Hi Gary. Nice to see someone else playing through the Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge. I bought one myself in march 2020 to play gigs outside during lockdown and still to this day it's my favorite acoustic amp. It makes a fundamental good tone, it has a good natural reverb and best of all - it's super sturdy. A big plus is the D.I. output which I use to connect the Fishman to a louder PA/Active Speaker when playing bigger gigs. Greetings from Denmark.

Nice video, Gary! I've been enjoying your stuff recently. However, I think K&K gear is a little misunderstood by a lot of people. Firstly, you can run the Pure XLR on pedal power. You just need a 9v battery clip adapter (which is easily acquired and one might've even come with your voodoo labs). K&K preamps come with a small notch cut out of the sidewall where it meets the snap-on top so that you can run the cable from said adapter out. I've run a K&K Trinity preamp this way many many times with no issues. Additionally, everyone always compares active pickups (like the anthem or lyric) to the Pure Mini, which is passive, and that's really and truly apples to oranges. Active pickups already have built in preamps. This is why they often need batteries inside the guitar and weigh significantly more than a Pure Mini. The point of the Pure Mini is to keep the system minimal and lightweight with no internal batteries. The tradeoff you get is the need for some sort of external preamp or EQ. A better comparison would be the Anthem and the K&K Trinity. Both are active combination systems with a pickup and a mic. The K&K stuff has more of a learning curve, but it's really great once you've figured out how to get the most out of it.

I put A K&K Pure Mini (w/Sound Wheel) in my 2008 Martin D-28 Marquis. I ran through my Fishman amp and was a bit disappointed. I bought a Zoom A3 PreAmp and WOW! Totally an acoustic sound but amplified. Just love it.

This was a great review with playing examples! I am more a Anthem person my self like you say simple plug and play. I have another account with K&K mini but haven’t played it with a pre amp. Take care!

great demonstration, thank you Gary!

I have the fishman matrix in a martin om cherry..sounds real good but now, once again cuz of Gary Roberts, I find myself shelling out more shekels for gear I didn't know I needed! Gonna have to get an Anthem for the new om 28 md

Wow ill have to get one of those fishman amps. I have a kk and it sounds like that amp will save the day

Great playing

Having watched your offering here I think there’s a point missed. I have two fine acoustic guitars I play regularly. One I travel with and the other I record and use for my top shows. The instruments are similar to yours. My traveller is a older Taylor 510 which I installed an Anthem in. I used the Anthem because it provides a great flat sound with the option of a good dual source mic. It’s really a nice tone and sounds somewhat like the guitar. This guitar was setup with an end pin jack and did not need to be cut. My second guitar is a Martin OM18A. The guitar is a near cellular knock off of an original 1933 instrument. Even though it’s a reproduction it’s a very finely crafted light weight instrument that I did not want to damage or fill with a preamp or battery. So enter the K&K and the vintage jack option. Again no reaming was needed to instal an output jack and only the very light weight pickup is added. The guitar is extremely unique in its voice. The K&K captures the tone of the guitar as well or better in some ways than a mic. It requires a preamp and if I wanted a volume control i could have installed K&ks volume control add on and it would still have been passive. The quality and texture the K&K offers is much deeper compared to the Anthem. This is a situation where the anthem could not be installed in the Martin. To me it’s a more true representation of your guitars tone. It gives you more information than needed and you must filter the unwanted part out. For experienced players with more setup time it’s the best IMHO. That said I still really appreciate the Anthem for its excellent sound, simplicity and ease of use. These two pickup systems are not equal as there are limitations to the Anthems installation. I also have the Bose L1. Great rig. Thanks for the reverb demo. Very nice. Inspiring!

Such a great demo! God bless!

Put a James May Ultra Tonic upgrade on the k&k....kills the woof and gives you a volume knob without a battery.....it is a game changer

Are you using a Tonematch?

any suggestions for a guitar strap for my new D18? I Like the Sound of the LR Baggs ! Keep it up!

Gary I’m getting a Martin and I hear both ways. Does the LR Baggs anthem change the sound at all of the guitar when not using the preamp? I’m getting a Baggs anthem put in my guitar because sweetwater doesn’t carry the KK mini brand. Thanks and sorry if you mention this I’m messaging you before I finish your video. Hehe.

So which of the two gives you a 'broader' sound? As in, the most real acoustic tone? Great video by the way.

Does the anthem take away any tone or texture from the natural acoustic guitar tone? I play/record mostly unplugged at home but the occasional solo wedding or church service. Wondering if something more minimally invasive would be better.

Thanks for making it public. Very interesting.

So , do you think the LR bags could do well in a live setting with a band? Or stick to k&K pure

Your guitar with k&k pure is rosewood? If it were to be mahogany I think you would not need the preamp.

Which system of the two produces less feedback? could the k & k be more convenient to use to play in a band?

If I may, I'd like to add a pickup that I love and that hardly ever gets a mention. It would compete with the LR Baggs Anthem (which I'm not crazy about because of it's looks). The pickup is the Fishman Matrix Infinity Mic Blend. I have it in a few Martins and it is just the most amazing sound. I haven't tried it in a gig setting (re feedback) but if you have feedback you can adjust the blend towards the under saddle pickup. I'm very much a believer in pickups that have a microphone as well. Great video - many thanks.

do you like the anthem better than the k&k

Another video artist states the Lyric, which is basically the TruMic half of the Anthem, is a truer representative of the acoustic guitar's tone. However, they feel it is better suited for gigs where you are not competing with other loud instruments. They feel the K&K is better for that louder venue. It is less likely to feedback or pick up noise or some other instruments vibes. Would you agree?

No survivors as pickups on acoustics just all sound terrible. LOL