Krivo Nuevo Petite Bouche Single Coil Gypsy Jazz Guitar Pickup

This was a pleasant surprise... a game changer in fact. I received the pickup on a Friday and was immediately able to confidently gig with it that night. My upright and violinist were blown away with how great the tone was. Vintage in tone and punchy! It still sounds like my gypsy guitar though so the comping was still in place. The feedback control is perfect, the balance is great and the putty used to mount works very well. I have a D-hole so I was scared it would be too for back but the low profile and smooth edges allow this to go unnoticed. I played though a warm DV Mark Jazz 12" and a fishman preamp. The fishman isn't completely necessary, I used it primarily for the control of the mid-range. The mid turned up gives it a vintage tone that breaks up very tastefully and when I roll it back will allow for a good natural acoustic tone. Best $170 I've spent.

Submitted by: Adam on 03/06/2017 06:06:08 AM

When Gypsy-jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt went electric in the years after World War II, he was a little late to the game. With their electrified archtops, American jazz guitarists such as Charlie Christian and Oscar Moore had been swimming in that pool for ten years by the time the world famous Gitane guitarist added a pickup and amplifier to his favorite Selmer Modèle Jazz guitar. Adding a magnetic pickup to his famous acoustic guitar, Reinhardt began playing solo lines that took his playing someplace totally new, and it continued evolving until his death in 1953. His tone wasn?t like anyone else?s. But for fans who wanted that singing, sometimes slightly distorted sound, tracking down the original Stimer magnetic pickups that Reinhardt used was all but impossible. Reissues closely copying the originals are available, but can be cost-prohibitive for some Gypsy-style guitarists. That?s where Jason ?Krivo? Flores steps into the picture. He balked at spending the money he was making as a touring Gypsy-jazz guitarist and upright bassist on magnetic pickups, so out of necessity he decided to make his own. As he improved his designs, his one-man shop in Portland, Oregon, started filling orders from players. Fast-forward a couple of years and his handsome Krivo Nuevo Single Coil and Django Bucker pickups have developed a strong following and a good reputation among Manouche-style jazz guitarists. Each Krivo pickup model features neodymium magnets and is made with reclaimed wood covers, which add a handsome touch. Though not technically hand-wound, the pickups are hand-built?Flores uses a hand-guided Schatten winder to ?scatter wind? the 44 AWG wire onto each coil in a particular pattern. The pickups also each feature high-quality Mogami cable and Switchcraft connectors? Flores doesn?t offer mini-jacks or volume knobs, which he says not only increase costs and labor, but also noticeably degrade the signal path and color the sound. The pickups are easy to attach and easy to remove, using two lentil-sized dollops of sticky blue putty. Before you gasp and turn your head away in disgust at the thought of damaging your guitar?s finish, it?s OK?people have been using this method to affix pickups to guitars for a long time. It?s a convenient way to attach a pickup securely and it?s non-invasive. At its worst, I only needed to gently wipe off any residue from my Gitane DG-250 with a soft towel. As a narrow-profile humbucking pickup, the Django Bucker is the more innovative design of the two. While it cuts the 60-cycle hum that?s a part of every single-coil pickup, the Django Bucker isn?t made like a traditional dual-coil humbucker. To keep weight and size down, the Django Bucker instead uses two small singlecoils in the same housing, wired like a humbucker to eliminate the background hum. The Django Bucker also has adjustable pole pieces, so you can balance the string-to-string volume to your liking. (Mine came with a small Allen wrench to make adjustments.) The single-coil Nuevo is closer in concept and tone to the pickups that Reinhardt himself used and has a narrower profile than the Django, so it takes up a little less right-hand real estate. The pearl dot inlaid into the wood cover helps you align the Nuevo under the B string. TRIED & TRUE I tested both pickups through a few different amps, including modern acoustic-centric amps, like a Fishman Loudbox 100, and a mid-?70s Fender Princeton Reverb, a 12-watt tube amp that?s closer to the 12-watt Stimer amps used by Reinhardt and his contemporaries. Tonally, both pickups are closer to each other than you might expect from such different designs. Both models sing and have a fantastic dynamic range, in part because of Krivo?s ?optimized microphonics? concept. To maximize the pickups? sensitivity and tone, Krivo wanted them to be slightly microphonic. The thought is that it should suit most situations in which Gypsy-jazzstyle guitarists will perform, given that these won?t normally be used in large venues where a slightly microphonic pickup could be a problem. Playing the Nuevo or the Djang Bucker lightly, I was able to get a pleasant, round tone with both warmth and a slightly zingy bite. Digging in a little harder, I was able to drive my amp to get a little grit, which sounded more authentically like Reinhardt?s overdriven late- ?40s/early-?50s recordings. Its inspiring sound will also cut through your band. The tone of the Nuevo and the Django Bucker was nearly the same, but the Django had a slightly thicker midrange and the sort of quiet operation I expect from a humbucker. Another benefit of this slim, removable design is that I could easily experiment with different pickup locations. Even small adjustments of under a ¼-inch could make a big difference in my tone?s chime and punch. My favorite sound was when I placed the pickups near the end of the fingerboard, where it seemed to pick up most of the guitar?s magic and stayed out of my right hand?s way as I played single-note lines and rhythm comps. Still, there was much to be said for trying out other locations. By moving it closer to the bridge, I could capture a more biting tone, which can be just what you need for a live performance, or a more unique personal sound. After weeks of playing with both pickups, I figured that one of them would edge out as a favorite, but both call to me. I love the glassy clarity and slightly more authentic ?electric Django? sound of the single-coil pickup, but I also love the Django Bucker?s quietness and slightly thicker tone. If you told me I could own only one, I?d just close my eyes and grab one. I would be happy either way, but at these prices, it?s not unreasonable to seriously consider owning both of the handmade, boutique pickups. At least that?s what I keep telling myself. They?re both marvelous, not only for players of Gypsy jazz, but for any player looking for a good magnetic pickup for an acoustic guitar.

