How Different Pickup Magnets Affect Tone
Found this thought it might help.
There are many other aspects that can help determine a pickups characteristics. The following information should hopefully help you in making an informed decision or ask the right questions based on facts and not opinions.
Magnet Types
Alnico 2
- Warmer sounding with less magnetic pull to allow the strings to vibrate more freely. A good choice for warming up a bright or harsh sounding amp and guitar. Overall the Alnico 2 is warm, with clear mids, spongier bass, and a softer attack. Many players use the Alnico 2's to better achieve the vintage tone heard in many pickups from the 50's era.
Alnico 3
- Considered to be brighter than Alnico 2 with the least magnetic pull to allow the strings to vibrate more freely. A good choice for clean tones and lots of articulation. Overall the Alnico 3 is bright, with clear mids, warm bass, and a softer attack.
Alnico 4
-This magnet is best described to have the characteristics of both Alnico 2 and Alnico 5. Kind of a happy medium.
Alnico 5 -
Bright sounding with more focus and enhanced dynamics. A good choice for adding a brighter punch to a warm or dull sounding amp or guitar. Overall the Alnico 5 is bright and punchy, with glassy highs, tight bass, and more attack. Alnico 5 magnets are the most commonly used magnets in guitar pickups today.
Ceramic -
Considered to be the most aggressive sounding magnet. A good choice for adding bright punch and output to a warm or dull sounding amp or guitar. Overall the ceramic magnets are bright, with clear upper midrange, compressed highs, very harmonic, tighter bass, and aggressive attack. Ceramic magnets are most commonly associated with higher output or higher DC resistance pickups.
Notes on output -
For the most part (not always), DC resistance can give you a basic idea about the overall output and response a pickup will give you. Generally the more winds you put on a coil, the higher the DC resistance will be. Increasing the DC resistance with the number of winds will increase output, but will also increase lows and mids while reducing the amount of highs. This can be good or bad depending on what you are looking for. Don't become too focused on the reading as it is only part of the equation. These readings can fluctuate due to temperature, wire diameter variations, and other factors. Don't assume that a "lower output" will have a less because of it's reading. You must compare the same type of pickup for this to work. In other words, don't think a 7.7k strat and 7.7k humbucker will be equal. The coil length, shape, and wire size will all play a part in the final result.
