There s always a trade off even between different types of alnico.
Ceramic magnet pickups vs alnico.
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.
Whereas ceramic is used in metal as it sounds tight loud and cool.
Most magnets used in pickup production are either alnico v ii and ceramic however you will also see alnico iii.
Neo is punchy but a little too hot and tough to control.
You often hear that the sound of a pickup is dominated by the choice of magnet used in its construction.
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.
Alnico tends to produce a very musical pickup in most.
But it all depends on the pickup.
The important factor is the design of a magnetic circuit which establishes what magnet to use.
Ceramic can get a bit plastic or sterile.
Alnico 5 has more punch but can be too crispy.
A lot of people automatically say that alnico is superior to ceramic in pickups.
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.
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.
The result is a slightly hotter sounding pickup with more treble response.
Ceramic magnet pickups generally have a hotter output level as well often with a lower resistance rating.
Alnico vii is in some pickups but this is rare.
Provides some bite and sparkle.
Alnico ii is a lower output magnet that is smooth and usually has just a bit of warmth.
So we often hear.
Magnetically speaking ceramic magnets produce a stronger field than alnico.
Alnico vs ceramic magnets.
Alnico seems to be the popular favorite but on the other hand there is no shortage of popular recordings that feature ceramic.
Ceramic magnets are made from ferrites often iron oxides.
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.
There are harsh sounding pickups with alnico magnets and sweet sounding pickups with ceramic magnets and vice versa.
Alnico is nice and warm and great for blues.
The magnet selection most definitely has an effect on tone.
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.
Alnico v has more scooped mids and tighter in the low end.
