the K&K options look less expensive than Mini Flex...sure are a bunch of choices with K&K. i guess i should give a dealer a call to figure out what i really want/need, as in: onboard preamps recommended? EQ necessary? etc
thanks

...it is a miserable pickup for an overbuilt, heavy, unresponsive guitar, so I don't even consider installing it in most mass market or less responsive custom built stuff.

I've installed a dozen different types of systems on nylon string and classical guitars, including system not intended for nylon string installation...all worked well enough, but there are pros and cons for each.

For hybrids and production classicals, I think the DTAR Multisource or the LR Baggs Anthem SL Classical are the best of the options...both use a very good, ribbon UST, a tailored preamp system which is tuned to nylon string output, and are not too difficult to install if you can take a few rare earth magnets and the time to lay out the bracing pattern near the bridge.

http://www.amazon.com/D-TAR-Multi-Sourc ... B00301ZJKM

http://www.fullcompass.com/product/452064.html?utm_source=googleps&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=googleps&gclid=CLWCrIyU6bkCFQyk4Aodd3IA1w

The DTAR is somewhat less sensitive to the voltage drop in use, and their old 18V systems were even more so, but I don't think it's a particularly onerous task to check battery voltage before a gig. The ability to blend mic into the UST or vice versa is the key here - mics are great...right up until it's an outdoors venue with a lot of noise, or you play with a drummer or bass player, or the house system is feeding back at output levels well below that needed for decent sound. Having the ability to blend in or switch to UST adds a lot of flexibility to the system at the cost of an extra $100 and a half hour of install time. The bridge mods are pretty easy for ribbon UST's - layout, drill 45 degree angled holes to clear the wings and fans, and trim the saddle. If the slight gap at the ends of the saddle is freaking you out, use a piece of bridge material at the very end of the slot to close things...leave a few thou space between the bottom of the saddle and the wood.

Also keep in mind that the same string-to-string balance issues which we deal with on unamped guitars also crop up on pickup installations. If the instrument is poorly balanced to begin with, no pickup system is going to fix that issue. The usual approaches (e.g., tweaking saddle contact area under the strings, etc.) will work, but there can be some impacts on unamplified tone which can take time to iron out. Also note that the difference we see in saddle-on-bridge and saddle-on-UST-on bridge is usually MORE noticable in nylon string than in steel string, so there is no free ride.

For lightly built customs or for instruments which should not be modified beyond the minimum due to value issues, it's a little tougher. I like the K&K pickup for these guitars...they have good fidelity in the basic Pure, the UltraPure active, and the multi sourced onboard and offboard preamp versions, and offer some flexibility.

The simplest and most trouble-free for lightly built instruments is the Pure Classic, but it is a passive system and very sensitive to how responsive the instrument is...it is a miserable pickup for an overbuilt, heavy, unresponsive guitar, so I don't even consider installing it in most mass market or less responsive custom built stuff. Installed in a lightly built custom, the system is reliable, has great fidelity, requires no mods to the bridge or interior, and avoids the whole issue of battery life.

http://www.chagarmusic.com/shop/kk-sound-pure-classic/

The Ultra Pure is one of my favorites for SS, and the classical version (UltraPure Classic) is likewise very good, adding 3dB gain with tone, volume and phase to mostly avoid the issue with noise floor seen in passive systems. Phase becomes important with duet or multisourced mic play, so worth looking for on either your pickup system or on your offboard DI/preamp box.

http://www.bluestarmusic.com/k-and-k-sound-ultra-pure-classic-nylon-guitar-pickup-preamp.html

Finally, on mic-only systems, the Lyric and the Hylander both work, but I def prefer the Lyric for general use. I've installed a range of boutique mics and SBTs, but the Lyric seems to be about as flexible and resistant to percussion as gooseneck mount mice or the grain of wheat mini-mice.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/LR-Baggs-Lyric-Acoustic-Guitar-Microphone-109588046-i2979236.gc

I consider a mic-only install to lack some flexibility...where possible, adding a UST or SBT with blend and/or external mix is always going to add flexibility. Always an option to add an external mic or two with a UST or SBT equipped guitar, then let the guy on the board handle the phase and blend work.

Peal and stick or CA option for K&K transducers? Have you noticed a difference? Rare earth magnets. That's clever.

I really like the K&K Quantum Trinity System I have set up in my '41 D-18. It produces a very natural amplified sound. They also have a set up for classical, which is essentially the Pure Classic with a goose-neck internal mic.

http://kksound.com/products/quantumtrinity.php

Gil, I've been interested in that one but was afraid I might get feedback or amplify noise from the other instruments when I'm in the middle of the rhythm section I play in. Do you think the mike increases the sensitivity to external sounds more than the mini by itself?