Pickups for acoustic guitar

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Hi everybody.

A friend asked me for some advice on buying a pickup for his acoustic guitar. Frankly, I don't know so much about them, so I decided to ask fellow TBers who have some knowledge on the subject. My friend told me that so far, he has found these brands: Artec, Belcat and Fishman. I told him that Fishman is a very well-renowned brand, but I don't know anything about the others. I really appreciate your opinions/comments and of course, any other brand suggestion is welcome. Thank you in advance for your input!

[Philbiker]

K+K Pure Western Mini. Best sounding pickup I've ever heard for acoustic guitar. Reasonably priced and easy to install. Do searches on acoustic guitar forums - it's universally loved.

[AnchorHoy]

Originally Posted by Philbiker

K+K Pure Western Mini. Best sounding pickup I've ever heard for acoustic guitar. Reasonably priced and easy to install. Do searches on acoustic guitar forums - it's universally loved

Yep. If you want your guitar to sound like an acoustic guitar, only louder, this is the best all-around option. Easy installation, great price, in many cases it doesn't need a separate preamp - although a preamp is still desirable for better control of EQ and output level

Note that in this particular case, it is important to use the K&K preamp (if you go that route), since the output impedance of the K&K pickup is much higher than other pickups. A large impedance mismatch between pickup and preamp can lead to odd effects on tone that will need radical EQ compensation to eliminate

http://www.kksound.com/purewestern.html

Haven't seen too many online vendors for this particular brand. One that is highly regarded on the UMGF (Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum) and AGF (Acoustic Guitar Forum) is Maury's Music. Unfortunately, they won't ship International under any circumstances. There are other vendors that will

http://www.shorelinemusic.com/amplification/kk.shtml

Shoreline also seems to be the original vendor if you're buying thru Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Western-A.../dp/B000P5OULA