K&K Mandolin Twin Internal

This pickup produces some of the most wonderful sound from my mandolin. I am extremely pleased! I am a huge fan of acoustic music, when amplified, being just as warm and natural sounding as when it is not amplified. K & K has achieved that and more at a very reasonable price. You can pay much more for pickups, but I've never heard a better sound from a mandolin except when using a $2000 acoustic microphone.The tones of the K&K are very natural across the entire range of the instrument. No distortion, no ringing, no buzzing, and yet it is very sensitive. Some musicians do not like to hear the amplified sound of their fingers sliding up or down the wound strings. In fact, when using a microphone, they'll often point the mic directly on the sound holes to try to filter the sliding sounds out. But I find this to be a beautiful part of the natural sound of playing, as long as it isn't overpowering and distracting to the music. That is exactly what this pickup provides. Just the beautiful tones of the mandolin -- only louder.That being said, your tastes may vary, in which case you may want to consider pairing a multi-band equalizer with this to adjust the tonal response to your own liking.In my opinion, you simply cannot go wrong with this pickup, especially for the money.It is a bit challenging to install, so if you haven't done any similar installations previously, and before doing so on a really prized instrument, you might try it on a beater, or hire a luthier to do the installation. There are YT videos available for the particulars, but I don't agree with every detail on any of them. My friend, who is a luthier, did my installation (I was too nervous). When we took the strap button off, we found the hole was slightly off-center with the hole in the tailpiece. So he left the tailpiece and strings on and used a self-centering drill bit to drill through the tailpiece, through the shell, and through the tail-block. Make sure your bit is the exact size recommended by K&K. You don't want it a sloppy fit. Before drilling, my friend measured to ensure the tail-block was long enough to accommodate the length of the pickup jack shaft. He then also measured carefully to set the exact length of the jack that he wanted to protrude on the outside, and then set that length with the inner nut on the jack shaft before inserting the pickup assembly through the 'f' hole.We had a bit of trouble getting the actual piezo pickups (there are two) to adhere to the underside of the mandolin top. We used both the double-sided tape included with the pickup and a small drop of superglue, as recommended in the very detailed instructions that came with the pickup. The issue is that the top is not truly flat but has a slight arch in it -- it's a Japanese manufactured copy of the Gibson F5. My only comment is that you should make sure you use quick-setting GEL superglue, and be prepared to hold the pickup in place -- without any jostling -- for a full, tedious 3 minutes, minimum.Once installed, the pickup is entirely invisible from the outside. It's really a wonderful piece of equipment!

I followed instructional video on YouTube & installed this myself. My Northfield Big Mon sounds great through my preamp. Just need to take your time and be very careful not to scratch the instrument. Note: don’t use too much putty on the bent nail installation tool when you glue the transducers inside the mandolin - it only takes a dab. Otherwise it wont turn loose.

I initially tried the Myers Grip with 3" Gooseneck only to experience feedback. While those pickups (it's actually a mic) sound very good and natural, feedback is something that may be an issue for some folks. When using the Myers in a setting where the user needs to be loud, there is a limit to the volume before feedback starts.If you are in need of a pickup system that allows the user to get loud, and sound very natural, the K&K is the one to get. I purchased the K&K Mandolin Twin Internal for my application and it ROCKS!Additionally, I purchased the LR Baggs GigPro pre-amp and I use that to shape the sound of the K&K in my mandolin. It has Bass, Treble, Trim and a Volume knob, which is very helpful when going straight into the PA via D.I. box.I also use a Marshall AS50D acoustic amp, which could replace the pre-amp, but the Volume knob on the pre-amp is very helpful when playing on stage during live settings.I do want to stress that the tone of the K&K is very good. When using the Myers pickup (mic), I would put the mic inside the F-hole on the mando, but it seemed to amplify the hollowness of the instrument, which in turn ended up resulting in feedback when attempting to reach my desired volume level. Additionally, I could not seem to find the 'sweet spot' position for the Myer's -- either I would get strong bass tones, which left the high side lacking, or I would get a very thin bass sound when moving the mic around.With the K&K, that does not occur. The sound of the K&K is very natural and projects the bass and treble sides perfectly. I have noticed that with other types of acoustic guitar pickups, you might get a good bass sound, but the treble strings are very weak. Not with the K&K tho!This dual, internal pickup is awesome!

I should have known better when my very experienced luthier, who has installed pickups in several of my guitars, said he would not be interested in installing this. So I tried. Dumb. Should have known better when the "installation tool" is a bent nail. Three stars because I know K&K makes good products. Does anyone know how to get drops of Crazy Glue off of a mandolin?

Installed this pickup on my Eastman E20D and it's very natural sounding as an acoustic pickup. It picks up both the highs and lows very well.

Stick on pick ups proved too noisy. I heard every bump and rob on the body of my mando. So I thought I'd give the K&K a try. An A style Big Muddy.Instructions were good. With time and quiet anyone with basic woodworking skills can handle. I use a reamer from harbor freight. All turned out ok. And sounds good too. wouldn't recommend you fit into an old Gibson but if your mando is basic and you wanna electrify it, this'll do it.