K&K Mini with built in preamp?

[Dave Richard]

Hi: I've installed numerous K&K Mini p/ups, all the basic model. Great pickup, and I usually use an external preamp with the K&K. Now, a customer is asking about a K&K with the built-in, inside-the-guitar-body version. Can anyone comment on how well they work, and how they sound? Are they worth it? And, does anyone have experience with the K&K with the built-in 'phase shifter'?

[Mike Cornwall]

To me one of the biggest practical upsides of that pickup is not having a bunch of stuff banging around in the guitar, especially because most of my friends fly a lot with their guitars and taking out the heavy brace-ruining 9volt is just too much for them. Doesn’t seem too hard to pull the guts out of a preamp and put them in the guitar, but it seems like a bummer.