Ceramic Vs Alnico Magnets Pickups

Today i compare alnico ii iii iv v viii and a ceramic v.

Ceramic vs alnico magnets pickups. Alnico vs ceramic magnets. Alnico vs ceramic pickups if you re into guitar or bass guitar pickups and mods you probably hear the words alnico and ceramic a lot call us today. Alnico you often hear that the sound of a pickup is dominated by the choice of magnet used in its construction. What s the difference between ceramic alnico magnet pickups.

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. Alnico is nice and warm and great for blues. You see ceramic is easier to come by than alnico making it a cheaper magnet to make. As a guitar pickup magnet it s lows are soft and bouncy mids are generally warm and full and highs are glassy.

Ceramic magnets ceramic magnets are made of ceramic surprise. By some players the ceramic magnets are given a bad reputation when compared to alnico which is probably due to their association with cheaper instruments. The result is a slightly hotter sounding pickup with more treble response. Alnico 3 is the weakest of the alnico magnets and has the lowest amount of string pull in a bar magnet.

Alnico seems to be the popular favorite but on the other hand there is no shortage of popular recordings that feature ceramic. Ceramic is quite strong and gives a very bright tone. Donate to guitars for good causes. It retains articulation and clarity even with heavy distortion which makes it suited for heavy distorted styles.

Magnetically speaking ceramic magnets produce a stronger field than alnico. Ceramic magnets are made from ferrites often iron oxides. Alnico magnets are made of an alloy of aluminum nickel and cobalt. We use alnico 3 magnets in our real 54 s to give them a bright glassy tone.

Have you ever wondered what kind of differences the magnets in your pickups make. 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.