your experience with K&K Big Spot pickup?

I'm considering having a K&K Big Spot put into a $200, solid cedar top ukulele (Cordoba 24T) and am wondering what to expect.

I'm not willing to spend more for this; I have or have had Baggs and MiSi pickups, and realize that they are better (and are active ones). It will be either the Big Spot or nothing, unless someone can recommend something (at that price or lower) that I could have a repair guy put in.

I would be plugging in to my own Bose L1 Compact or Bose S1 -- usually via an Allen & Heath ZED mixer, and maybe into my Fishman Loudbox Mini, as well as whatever is at the occasional open mic. I have a Baggs Para D.I. that I could use if needed to influence things.

My main concern is the overall sound, and whether I'd be better off just mic-ing the uke. Thanks.

I am afraid I don't have any direct experience, but your question reminded me of this video, so I thought I would pass it along.

Hawaii Music Supply Pickup Comparison (the 5 pickups they install: Big Island Spot, K&K Twin, MiSi, LR Baggs 5.0, and Pono Pro Classic, all in the same model Pono)
https://vimeo.com/63940107

(Edit) And here is the writeup that they did at the time:
http://www.theukulelereview.com/2013/04/13/ukulele-pickups-5-great-options-compared/

Hi - this thread is for buying and selling instruments. You might have better luck getting your questions answered in the “uke talk” thread.

I had that pickup installed by HMS (Ukulele Site) when I bought a Kala Cedar top Baritone. It seems to work fine with a Fender Mustang 1(V2) Amp and even on a small battery powered amp I have hanging around. On the other hand I rarely plug in and I'm no expert on things audio.

Passive pickups, like the K&K, are liked because they give a natural sound. Being passive, they need a preamp to boost the signal. Some amps have a preamp built in so wouldn't need a stand alone preamp. I always add a volume control wheel just inside the soundhole to vary the sound between rhythm and lead runs.

I like the K&K bigtime.

I have a K& K twin spot in a concert uke - great sound, a little too "hot" (ie strong output) in my set up and tends to feedback.
I put a similar pick up in a tenor from JJB Electronics - their Prestige 220 http://jjb-electronics.com/prestige-220.html and love it. Great, natural sound, more controllable for feed back, and half the price!

Strumdaddy said:

I have a K& K twin spot in a concert uke - great sound, a little too "hot" (ie strong output) in my set up and tends to feedback.
I put a similar pick up in a tenor from JJB Electronics - their Prestige 220 http://jjb-electronics.com/prestige-220.html and love it. Great, natural sound, more controllable for feed back, and half the price!

Click to expand...

I second the recommendation for the jjb pickups. It was referred to me by a known CD recording musician that uses them even when performing.

I have a JJB dual pickup in my Cordoba 24T and it is excellent. Plenty of output.

Ralph

http://jjb-electronics.com/prestige-220.html