Shep's Tone Tips
I am frequently asked, "what is the difference between alnico 2, 3, 4, 5 magnets?" so I thought I would make it this months tone tip.
I know it may sound strange but I don't consider the magnet to be part of the "tone." Tone is the quality, richness, harmonics, overtones of the note.
The magnet mainly affects volume, punch, clarity, balance, output, and how articulate the pickup is. In my mind, I separate the pickup into two basic parts;
There's the magnet, and there's everything else. With "everything else" being the same, in the same guitar, here are the general differences between the magnets:
Alnico 5: Punchy, clear, balanced, brightest of the alnico magnets.
Alnico 2: "Squishy," more midrange, less highs/lows, can be muddy.
Alnico 4: Near the warmth of alnico 2, but near the clarity of alnico 5.
Alnico 3: Weakest, doesn't hold a charge well. Only recommended as a last resort for the brightest of humbucker guitars. Works well for single coils.
Ceramic: Very strong magnet, much brighter than alnico, dramatically increases pickup gain, best used for driving the front end of the amp
...mais sur une pancarte juste à côté d'une table, c'est marqué "interdit les punks et les arabes"...
