Gearank

The K&K Pure Classic is a "transducer only" pickup installed in the interior of the guitar below the bridge.

Unlike other transducer designs, the Pure Classic's transducers are designed specifically for the timbre and tonality of nylon/classical acoustic guitars.

Key Features

• Type: Transducer/Contact
• Required Mods: Superglue to body/double sided tape (optional)
• Installation Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
• Controls: None

Pros

Natural sound and good output were positives repeated by several user reviews. From user submitted sound clips, the tonality of nylon stringed guitars have an almost miked-up quality. According to some users, it isn't brittle like most undersaddle units and it isn't boomy like soundboard transducer designs. Other positives were from the Pure Classic not needing any batteries to function. Supergluing the transducers also provided enough output to bypass the need for a preamp.

Cons

Installation proved to be difficult. Many reviewers suggested they go to a trained luthier for installation. Using the double sided tape installation method also reduces the output by 30% according to the manufacturer and it has been confirmed by some users. Since the pickup has no controls, the resulting sound will only be as good as the instrument.

Overall

If you want your great sounding classical guitar to be able to output to the P.A. and don't mind some minor modifications, the Pure Classic by K&K is a great pick.

Although this was previously on our recommended list there are more highly rated options available which you can see in our guide to The Best Acoustic Guitar Pickups - Active & Passive.