K&K Pure Mini Vs. Journey Instruments Piezo Pickup

Same guitar, same strings, same pick, same player, same room. Hopefully as fair a comparison as you can get between the K&K Pure Mini and Journey Instruments Piezo Pickups. NOT SPONSORED EITHER.

K&K Pure Mini
Journey Instruments

0:00 Intro
1:10 Finger Picking
3:39 Open Chords
5:30 Palm Muting
6:21 AB Reveal

[robcallahan]

Perhaps the best comparison video l've seen anywhere. Was debating which one to get. Saw your video and ordered the Journey for my Guild. Thank you!

[mercer]

Really useful comparison, just what I needed. Thanks!

[humminglake]

I can't tell you how helpful this sonic comparison was. I've installed both and found the same thing. I immediately knew which one was which. But hearing you just play with quick comparisons was what "made the sale". Thanks for your effort!!!

[thomasszejnmann]

THIS is the best way to make comparisons!

[raipramana]

Thanks for using the same guitar in the test 👍🏾

[humminglake]

Hey... Great review and comparison. I did pick out the order. The mic was immediately obvious. I can't tell you how helpful this video will be! thanks for uploading 🙂

[waynzwhirled]

Very well done! Thank you. I liked "A" best and assumed that it was the Pure Mini. I assumed that "B" was the Journey. I'm glad I got them backwards because I installed the Journey system in three of my guitars. I actually liked "A" more than the mic ("C").

[fuzzyfuzzwuz]

FANTASTIC comparison - this takes a lot of work to install the same pickup on the same guitar to do a comp. We appreciate it! Funny enough, I liked the K&K a lot better. However, I'm listening on proper speakers with balanced bass response so maybe I'm hearing more than others.

[deveauxgauger]

Thanks for taking the time to setup and record this test. About as unbiased as it can be. I also ended up preferring the Journey over the K&K, and I’ve been using K&K for a long time.
I know that guitars, pickups, and personal preference mixed together provide room for subjective evaluation, but this is reduces the variables to the human ear, so as objective as can be had.

My intent was to replace the K&K with the Journey on my Guild F40 Valencia. Ran into a problem that the luthier that installed the K&K used the incorrect glue and would be nearly impossible to remove. The cost for all the labor to remove and install didn’t seem worth it for the benefits.

So I replaced the Schatten HFN pickup in my Guild D30 with the Journey. The Journey was a noticeable improvement for warmth and balance. More true to guitar’s acoustic tone. I always had to use a LR Baggs Align EQ with the HFN, and with the Journey I only need to make a few tweaks on the PA channel EQ and sounds great. I sold the EQ pedal.


I also have a Journey travel guitar with the same pickups. One thing that I noticed is in both the Journey guitar and Guild D30 with the Journey pickups, the high E string isn’t as prominent as the other strings. I checked the D30 install and placement is spot on per Journey install guide.
I use the LR Baggs Align Session pedal to lightly compress the input, and that does the trick.

I also prefer the simplicity of passive pickups for gigging and the Journey is all I need for solid live performance sound.
I was somewhat skeptical because the Journey is half the price of K&K and a third the price of the Schatten. I’ve been using it for around 4 months now an has worked wonderfully.

Thanks again!!

[jonathanbeny]

thanks a lot for this! I've been mulling over which one to get for months. I REALLY didn't want to go cheap on the journey incase I regretted it

[manguitarletsgo]

This is a very helpful comparison. I'd like to hear these pickups compared against a) a decent undersaddle piezo and b) a decent magnetic pickup.

[robotusa]

I just stumbled on a video comparing the Journey to a Baggs. The Journey won. Then I searched for a K&K comparison to the Journey and found yours and another. First, great job, second I picked A all the way through. I am surprised, but pleased. The Journey won in the other K&K comparison vid also.

[hbrmetal]

God bless you for stopping by with this comment, and may your entire family prosper in every aspect

[ogitanguyen]

Thanks for an great comparison!!! When listening to A first, I found it great. Then listening to B, it sounds kind of the same but with more HF. Then C is very full frequency with room ambiance - it's clearly the most authentic. Listing more to compare A and B, it became very clear to my ears that B is actually significantly fuller in the frequency range. So C first (best), B second, and A third.

[jamesm]

First off - Thank You for the A B C blind test. I think you had it dead on, had I known which was which, I may have gone K&K out of bias.
The Journey was my "eyes closed" pick. I have been thinking of adding a pickup to my parlor guitar - my choice is now made - ordering a Journey.
Cheers and again - Thank You

[assessorjohn]

Great review/test, thank you. My personal preference was C, just the mic, although A and C together was nice too.

[SeriousASMR]

I just installed a journey pickup and it sounds beautiful. Do you think it could be also affected by the way you install it and how much glue you used and the location it was glue that and even whether or not glue was used or just double-sided tape because I heard glue is going to provide the best sound

[sponseredskater]

Hey brother, how were both your pickups installed? What solution was used for them to be attached internally?

[JosephAlanMeador]

Thanks for this comparison. To my ears, on a cheap bluetooth speaker I might add, the Journeytek sounded warmer and more natural. While the K&K was perhaps a bit brighter, and I could see what you said about it also being "quackier". These Journeytek pickups are killing it at that price especially!

[raulands]

Great video, very helpful. Could a preamp make A sound closer to C?