Ceramic vs Alnico
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- slomatic
- Posts: 1712
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:42 pm
Ceramic vs Alnico
What's your preference? I usually go with a ceramic pickup, but am considering an Alnico as my next purchase (http://www.motorcitypickups.com). Pros and cons for each??
Volume over talent
- skybone
- Posts: 1109
- Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:11 am
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
I prefer Alnico over Ceramic's personally, they just seem to have that vintage, warm, classic rock crunch-edge tone that ceramic's just don't have IMO. They let the guitar and amp "breath", where ceramic's tend to overpower the dynamics of the wood & wire, and with an almost HiFi sounding amp like a Matamp, they'll produce a sweet tone whether you're cranking the fuzz, or dialling back for some sweet, clean(ish) tones. Again IMO. ;)
Stick a set of Alnico humbuckers in a good mahogany bodied guitar, like an SG or an LP, plug into a sweet valve amp. and you have instant pure rock fury...
Stick a set of Alnico humbuckers in a good mahogany bodied guitar, like an SG or an LP, plug into a sweet valve amp. and you have instant pure rock fury...
- Garfunk M. Rafferty
- Posts: 389
- Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:11 pm
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
I'm an alnico man myself, find Ceramics too "brittle". I agree they can over power the guitar/amp/pedal you're using, alnico just sounds more natural to me.
Nicorette for your chakras.
- Poorbob
- Posts: 1177
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- Location: Palm Desert, California
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
All I know is that Alnico is considered by a great many to be the "musical" magnet.
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
it all depends for me,
ceramics are great when going through extreme amounts of fuzz/distortion, but when on an overdriven or clean setting i prefer alnico's.
i like to mix and match on guitars, gives me the best of both worlds!
ceramics are great when going through extreme amounts of fuzz/distortion, but when on an overdriven or clean setting i prefer alnico's.
i like to mix and match on guitars, gives me the best of both worlds!
- Sauniere
- Posts: 1218
- Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:48 am
- Location: Brooklyn
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
Depends on the music, but generally I prefer Alnico. I like how Alnico interacts with fuzz pedals. But a great ceramic pickup can be loads of fun when you want to slam an amp into overdrive. Same goes for speakers. Depends on the application.
- slomatic
- Posts: 1712
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 10:42 pm
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
Cheers for the tips lads, I'm thinking I'm gonna try out an alnico. I use a loud overdriven amp and a Meathead so i reckon I have enough gain as it is, and hopefully the alnice will give me a tad more warmth in the tone. I have a ceramic in my other guitar so a bit of variety will be good.
The company I found seem really good - http://www.motorcitypickups.com . I'll drop a review once I'm hooked up!
The company I found seem really good - http://www.motorcitypickups.com . I'll drop a review once I'm hooked up!
Volume over talent
- 1bottlerocket
- Posts: 8570
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:45 pm
- Location: The Land of Milk and Honey
Re: Ceramic vs Alnico
Depends on the pickup, alnico seems to be the most commonly used material by high-end builders but a well designed ceramic can sound good too. Personally, all the pickups I have in my guitars are alnico but I didn't consciously set out to get that. Try checking out Lindy Fralin, Jerry Amalfitano, or Jason Lollar.
Never argue with an idiot, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience
-Garfunk M. Rafferty
_________________________________________
For all things stomp: http://www.effectsdatabase.com/
Big Muff History Page: http://bigmuffpage.com/
-Garfunk M. Rafferty
_________________________________________
For all things stomp: http://www.effectsdatabase.com/
Big Muff History Page: http://bigmuffpage.com/
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