Submitted by: Greg on 04/28/2016 12:24:47 PM

This pickup is a beautiful sight on my guitar, which is an older john jorgenson model. I have used it primarily with a fender hot rod deluxe, and some with a fishman loudbox mini. Using the fishman this pickup can achieve tones ranging from a decent maurice ferret impression, to an almost acoustic tone. If anyone has watched Angelo Debarres 'swing guitarmakers' video, he produces a very clear and bright tone through his magnetic pickup, which sounds similar to the krivo through an acoustic amp. (To my ears) Some people find that sound too bright, i would much rather have too much brightness then not enough. Through the tube amp, and empress paraeq the tone is fat and reminiscent of Samson Schmitt, and with the right gain levels will start sounding like 1952 Django. One funny thing that occurred at a gig i sat in on... There was no room on the band stand for my amp so i just patched into the other guitarists fender tube amp. He was using an ES-175 and i have the krivo. With my channels treble knob at about 50 percent our tones were incredibly similar. Pretty much you couldn't tell who was who unless you looked. Even the bassist noticed and said something about it. I prefer my selmer style guitar to my archtop, and am very thankful that this pickup adds so much versatility to it, i can carry the krivo and Pro-70 and be ready for any gig situation, weather its gypsy swing or straight ahead jazz. Its a great value, cheap price for a finely crafted item. I would not even consider one of the $300+ magnetic pickups now that i know how good the Krivo is.

