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K&K Sound - Double Helix Magnetic Soundhole Pickup + Dual Channel Preamp
€414.02
€331.22
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NEW! Passive Magnetic Pickup for acoustic steel-string guitar. + Dual Channel Preamp
To be mounted in the soundhole.
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The Double Helix
K&K Sound is proud to announce the launch of its first-ever magnetic soundhole pickup, the Double Helix! The Double Helix is a hum-cancelling, dual-coil pickup for steel-string acoustic guitars. It features a phase switch and a unique tone switch that allows players to easily change from a bright “GLOSS” setting to a more substantial “STEAM” setting.
When we developed the Double Helix, the major requirement was that it should work both on its own and in combination with the Pure Pickup in a way that would enhance the final tone. The Double Helix features two switches, which are easily accessible even during play. One switch is for the phase, and the second switch is for tone.
The phase switch allows the player to adjust the phase of the pickup, so the Double Helix will harmonize with any existing pickup already in the guitar. The tone switch allows the player to choose from two settings: GLOSS, a fine and bright tone that sounds very acoustic, and STEAM, a more substantial and louder tone generally associated with soundhole pickups. Both tone settings are hum cancelling.
In the GLOSS setting, the Double Helix enhances the Pure Pickup’s tone with a light “shimmer” in the high end and a beautiful warm midrange. This combination features a “compression-like” tone that rivals studio recordings. The STEAM setting provides a much more substantial tone, louder, bigger and with superb feedback rejection. It is great if you need to bring the guitar up front in a mix.
The Double Helix can be used as a stand-alone pickup for players who want a simple setup and a plug-and-play amplification solution. Even so, the Double Helix is a top-of-the-line solution that delivers K&K’s signature quality and sound. The tone switch will be an eye opener for players who have used other soundhole pickups. Having a setting for strumming (GLOSS) and another one for melody lines (STEAM) is almost like having a "Les Paul" with two pickups, one for "rhythm" and one for "lead"! All this is done in purely passive fashion, no battery or electronic circuit inside the guitar is needed!
For players who swear by the Pure Pickup, the Double Helix will be a welcome addition to their setup. This combination will achieve what was so difficult to do: to enhance the already great sound of the Pure Pickup!
Option: Gold-plated strap nut
If it should look something noble, the Pickup can also be supplied with a gold-plated strap nut. Simply add this option to your basket.
Available as:
- Double Helix Solo
- Double Helix/Pure Mini Combination System: With Pure Mini and 2-channel external preamp to control the balance, EQ, and volume
- Double Helix Upgrade System: Upgrade from an existing Pure Mini
Technical notes on the Double Helix and magnetic pickups [»] show/hide
The Double Helix has two coils, so it is hum-canceling. However, the Double Helix is unique because the second coil isn’t just there to remove the noise, it actually allows you to dial in different coil combinations, resulting in different tone and phase settings. It’s the first soundhole pickup that has both a built-in tone switch and the phase switch.
The GLOSS setting produces a bright and lively tone like a single-coil pickup, with the added bonus of being hum-canceling. The STEAM setting has a much more substantial and louder tone that is usually associated with hum-cancelling soundhole pickups. The phase switch allows you to connect the Double Helix to any existing pickup in your guitar and ensures it resonates in the same phase. Without the phase switch, the chance of being out of phase with the other pickup is 50/50. The resulting combined tone will be much weaker if the phase would not match.
One current trend for magnetic pickups is to build smaller pickups using high-performance magnets to kick out as much volume as possible. Of course, we want the pickup to be small, but we think it’s more important to balance the components within the pickup. The size of the coils and the strength of magnets need to work in concert to get the best tone. Some current magnetic soundhole pickups also use a built-in preamp or an endpin jack preamp to process the sound and therefore require a battery inside the guitar. The Double Helix is totally passive and does not require a battery.
There are some magnetic soundhole pickups that claim to be “body sensitive” which means they are purposely made "microphonic". While a microphonic pickup does pick up a portion of the material it is mounted to, the more important question is, is this microphonic sound desirable? In our opinion, if you want a body sensitive pickup, use a pickup that’s designed for this application and is placed so that it perfectly picks up the body sounds you actually want. A soundhole pickup is not well-suited for this purpose, and we recommend using a combination system like the Double Helix and Pure Pickup, to really get the best of both worlds.
Building a magnetic pickup is a science in itself and there are many factors that come into play: how the coils are wound, how carefully they are wound, the exact strength of the magnets, and the amount of care taken during assembly. Achieving the most consistent and effective results requires careful measurement of the components to ensure that only matching sets go into one pickup and that all numbers are within our tight specifications. We supply a certificate with these numbers for each individual Double Helix pickup.
What else?
Here you will find reviews and customer reviews directly on the manufacturers website. On request we can also provide a test of the "Akustik Gitarre" in German.
Click here to be a great help / FAQ file open (in English) about the K&K products.
Under the "Download" tab you will find the installation instructions in English.
We gladly provide you with a German installation instructions according to EU standard available.
Listen to sound samples on the manufacturer's website at.
On YouTube you can find more sound samples, and installation instructions .
K&K Pickups are RoHS compliant. Piezoceramic is officially excluded.In the manufacture of ceramics, lead is used as it unfortunately currently there is no functional substitute. The lead is incorporated in the ceramic, and is sealed on both sides by a silver electrode. The ceramics is mounted on a solid brass plate. From above it is provided with a plastic seal, so that the lead is so hermetically sealed completely and makes contact with the skin makes it impossible. Damage to the Pickup, because you could come in contact with lead. We are WEEE conform and wear exclusively for K&K products throughout Europe, the responsibility of WEEE.
DoubleHelixUpgrade
Data sheet
- Mounting:
- internal
- Power supply:
- not neccessary
- Equalizer:
- included, internal
- Phase switch:
- not available
- Uprade:
- Instrumente
- Stahlsaiten-Gitarren (Western). Auch für Gitarren ohne Bridgepins (z.B. Lowden)
- Anschluss:
- Anschluss an einen Akustikgitarrenverstärker, Mischpult, Vorverstärker oder DI-Box.
- Anschlusstyp:
- Klinke, 6,35 mm Stereo, Verdrahtung in Reihenfolge der Größe der Lötfahnen: Tonabnehmer / (optionaler) 2. Tonabnehmer / optionale Stromversorgung (nicht erforderlich) / Masse des Tonabnehmers
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NEW! Passive Magnetic Pickup for acoustic steel-string guitar. + Dual Channel Preamp
To be mounted in the soundhole.