Alnico 5 Vs Alnico 3 Single Coils
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Alnico v,alnico III, alnico II????????
- Thread starter stratneck
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- #1
What is the different tonality that those magnets will produce?...
Output, more treble, please help me understand the different characteristics of each of them?
Thank you!
- #2
[SIZE=+1]What about Magnet Type?[/SIZE]
There are many types of magnets in common use. Ceramic magnets are inexpensive, but brittle and not too strong magnetically. These are commonly used in crafts and as refrigerator door magnets.
Other common types are:
- aluminum nickel cobalt [AlNiCo] (inexpensive)
- samarium cobalt (strong but expensive)
- neodymium boron iron (strongest and expensive)
However, the stronger magnet types are much more expensive. That's why most pickups use less expensive AlNiCo magnets.
Also, stronger magnets are not the cure-all for electric guitar. Since the guitar strings are ferromagnetic and are attracted to the magnets, the pickups affect the vibrations of the strings, which is bad since the pickups are only there to sense the vibrations, not change them. To get a feel for this, adjust a guitar's neck pickup until the pole pieces are very near (<5mm) the low E string. Play the string high up the neck and you will hear a discordant beat note induced by the magnets in the pickup. The distance from string to pickup should not be so small as to affect the sound. It might seem smart to choose the strongest magnet, neodymium boron iron, and make a pickup so hot that you could plug a 100 watt light bulb into your Les Paul. But that magnet will either affect the strings adversely, or you'd have to make it so small that its magnetic field would be too concentrated. Weaker magnets necessarily must be larger in diameter to be usable, and they produce a broader field that is tolerant of the strings' movement while being plucked and bent.
- #3
And I think even technically ....
AlNiCo V is the strongest magnet
AlNiCo II is a bit weaker
AlNiCo III is even weaker
Does it matter ... to those that like to raise the pickups
close to the strings it does, much less pull with II, and III than V
And you may need to get em close to get the full tone you're lookin for
Out of the sets that I have, and have tried
AlNiCo II is smoother (some say sweater) perhaps not as pingy chimey as V
The AlNiCo IIIs I had were brighter, had more string definition
Little less full sounding, vintage sounding, weaker, but good
The V's chimeyer, seemed to have a little more oomph to them
btw, I'm comparing all the same sets from the same manufacuter
I have Fralin Vintage Hots, and had Real 54s (which are VHs with AlNiCo III magnets)
And I custom ordered Fralin Vintage Hots with AlNiCo II
I still have the IIs and Vs
You really have to dial them into the wood
- #5
Alnico II: warm, rounded highs, even harmonics (very nice on a bright guitar)
Alnico III: vintage highs, lack of bass, weaker sounding, slightly scooped mids
Alnico IV: tighter bass, pronounced high mids, vintage highs (my personal favourite)
Alnico V: powerful magnet, dynamic, chimey and bell like overtones, 'bold'
- #6
I guess, I could custome order a set of single coils, and have different
magnets, combo?...I dont like Hi output PuP's...Or lots of Mids,..or spongy bass,
I guess a combo of Al v's and III's would be what I'm looking for....
Thanks again, if there are more suggestions, please,let me hear them!
- #7
My experience is pretty similar, but I find that A3s are similar to A2s, but with slightly more bass. It could be that the mids are scooped a bit more, which makes the bass sound accentuated. Most of my experience is with humbucker, but my strat has A3s in it. I really like A3s because it has the chimey of an A5 with softer highs.To my ears, completely unscientific and biased:Alnico II: warm, rounded highs, even harmonics (very nice on a bright guitar)
Alnico III: vintage highs, lack of bass, weaker sounding, slightly scooped mids
Alnico IV: tighter bass, pronounced high mids, vintage highs (my personal favourite)
Alnico V: powerful magnet, dynamic, chimey and bell like overtones, 'bold'
I think the other thing to consider is how hot the pickup is. Generally speaking, the more winds, the higher the output. However, as you wind more, the mids tend to increase more than the highs and bass. That's why most hi output pickups don't use A2s or A3s because the mids would be too much. For low winds, I prefer the lower output magnets. I feel A5s are too bright and too scooped (For higher winds, they are great though).
If you're looking to get a custom wound set, check out Klein pickups. I've got a set of tapped Klein pickups in my strat. With a flick of a switch, the pups go from around 5K to 6K in output. He'll wind the pickup to whatever specs you want and you can use whatever magnets you want. You can even mix and match each magnet (i.e. A5s on the wound strings and A3s on the plain). I've also had a few humbuckers wound from David Plummer (Zhangliquin). He was a Les Paul Forum guy, but I think he posts here on the TGP too. He also will custom wind anything you want. Both were very reasonably priced too (less than the big boutique boys from what I remember).
- #8
Now, besides Klein pick ups, Is there someother winder to call?..
Thanks again!
- #9
- #10
Good customer service, too.+1 on Zhangliqun pickups, he's a real talent.
- #11
This is why all my guitars with Fralins sound so good!Alnico IV: tighter bass, pronounced high mids, vintage highs (my personal favourite)
- #12
It is in their member area under the site map.
- #14
For a moment I thought you were joking and Alnico 8s didn't exist. A quick google search left that thought in the dust. From what I just read they're best for pickups with a lot of wire, Preferably wound up to 9.5k or higher.
- #15
Guys over at the Seymour Duncan Forum are magnet swapping the JB and Custom models to have Alnico 8 magnets. They're raving about the results. I've heard some of the sound clips and they're really good. This concept has me going hmmmm....
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Alnico 5 Vs Alnico 3 Single Coils
Source: https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads%2Falnico-v-alnico-iii-alnico-ii.661759%2F
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