LP Freak
Well-known member
Interesting....
F
fearhk213
Well-known member
I totally agree that the magnet doesn't tell the whole story - you can't discount the quality of the magnet and what's being done with the winding. The MCP Black Iron is a good example of that. It's an A2 magnet, which most describe as a magnet that's warmer with rolled off highs and looser lows. The Black Iron actually has a fair amount of top end bite and while softer in attack on the lows it's not a loose pickup either.
Donnie B.
Banned
Well-known member
Doesn't tell the whole story but it's the lead character in the tale. 
scottosan
Well-known member
Fun fact; DC resistance is not the sole factor for determining pickup output. The number or windings(turns) determines output. 5000 turns of 43 gauge wire would be the same output but lower DCR than a 5000 turn pickup with 44 guage wire
stephen sawall
SEMI ERECT MEMBER
I use both. What's my preference changes with what I'm doing at the time.
N
Nolly
Active member
Yup, magnet and DC resistance are highly overrated when people talk about pickups. As with many aspects of electric guitar tone, these stereotypes come from a time when there was a far more limited range of options and so those differentiators told you more than they do now that the scope of what's available has expanded so massively.
Magnet do make a substantial difference, but a skilled pickup maker will know how to work with the magnet they're choosing to reach the sonic goal they're aiming for - it could be they want to make a dark and thick pickup with a ceramic magnet, or a bright and toppy one with an Alnico 3.
There are so many approaches you can use to voice a pickup, all giving their own unique sound, and I think the fun of experimenting with that is why people get into pickup winding in the first place.
Magnet do make a substantial difference, but a skilled pickup maker will know how to work with the magnet they're choosing to reach the sonic goal they're aiming for - it could be they want to make a dark and thick pickup with a ceramic magnet, or a bright and toppy one with an Alnico 3.
There are so many approaches you can use to voice a pickup, all giving their own unique sound, and I think the fun of experimenting with that is why people get into pickup winding in the first place.
Purpleibby
Well-known member
LOL, good lord the GUITAR is completely different in the first magnet comparisons....that's just flawed right from the start. Now the onese where it was swapped in the same guitar/pickup are legit.