Ceramic Magnet Pickups Vs Alnico

Pickups made with alnico magnets do sound different from those made with ceramic the fact that the magnets are made with dissimilar materials u is u a variable that makes an audible difference.

Ceramic magnet pickups vs alnico.

Alnico stands for aluminum nickel and cobalt. Ceramic can get a bit plastic or sterile. Alnico v has more scooped mids and tighter in the low end. Alnico 5 has more punch but can be too crispy.

There are harsh sounding pickups with alnico magnets and sweet sounding pickups with ceramic magnets and vice versa. A lot of people automatically say that alnico is superior to ceramic in pickups. There s always a trade off even between different types of alnico. Alnico 3 sounds sweet and even but little punch.

To crown a winner in our alnico vs ceramic magnets shootout we would need a way to accurately compare the two which is not an easy task. A magnet by itself has no sound and as a part of a pickup the magnet is simply the source to provide the magnetic field for the strings. Ceramic magnets have a lower inductance since they are not metallic. Alnico has a higher inductance due to the iron content technically ferrite magnets are made from iron oxide so to generalize alnico will increase the inductance a bit and sound a bit warmer than a ceramic in the same pickup.

Provides some bite and sparkle. But it all depends on the pickup. Pickups with alnico v magnets that are voiced more aggressively than pickups with ceramic magnets and alnico ii pickups that sound totally different from other alnico ii pickups definitely exist. Alnico ii this provides the warmest tone as well as decreased dynamic range.

The important factor is the design of a magnetic circuit which establishes what magnet to use. Alnico viii is generally between ceramic and alnico v with quite a bit of magnetic pull punchy with upper mids but a little more warmth than ceramic. The result is a slightly hotter sounding pickup with more treble response. Neo is punchy but a little too hot and tough to control.

Alnico seems to be the popular favorite but on the other hand there is no shortage of popular recordings that feature ceramic. Alnico vii is in some pickups but this is rare. You often hear that the sound of a pickup is dominated by the choice of magnet used in its construction. Alnico ii is a lower output magnet that is smooth and usually has just a bit of warmth.

Alnico is nice and warm and great for blues. Alnico tends to produce a very musical pickup in most. Most magnets used in pickup production are either alnico v ii and ceramic however you will also see alnico iii. Alnico vs ceramic magnets.

Just remember that this is only one factor that goes into designing the tonal characteristics of a pickup. Ceramic magnets are made from ferrites often iron oxides. Whereas ceramic is used in metal as it sounds tight loud and cool. Magnetically speaking ceramic magnets produce a stronger field than alnico.