K&K Pure Mini (Pure Western Mini)

OK - so this was a chance I decided to take on my Fylde Bouzouki.
The bouzouki in question had a passive under-saddle piezo pickup that made the instrument sound hollow and horrible. The Fishman Aura mitigated the problem somewhat, but not enough by a long shot.
So I opted for this 3-head passive pickup - even though I knew it was going to be difficult - the hole is very small and the brace is right next to the bridge.
In the end I got it installed at home. It was tricky and it had to be done with care and patience - especially since I was using superglue. It's important to remember that this is a 3-head pickup - and there are 4 sets of paired strings - my setup: one each under the high and low strings, one between the 4 middle strings.
The result was immediate in comparison to the previous under saddle piezo. Firstly and most importantly, it sounded far more natural and louder - no longer hollow. Despite this bigger sound, feedback was enormously reduced, which was really surprising. The 3-head pickup is plenty enough for bouzouki, by the way - 4 would have been more difficult (maybe impossible) to fit.
In the case of the Fylde bouzouki I would recommend the pickup if you have either a good luthier or very small and steady hands (a cheap C-clamp might help too).

By far the best pickup for an amplified acoustic sound I've experienced. The guitar sounds truly acoustic, but amplified - it is a basic task for all pickups, but the ones I've had in the past, transducers and USTs, always sound 'electric' and/or imbalanced.

I replaced a Highlander UST pickup in my Sobell Steinbeck guitar, the preferred pickup of the guitarist Martin Simpson, with the K and K Pure Mini. The Highlander unfortunately had to be balanced every time I changed the strings and was a bit unpredictable sound-wise (perhaps not always the case for other users) - something I couldn't take the risk on playing live. Sometimes the trebles and basses were hugely different regarding volume. This could be resolved, but it happened regularly. The K and K Pure Mini is predictable and always reliable - once fitted it will always sound the same.

It was simple to install. One change I made to fixing the transducers was to use superglue rather than double sided tape (a trick used by a top luthier). Once the instructions were followed, it was a straightforward installation.

Given the relatively cheap price-point, the pickup is incredible value for what it is - even if it were twice the price it would be good value. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a truly acoustic amplified sound.

Update, I now have these pickups on both my guitars and using a Fishman Platinum preamp with a swept EQ to tune out any odd resonance I'm really happy with the sound so I've upgraded this to 5 star.

I needed a pickup for my spare guitar, which is almost identical to my main guitar that has a factory-fitted LR Baggs ribbon pickup. I wasn't completely happy with the Baggs as it doesn't give an even response despite some tweaking by a local luthier. So I was hoping the K&K would give a better sound.

The K&K was reasonably easy to fit but if you are not really confident it's best to get an expert to fit it. The sound is amazingly loud without a pre-amp, so it's good value in that respect and less fuss.

The sound wasn't very natural although it was just about acceptable. So I tried it with various pre-amps, including a couple of expensive parametric ones but actually the best result was with a cheap Behringer graphic EQ pedal which let me tune out the worst effects.

So I bought a Zoom MS70 multi-effects pedal, that has a programmable Graphic EQ and that has been great. I was able to set up a good-sounding EQ for the K&K and another EQ for the LR Baggs and both are sounding a lot better.

Bought two of these passive pickups, after reading many favourable reviews. I was a little apprehensive at first, that the signal might be a little weak, but these little gems really do an excellent job of reproducing faithfully, the sound and nuances of your favourite acoustic. The instructions clearly state that if one uses adhesive strips to secure the transducer discs to the bridge plate, about 30% of tone and signal strength are lost. Super glue gel is the alternative, and this means one only gets one shot at installing them correctly; but a jig and very clear instructions are included.
All in all a great product, giving accurate reproduction, without cutting into your beloved acoustic's side panel! Thanks again Thomann, for top drawer service, and very keen prices.

Mounted on a Baton Rouge AR21C/AC (cedar solid top) mainly for home recording, it's incredible how good it sounds! I read a lot of user reviews and listened to a lot of samples before buy it but now that I tested it myself in my environment I can say it really works! Of course you have to find the right EQing but I just tamed a little bit of highs and al little bit of lows with my Mackie analog mixer and I've already got a usable sound. At first I mounted it with their double stick tape, on a Baton Rouge AR32S and tested there for a few days, then I removed them (easily, with no blades) and mounted them on my daughter's AR21, still with the tape and not the superglue. We are quite happy for now. We put them directly into an instrument input of a Scarlett 2i4 and we have no noise and a good level. I think they could cost a few tens less but the comes with a well thought package and manual, and the site is helpful too. The hardest thing is the hole drilling bit but in the end it is not a difficult task. Should I decide to mount a pickup on my AR32S it will surely be another Pure Mini.

I use my K&K Pure Mini in my Taylor GS Mini with the K&K belt clip-on pre-amp and it sounds more like an acoustic guitar through the PA than most. Our sound engineer was really impressed when he first heard it.

The great thing about this system is that it doesn't need a battery so you never have that issue of getting in stage only to discover the pick up battery is flat. Although it will plug straight into a DI box for the PA it's much better with the clip-on K&K pre amp. It means the engineer won't need to ramp up the volume too much.
I had mine installed by a luthier because it's really tricky to align the three contact pads. Also, he first tried it using the sticky pads it comes with but said the sound was poor. But when he SUPERGLUED them on(what K&K recommends) the sound quality became exponentially amazing. So I would advise getting a pro to install it and make sure he/she uses superglue. I can't recommend this pickup enough.

Got the K&K Pure Mini after a bit of research. I am amazed at how accurately it captures the guitar's sound.
I even had a weird case during my installation and two of the three transducers do not make full contact with bridge plate- the bridge plate turned out to be too short and when I mounted the transducers centrally under the saddle, they slightly stick out of the bridge plate surface.
The guitar still sounds full and balanced. Acoustically the sound was not affected at all by the installation of the pickup.

Another cool thing which surprised me, is that I don't really need anything else if I plug the guitar into a mixer- the signal is strong enough and does need much gain. DI is also not necessary.

I am extremely happy with this purchase, I only regret not getting it earlier when it was cheaper. Still 100% worth it.

I chose the K&K for my Taylor GS Mini over the stock Taylor Pickup because I didn't want an "electric" sound picked up from the strings. Fitting was not too bad apart from you had it in your head that you only had one shot at it. I chose to use superglue gel as the user guide said the sticky pads attenuated the sound some. Luckily the Taylor has an oversize soundhole which makes it easy to get your hand in but this also pushes the struts back toward the bridge making it hard to get the piezo fitted because it's cable fouls the strut. I got round this by having the cable come out toward the back instead of the front. I was pleased with the sound through my Peavey Vipyr amp set to the acoustic model - powerful output without noise or feedback and true acoustic sound. I am still using my Takemine EN10 onstage but may give the Taylor a go some time in the future.

Pros - Nice acoustic sound without feedback.
Cons - You need nerves of steel to fit it yourself with superglue.