software

What would a alnico 3 in a custom sound like, what would the eq's be?

Between a CC and a C5, with slightly less output than either.


Originally Posted by italic zero...with slightly less output than either.

than either?
what does the number refer to? and why are 2 and 5 singled out for commercial use from so many kinds of alnicoes?

so the eq would be flat basically then?

I asked Seymour this question before quot;why don't you offer pickups in A3 and A4quot;, and he kinda shrugged his shoulders, and suggested that Alnico 2, 5, and Ceramic are the only ones that really matter. After doing my own magnet swapping, it's apparent that he's basically right, although 3 and 4 have some use.

Both tend to sound colder and slightly lower in output. My C-4 ended up being like a C-5 with a more hard, less bouncy feel under the fingers. The good part was that the mids increased and the bass got smaller, so it would be nice in something like a 335 or Explorer. The A3 kinda sounded like a thinner CC, which isn't bad either.

As long as you know how to pull a pickup apart, and put it back together, it's kind of fun to see how the other magnets sound. I still like A5 and A2 the best, tho.

Thanks for the help

It sounds a lot like a CC, but with slightly more bass and highs, and the mids pulled back a hair. The mid peak seems to be shifted slightly higher.

If you like the basic CC but think it's mids can be a bit over the top, the C3 is a nice tweak in the right direction.

Also, if you do a search, Doc Barlo posted some clips of CC vs. C3.

I have a C3 in my ES-355. The overall output might be slightly less than the C2 (CC) but relatively speaking Alnico 3 has a slight bump in the low mids compared to Alnico 2.

This is one area where I disagree somewhat with Seymour; but if I recall, his point was that with his Dun-Ager/Dun-Stun, whatever these machines are called, through various degrees of aging and/or magnetizing, he is able to get enough of a variety of quot;magnet tonesquot; that he doesn't need A3 or A4.

That being the case, it could be that for him these other two Alnico grades really aren't necessary. But from the perspective of a terminal tinker-head like me who doesn't have access to a magnetizer or a Dun-Stunner/Ager or whatever, Alnico 3 and 4 give me two other viable tone options that can instantly change the quot;wrongquot; pickup in this or that guitar into the RIGHT one and save me a lot of money.

I have the C3 in my ES-355 and it is just right. I have an Alnico 4 in my X-pickup that I had a guy custom make for me (rhonjon@sympatico.ca), and it too is just right. As if that weren't enough, I'm looking at taking one of the A5 mags out of my Phat Cat in the neck position of my LP Std and replacing it with an A4 to soften it up just a touch. (Mixing magnets in P90's and their derivatives -- who'da thunk it?)

So don't believe the hype: Alnico 3 and 4 definitely have a place in your tone-generating arsenal.