Probably you have heard about the alnico and ceramic magnets inside your guitar or bass pickups and you asked yourself, what’s the difference. The electric guitar pickups are simple bobbins with a magnet and a coil that transduce the mechanical movement from the metal strings and convert it to electricity, which is then transferred into your amplifier. They are almost the most important part of the whole electric instrument.
Since the invention of the guitar pickups, manufacturers have tried to find best magnets that could be used for the application. The commonly used ones are the alnico, made from metal alloy containing aluminum, nickel, and cobalt. In short, Al-Ni-Co and ceramic magnets, known as ferrite magnets developed in the 1960′ made from a composite of iron oxide and strontium carbonate. There are other types of magnets used for pickup such as Cunife (Copper – Nickel – Ferrum/Iron), Neodymium, or Samarium Cobalt, but they are fairly uncommon.
Magnetic force
In general, ceramic magnets have stronger pull of magnetic field interacting with the guitar strings which leads to louder signal amplification. On the other side, alnico magnets with its low magnetic field and pull are producing weaker signals which leads to a more dynamic overall tone and uncompressed feel.
Resonance
The pickups have distinctive frequency resonance peak with more high frequency emphasis of the ceramic and more mid to high mid resonance of the alnico ones. The resonance frequency is a natural behavior of the combined materials and varies in each model of a pickup, even if they’re using the same magnet.
The overall “sound”
The sound or tone of the pickups could be affected by the magnet itself plus the number of the wraps of the insulated copper wire Then, the produced magnetic field from the finished coil is affecting the strings vibration in the whole frequency spectrum and how strong they are pulled down. Here are 3 factors that are important from the design point:
1. The number of windings.
- The gauge of wire.
- The type of the magnet.
Gibson’s most sought after ‘PAF’ (Patent Applied For) pickups were made using various types of Alnico magnets, from Alnico 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Description of tone
We have heard players to describe their sonical properties with many words like:
High output, Low output, Tight, Dynamic, Sharp Sounding, Mellow sounding, Weak, Vintage, Modern, balanced etc. The list is endless. But we can simplify it and give you a few directions with examples and small descriptions to choose the right one for you and your playing style.
*Keep in mind the number of wounds could change the output and the overall response in a dramatic way. That’s why the manufacturers are offering different models with the same type of magnet, but with different tone and characteristics. Also, the ceramic and alnico magnets are used in single coils and humbuckers. Please read each brand’s technical specifications!
The two most used alnico magnet types with a few examples:
Alnico 2: The magnet has more pronounced mids and warmer lowend. The strength of the pull is less than the rest and gives a really open and vintage tone. We can find them in some early 1950 Teles.
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/alnico-ii-pro-flat
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/stacked-hum-canceling-strat/virtual-vintage-heavy-blues-2
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/stacked-hum-canceling-strat/area-58
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/alnico-ii-pro-hb
Alnico 5: The strongest pull of the above that generates more output. It has really nice mid range content, slightly scooped. The highs are bell-like. It is the most used guitar pickup magnet. Worth mentioning the alnico 5 gives that classic Fender high end.
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/standard-strat/fs-1
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/vintage-output/air-classic-bridge
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/medium-power/air-norton
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/59-model
The Ceramic Magnet pickups with a few examples
The Ceramic magnets are “brighter” than alnico magnets but they are usually built with overwound coils to achieve a more balanced frequency response. They tend to have higher output, more tight low end with sharper attack and commonly used in a wide range of modern guitar pickups aiming for high gain and heavy oriented playing.
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/rail-hum-canceling-strat/cruiser-bridge
https://www.dimarzio.com/pickups/high-power/d-activator-x-bridge
https://www.seymourduncan.com/single-product/duncan-custom
https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/pickup/humbucker/painkiller
DImarzio’s D-Activator pickups and its variations (blade, 7, and 8 strings version)
are popular with its ceramic magnets
There’s endless debate about which one is better and the most common rumors are that the ceramic is bad sounding, the ceramic is cheaper, harsh and bad. That is coming from the fact that most of the cheap guitars are sold with cheaply built ceramic pickups that have no “life” in them. The truth is: ceramic magnets are cheaper to produce, but there are many awesome examples of pickups from famous manufacturers that are wonderful!
If you are a modern player and searching for higher output and tighter high gain tone, then probably you will end up with Ceramic pickups. If you are looking for vintage and super clean and dynamic tone the Alnico 2 and Alnico 5 pickups are your choice. But that is also subjective. You should try and test a few brands and types, then find your own “voice”. The pickups will change your playing style, they will inspire you or disappoint you. But that’s normal! It’s a part of the creative process and if you are stuck and can’t decide, just choose some classic ones and explore them.
If you have some basic soldering skills, changing pickups and trying them could be fun!
A pickup could brighten up a dark sounding guitar or tame the highs on an ash body.
So, there are no better ones. Alnico and Ceramic are awesome in many different aspects. It depends on your taste, desire for specific sonical qualities and what style you are playing.