I just installed the full version of Kontakt 5 and the content.  (I already had the free player and cross-graded since I have some Vir 2 products.)  Since there are over 1,000 instruments included, I thought you experienced Kontakt people might point me to what you consider some of the best samples in the included content.
 
Since I already have Vienna Symphonic, Hollywood Strings, Ivory II, and some excellent guitar libraries, I may want to check out other instruments first instead of jumping right to piano, strings, and acoustic guitar as I normally would.  That said, if Kontakt has something better than what I have, I am not married to any of these libraries.
 
Any stand-outs come to mind?
 
Some things I seek, whether in Kontakt or elsewhere:
•  I could always use better basses
•  I need some good melodica and banjo samples (not together!).  (I have an excellent Vir 2 banjo but the lowest notes don't play nice with the others.)  I understand Kontakt's World folder has melodica.
•  Most pads are either too weird or have attacks that are too slow, either condition making them hard to use as filler in simple ballads.
•  I like using alternate but non-electronic sounds in place of snares for strong backbeats.
•  I can never find a tambourine sample with the full, jangly sustain of the real thing.  (In real life, I would normally hand the player two tambourines to hit at the same time.)
• Handclaps, which should be a simple thing to sample, usually sound like someone slapping two pieces of wood together.
 
Thanks from The Mighty Konrad
 
 
PS A long time ago I bought a pedal steel sample library.  I thought it would work with the free Kontakt player, but it wouldn't. (I considered the company's ad misleading, but maybe it was my fault for not understanding.) I am looking forward to using the pedal steel at last.  I was able to demo the product in the free player and it is incredibly good, though complex. 

I really like the concert grand piano. Over all it has in my view top sounds throughout. 

Strings are good. Horns are good. It is my goto sampler. I also have GPO which I like very much as well. I am not crazy about the guitars though. 

I use hand claps from Battery 3, sorry.

For Kontakt 5 pianos, I went retro.  I happened to have had the Komplete software, beginning with version 3 on up to the current 8 ultimate.

I mention that because when NI got rid of Akoustik Piano by rolling it into Kontakt 4, they did not include all of the pianos, and my absolute favorite one was one that had sampled overtones from someone named Oliver, or something like that.  If you played and held notes, you could literally hear the overtones moving up in the most natural sounding manner I have ever heard from a sampled piano.

So, I have maintained keeping the Akoustik Piano sample libraries - the 24-bit samples, all the way up through current, and I just add those libraries to Kontakt 5 after installing it, and I can then access that piano and the others that hadn't made the journey into Kontakt when they nuked Akoustik Piano.

I LOVE the Je T'aime organ sound as my go to Tony Banks sort of organ tone - it is FABULOUS.

Kontakt 5 is DEFINITELY my go to sample player - I even used Kontakt (version 4 actually) to build the opening clocks and bells from scratch for the beginning of Pink Floyd's 'Time', so that I could play that out live with my band.  I did the same thing for the cash registers and money clinking sounds from the beginning of Floyd's 'Money', again built from scratch.

I really like the Rhodes sounds, some of the strings sounds, that Je T'aime organ, and the Classic Bass sound.  I guess those would be my favorites.

Bob Bone

Thanks, guys.  Looking now.

Hey, dumb question:  I had the free Kontakt 5 player before.  When I open Kontakt now and see the content, how do I know if I am in the free or full player?

Konradh, Just a suggestion which you might not like, but I'm just throwing it out there since it's something I've found useful... Between Dimension Pro, Rapture, Z3TA+2, DSF add-ins to all that, and Kontakt 5 with its wealth of sounds I found it hard to keep track of the sounds that I liked and remember them in some way. So I ended up making a spreadsheet that contains a few columns and tells me which one of each of those, and the way to get back to the sound, and then a column that describes the sound in some way, like "sounds like the Cars" or whatever comes to mind. I cataloged them as I toured through, and now if I'm looking for a "Cars" sound, I can pull out the several potentials from each of those separate collections. It's the only thing that's kept me sane, other than the sheer enjoyment of the sounds. Probably too much effort, but I did it and I've found it's saved me effort as a result.

Konradh, Kontakt is my go to VSTi also. To determine what version you are running click on Kontakt that is under the file and help drop downs.
I use Shakers and Tambourines http://noisefirm.com/product/complete-shaker-tamb/  for those instruments. They sound very realistic if you use the midi files that come with it.
 
I hope this helps and good luck!