Submitted by: Jazzmillions on 02/11/2016 09:45:41 AM

It is beautifully thin, the lovely wood cover matches the back and sides of my guitar (it would look nice on any guitar), the cable and jack are of good quality, the construction is bulletproof, the putty (which I had my doubts about) hold the pickup so firmly on the guitar I had to work to pry it off again, the string-to-string balance with Argentine strings is perfect, as good as the finely, obsessively adjusted pickups on my electric guitars ... ... what else matters? Oh, the sound! Well, the sound is clear and detailed and absolutely captures the character of the guitar. The electric tone is complex and interesting, satisfying in a way that only a few vintage pickups I have heard could match. And there is plenty of level, which gives the pickup terrific dynamic range and all the touch-sensitivity that I can handle. It is also remarkably quiet. Full disclosure - I play it through a vintage-style tube amp, and I don't actually care that much to achieve a precise rendering of pure acoustic tone - I just want a clean, clear sound that I can work with, something simple and versatile. This pickup gives me more than that - and nothing that I don't want. It has one detail that I was happily surprised to learn, that no-one seems to have mentioned: there is a tiny dot inlaid into the top of the pickup - I had to stare at mine for several minutes before I found that dot, but it's there - the purpose of which is to aid in aligning the magnets with the strings. The dot goes directly under the second string. A very nice, professional touch. Why don't they all have that?

Submitted by: Appel on 08/14/2015 11:11:21 PM

Pros: Amazing Sound!

Cons: None

Longtime readers of Just Jazz Guitar will remember my article in the May 2008 issue (Number 55) on amplifying the Gypsy jazz guitar. At that time the only magnetic pickups available were the vintage Stimer pickups and the Stimer reissues made by Dupont Guitars of Cognac France. While in theory a magnetic pickup is the most gig friendly and least guitar invasive choice, those 2008 choices had issues. They were unbalanced (the B string was particularly hot), expensive for Americans due to the dollar/euro exchange rate and did not fit on many Gypsy jazz guitars due to insufficient clearance between the top and the strings. Since 2008 a few European makers (Miller of Switzerland, etc.) have solved the balance problem by using separate magnets for each string, but the expense and clearance issues have remained. That has now changed! A true testament to American ingenuity, Jason Krivo Flores has developed two magnetic pickups for Gypsy jazz guitars that are affordable, fit almost all Gypsy jazz guitars out there and sound great. Krivo felt the cost of the European pickups was prohibitive for a working musician such as himself (they cost $350 plus) and decided to make his own. By the time he came up with one that worked for his needs, he had invested $500 (oops) and so he decided to build them for others to recoup his investment. Over the last few years, he has built and marketed several different models, always using feedback from the musicians that bought his pickups to refine his models. His is a one person operation. To date he has sold hundreds of pickups. Today he markets three pickups, one for acoustic bass and two for the Gypsy jazz guitar, the Nuevo a single coil model and the Djangobucker the only humbucking pickup made for the Gypsy jazz guitar. Both models are attached to guitars top with finish friendly putty (supplied with each pickup, along with very detailed instructions on how to mount and use them). Both models have attached cables with standard guitar jacks. He uses the best components, Neodymium magnets, Switchcraft connectors, single forvmar magnet wire instead of the typical poly-nylon and super high quality Mogami cable. The pickups are covered with an attractive wood finish. To keep as much acoustic tone as possible, he does not pot the pickups so they are slightly microphonic. This way soundboard vibrations are added to the string vibrations in the amplified sound. His work is guaranteed (for one year) and he offers a no questions money back refund. How do they sound and how do they work in the real world of the gig I tested both pickups on a variety of Gypsy jazz guitars, both oval hole models and D hole models. Clearance on the Nuevo is superb. I doubt there is a Gypsy Jazz guitar out there that this pickup wont fit. The Djangobucker is a bit thicker. It is slimmer than the European pickups, but may not fit on a few Gypsy jazz guitars, especially some of the Asian imports that have a low neck angle. Both pickups have excellent gain and are capable of providing feedback free performance in most situations where one would gig with a Gypsy jazz guitar. There is some noise in certain rooms with the single coil Nuevo (all single coil pickups have this occasional flaw), but in my experience gigging with the Nuevo it is a rare occurrence. Sonically, the Nuevo has a P-90 sound (The European pickups have a more Dearmond sound). The Djangobucker is a warmer sound (it is a humbucker for sure!) and has the added benefit of adjustable polepieces. If your Gypsy jazz guitar is dark, you will prefer the Nuevo, if your guitar is bright, the Djangobucker will take off the harsh edge. I like them both, and while I do prefer the sound of the Djangobucker, I will keep a Nuevo for those venues where a bit of brightness is called for (some rooms are just plain muddy sounding, no matter how much you EQ the amp). These pickups work well with tube amps, solid state amps and dedicated Acoustic" amps. All in all, these pickups are a great product at a great price and are highly recommended. (Some may want to modify these pickups with volume knobs or removable cables, doing so should be easy and inexpensive.) The author of this review is the founder and bandleader of Hot Club Pacific (www.hotclubpacific.com), one of the longest running Gypsy Jazz ensembles in North America.

