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How to ID bar magnet?

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  • How to ID bar magnet?

    I found a humbucker pickup magnet in the drawer. No recollection of where it came from. It's probably A5 or ceramic. Any way to determine magnet type before installing? It's dark grey, with white paint (or marker?) on one of the long edges, and what looks to be a small, faint blotch of the same white paint on one of the wide surfaces.

  • #2
    Re: How to ID bar magnet?

    Ceramics are black and Alnicos are gray. Between the Alnicos the only way to test them is by comparing the strength of the magnet to that of known magnets by pulling off the side of a fridge or something else magnetic.
    You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
    Whilst you can only wonder why

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    • #3
      Re: How to ID bar magnet?

      I found another one. lol Looking at these, my guess would be ceramic + alnico 2. Is that right?

      Click image for larger version

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      Last edited by moshuajusic; 07-11-2020, 03:53 PM.

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      • #4
        Re: How to ID bar magnet?

        Originally posted by jscomposer View Post
        I found another one. lol Looking at these, my guess would be ceramic + alnico 2. Is that right?
        I don't know for sure, but that would be my guess as well. The 'left' magnet definitely looks like ceramic.
        Originally posted by crusty philtrum
        And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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        • #5
          Re: How to ID bar magnet?

          There's a simple way to be sure about ceramic (ferrite): a digital multimeter set for resistance measurements shouldn't show any reading with the magnet between the probes (while an AlNiCo bar would allow a resistance reading since it's made of a conductive alloy).

          There's no way to be sure about AlNiCo grades but some COMPARATIVE measurements might give a clue. For example, A3 typically hosts the weakest charge and gives the highest inductance while it's the contrary with A5. A2 and A4 are in between... Now, these explanations hold the water ONLY if the mags have strictly the same mass and have been magnetized in the same way. :-)
          Duncan user since the 80's...

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          • #6
            Re: How to ID bar magnet?

            Originally posted by freefrog View Post
            There's a simple way to be sure about ceramic (ferrite): a digital multimeter set for resistance measurements shouldn't show any reading with the magnet between the probes (while an AlNiCo bar would allow a resistance reading since it's made of a conductive alloy).
            "allow a resistance reading"? Not sure what you mean by that.

            I think you're using the term "resistance" incorrectly. What you said would be correct if you were talking about "continuity"...just the opposite of resistance. Ceramic will measure a very high resistance (no or low continuity), and the alnico would show little or no resistance (depending on the multi setting)...the meter display would probably show "--" indicating continuity (no resistance).
            Last edited by GuitarDoc; 07-12-2020, 06:35 AM.
            Originally Posted by IanBallard
            Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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            • #7
              Re: How to ID bar magnet?

              Originally posted by freefrog View Post
              A3 typically hosts the weakest charge and gives the highest inductance while it's the contrary with A5. A2 and A4 are in between...
              And that's exactly what we HEAR when we put them in a humbucker: alnico 3 is the weakest and alnico 5 the strongest with A2 and A4 being between.

              I wonder why alnico 2 isn't called alnico 3? And alnico 3 called alnico 2?
              “Practice cures most tone issues” - John Suhr

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              • #8
                Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
                "allow a resistance reading"? Not sure what you mean by that.

                I think you're using the term "resistance" incorrectly. What you said would be correct if you were talking about "continuity"...just the opposite of resistance. Ceramic will measure a very high resistance (no or low continuity), and the alnico would show little or no resistance (depending on the multi setting)...the meter display would probably show "--" indicating continuity (no resistance).
                This is the equivalent of saying not to measure how cold something is because temperature is measured in heat.
                You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
                Whilst you can only wonder why

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                  why is alnico3 even called alnico since there isnt any cobalt in it

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                  • #10
                    Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                    Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                    why is alnico3 even called alnico since there isnt any cobalt in it
                    Right. Scroll down to the charts. No cobalt in Alnico 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnico

                    But Alnico 8 includes some Titanium and Alnico 2 through 5 don't.

                    Didn't know that either.
                    Last edited by Lewguitar; 07-12-2020, 10:39 AM.
                    “Practice cures most tone issues” - John Suhr

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                    • #11
                      Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                      Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                      why is alnico3 even called alnico since there isnt any cobalt in it
                      Totally agreed.
                      Reason why I've wrote "A3" in my previous message, in fact.
                      I write "AlNi(Co)", with "Co" between brackets, when I don't post on a hurry like this morning (and when I find lexical precision constructively useful). :-)

                      Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
                      "allow a resistance reading"? Not sure what you mean by that.

                      I think you're using the term "resistance" incorrectly. What you said would be correct if you were talking about "continuity"...just the opposite of resistance. Ceramic will measure a very high resistance (no or low continuity), and the alnico would show little or no resistance (depending on the multi setting)...the meter display would probably show "--" indicating continuity (no resistance).
                      Possible answer, if I wanted to argue: "I meant exactly what I said: under normal physical conditions, every normal material has a resistance, even AlNiCo (it's very, very low... but it's not "continuity", which would be possible only with a SUPRAconductor). If a DMM reads 0.00, it's due to the limitations of the measuring tool and/or to a simplification of the result."

                      Actual answer: would it be fructful to fall in such an argument? I’ve too little free time for that (like you, I guess) and my only goal when I post here is to share, anyway... so, any imperfect wording due to my hasty answers in a foreign language isn't really a problem as long as my messages are understood - as it appears to be the case below with my previous post… :-)
                      Last edited by freefrog; 07-13-2020, 01:13 AM.
                      Duncan user since the 80's...

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                      • #12
                        Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                        Originally posted by freefrog View Post
                        There's a simple way to be sure about ceramic (ferrite): a digital multimeter set for resistance measurements shouldn't show any reading with the magnet between the probes (while an AlNiCo bar would allow a resistance reading since it's made of a conductive alloy).
                        I never realized that. I just tested it and it works. My known ceramic reads in the mega-ohms, while my alnico reads a dead short. Good info.

                        Originally posted by Lewguitar View Post
                        And that's exactly what we HEAR when we put them in a humbucker: alnico 3 is the weakest and alnico 5 the strongest with A2 and A4 being between.

                        I wonder why alnico 2 isn't called alnico 3? And alnico 3 called alnico 2?
                        My understanding is that the "alnico" number comes from its creation date. Not it's magnetic strength. I've a got a "white paper" on that around here somewhere. I'll see if I can find it.

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                        • #13
                          Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                          Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
                          I never realized that. I just tested it and it works. My known ceramic reads in the mega-ohms, while my alnico reads a dead short. Good info.



                          My understanding is that the "alnico" number comes from its creation date. Not it's magnetic strength. I've a got a "white paper" on that around here somewhere. I'll see if I can find it.
                          Just in terms of how they make a humbucker sound, they do make the pickup sound stronger as you progress from alnico 2 to alnico 4 to alnico 5.

                          Alnico 3, though, makes a humbucker sound weaker than alnico 2.

                          They each seem impart their own tone or EQ curve to a humbucker too.
                          Last edited by Lewguitar; 07-12-2020, 01:05 PM.
                          “Practice cures most tone issues” - John Suhr

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                          • #14
                            Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                            Well shoot. I can't upload because the file is too big.

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                            • #15
                              Re: How to ID bar magnet?

                              Take it to Paul Reed Smith. He can rap on it with his middle knuckle and tell you exactly what the magnet is going to sound like...

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