in my opinion. Cheers to you!
Gary, how do you put a feedback buster in the hole ? isn't that where the ultra pure preamp goes? Thanks
Hey there Bruce,
Get yourself a razor knife or modeling knife and cut out a notch in the rubber so you can access the controls with your finger. Cheers!
Thanks so much for your response. BTW one of the reasons your guitars so good so good is because your such a great player..cheers
Bruce, how incredibly kind of you my friend. Thank You!!! Happy Playing to you
Hi , How are you??
I'm looking for a guitar that has the best factory-integrated electrical pickup, what do you think of Taylor's?
But I really like the Martin D-28. Only Fishman Aura and LR baggs Anthem are out of the question, I hate their sound
In case I can't find myself in Taylor for plug in sound, K&K pure mini will it solve my problem?
The detail is that, I look for practicality (that's why I would like to find the guitar with factory pickup), and I also play in environments with a lot of sound, I'll need to use nofeedback
Hello and thanks for reaching out. I truly believe there are lots of great sounding pickup systems. In my experience, the K&K is the best sounding system for most live situations.
I’ve had em all every Lr baggs fishman. Just put a simple $100 K&K in my Martin. I glued it in my self and couldn’t be happier. Honestly even like it right into an acoustic amp with no pre-amp. Seems like one of those too good to be true things but isn’t.
Indeed.. I feel the same way. After so many years of other products, everything just came together "Live" when the K&K setup was installed. Cheers to you!
I just ordered a J 45. Thought it had a pick up. The supplier said they would
Install a LL Bagg. What do you suggest or think? And they said No Extra charge.
Hello Dana, without question, install the K&K mini pure and onboard preamp. You'll never have to worry about good acoustic guitar sounds going live anywhere. Just my opinion. Cheers and happy playing to you, Gary
K&K kicks butt
Lol this is Neal my friend!!!
Just to be clear, the K&K is the pure mini 3 passive pickup
Hi Marcel, I also have the Ultra Pure onboard preamp installed.
@@garypatrick2881 oh that’s interesting as I thought the preamp was an external device. That most probably resolves an I was having with getting the K&K. I’ve got the Lyric which is awesome but it get the point about noise and feedback. The K&k’s don’t seem to have that plastic piezo sound and they are much cheaper the Lyrics and Anthems.
@@marcelchaloupka Oh man.. I've owned ALL of them and the K&K wins (for me that is). There is a K&K outboard preamp available as well. The Ultra Pure Pre is just compact, internal and really wakes everything up a notch. I highly recommend it. Best wishes, Gary
Crystals
Crystals 🤔. Is that what K&K uses to transfer sound?
But we're still getting the acoustic sound . . .
The lyric is a dynamic microphone, not a condensor!
Never got feedback problems with lyric but that "body sound" is terrible!!! Today playing at church isso felt só much of it....dont you feel The k&k sounds a little bit "unatural" like a piezo?
Im afraid of change The lyric for The kandk and feel too Much negative difference. Love The sound of The lyric, but that body sound...makes me sick haha thanks man
I understand your concerns as I had the same desire to have a mic-ed live acoustic guitar sound for years and years. I’ve had almost every pickup configuration available. Hands down, the best plug and play, best live sounding setup for me is the K&K with the ultra pure preamp. With the band it’s fits perfect. So many factors at live acoustic guitar sounds. How hard do you play? If you tend to have a heavy strumming hand then a compressor is a must or it’ll sound hard no matter the pickup/ mic. Don’t be afraid to try new things my friend. Remember, these are all tools to help inspire us to be less distracted and more creative 😊
Lyric sounded better in this video
I had the LR Baggs and it was great until you plugged in then it sucked. Feedback at any usable volume levels
Oh man, you had a bad experience. amplifying acoustic instruments can be finicky for certain. Thats why I love the K&K.. it's plug and play!
@garypatrick2881 Yea, I've got a J45 and have the K and k in it now and it's much improved as far as playability. Honestly the factory one in my J15 sounds the best but at least the J45 gets out and gets some use now.