Submitted by: Marc Schwartz on 07/31/2014 12:48:00 PM

Great sounding pickup. I've tried the DPA mike through an AER amp but feedback is always an issue. going through this amp gets a very nice sound, not overly bright and none of the piezo quack. I think it's a bargain for what it does, and it looks good too.

Submitted by: JK on 07/15/2014 07:58:23 AM

I am amazed! I just inaugurated the Krivo Nuevo pickup last night at a gig playing my amplified John Jorgenson gypsy jazz guitar in a duo with a grand piano ---- the balance was fabulous. The sound production was outstanding, the tone was full, and the single notes hung in the air for quite a while, as did the chords. I expected a lot when I ordered the Krivo pickup, and I got more than I hoped for. A fine product!

Submitted by: Zorro on 03/21/2014 08:37:32 PM

Pros: Well made, durable, feedback resistant, does everything that it's supposed to.

Cons: Does not sound good.

I received this pickup a few months ago and was quite excited to try it out. After an hour of playing with it, however, the excitement faded. The sound that this pickup produces is clean, but far too uncharacteristic of the gypsy style to be practical. The fact that this pickup is single coiled gets a twang that sounds more like a Strat than a Selmer. I've experimented with various settings, amps, and effects, and nothing has masked this. Both a convincing acoustic sound and vintage electric sound are impossible with the Krivo. On the plus side, it's extremely feedback resistant and the craftsmanship is superb. I would only use this pickup if the atmosphere was too loud for my Audio Tech Pro70. Until then, it'll sit in the case unused.

Submitted by: Maximus Volumus on 02/08/2013 03:17:07 PM

Pros: Reasonable price, easy to install and remove, looks good, sounds terrific.

Cons: None.

I ordered the Krivo pickup with overnight shipping (thank you Michael!) so I could get it in time to play a gig tonight. It landed in my mailbox this afternoon, I threw it in my gig bag, went to the gig, and stuck it on my guitar right before starting to play for a huge crowd at a wine tasting benefit function (loud crowd). I ran it through my Ernie Ball volume pedal and into a channel on my Shertler Unico, and plugged my Bigtone pickup into another channel (as usual), set the eq flat and cranked it up. With the volumn pedal I was able to A/B the Krivo vs the Bigtone. The Krivo sounded amazing, and it did exactly what I was hoping for. The Bigtone is real good for low volume playing, realistically amplifying the acoustic sound. But turn it up, and you get all kinds of problems - including feedback. I bought the Krivo because I wanted a sound that would cut through a loud crowd, and it did that perfectly. It provides a very good (as good as the Bigtone) acoustic sound at a low volume, but crank it up and be amazed. Totally balanced, clear, and no feedback! And it has a nice warm, vintatge P90 single coil sound in the higher registers. I don't know how long these have been out, but I predict a great future for this pickup. It is everything you would want it an electric Gypsy Jazz sound without the sqawk of the old Stimer sound.

Submitted by: dfellman on 12/14/2012 12:36:18 AM

Easy to install, well built, very clear sound, picks up very well with good balance on each string. Very happy with this purchase.

Submitted by: Manouche on 02/11/2012 08:37:02 PM

Even though it's a magnetic pickup, it still has reasonable acoustic properties and easily beats your typical squeaking and quacking piezo fed straight into the amp.

Submitted by: combat on 08/13/2011 06:05:51 PM