alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

O

orpheo

Well-known member
I'm searching now for 20 minutes but I can't find the posts of some of you guys describing the tonal differences of each! I know the alnico 5 is fairly powerful, tight lows, piercing highs, a bit of a relax in the mids. alnico2 is the opposite; lots of mids, soft highs, relaxed lows.

but what about a3 and a4?

and if I may be so bold: perhaps there can be a sticky with this kind of info? it seems as if there are many people who ask the same question (and with good reason!), and the answers are there, wether they're lodged in people's brains or the obscurities of the forum ;) a sticky will make searching for this regularly asked information a whole lot easier.
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

A3 is like an A2 with more treble and a tiny bit less mids. Tighter than A2 as well. A4 has a very flat EQ. More mids and less bass/treble than A5, but less mids and more bass/treble. Almost as tight as an A5.
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

thanks for the summary. I'll put this post/thread under my favorites.
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

A2 - Lots of mids, not much treble, loose low end, low output, and lots of vintage dynamics. Used in the bridge and neck.

A3 - Like an A2 but with more treble and less low end. Pretty much used in the neck slot, but has potential for fattening up the bridge.

A4 - Flat EQ, and for that reason some consider it bland. Lets the natural EQ of the guitar and PU come thru. Moderate output. Good in the neck or bridge.

A5 - Most popular alnico. Fairly high output, lots of treble and bass, scooped mids. Great in the neck slot (if not too bassy), and can be thin in the bridge.

All of these can be found as 'roughcast' too (lumpy pitted surfaces), that smooth out the high end, probably due to a more complex magnetic field. RC's are probably used mostly in the bridge location.

A2, A3, and A4 are all unoriented. A5's are almost always oriented. Unoriented A5's (UOA5) became available recently from Addiction FX and sound like a blend of the best characteristics of A2's and A5's. They're much warmer than a typical A5, but with more treble than an A2. Lots of dynamics.
 
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Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

thanks for your post, blueman. as I said, its in my favorites-list now.

I still have to pull the trigger on the uoa5 for my pearly gates, and it might even be cool in a '59 for the neckslot of a les paul, and I also really need some more alnico2's and a8's. oh well, new month, new salary, right? :D
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

I'd thought A3 was supposed to have more mids? As a general reference, I'd been using this:

PickupMagnetToneChart_zps2a9af2b7.jpg

Apologies for dragging up an old thread, came across it looking into something else :)
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

Although a chart like that could be helpful if it was actually accurate, I must say I also do not feel that chart is accurate. This would be a good "old thread" to raise from the abyss if you had a more accurate chart.
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

I didn't do the chart, it was something I'd found a while ago via Google. From a lot of what I'd read (certainly at that point) it seemed a reasonable reference, so saved it. Sounds like I need a new chart!
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

Davii said:
I didn't do the chart, it was something I'd found a while ago via Google. From a lot of what I'd read (certainly at that point) it seemed a reasonable reference, so saved it. Sounds like I need a new chart!
Click to expand...

It's ok, we know you didn't do the chart, just observing that it probably has some errors.
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

yeah that chat is all out of whack. i dont know if i agree with any of them
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

I'd wondered if I was misinformed, as recordings I'd done didn't go along with what I'd come to think of as the lay of the land (and that chart), so stumbling on this thread was like confirming that Father Christmas doesn't exist. I still want an XBox though...
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

I had a pair of classic HB's, with an a3 neck, and a UOA5…man, smooth vintage awesome.
 
Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

Addressing Alnico 4, since it's one of the less familiar magnets, I recently had an A4 Humbucker wound for me br Buddha pickups at around 9k. The main differences that I could hear between A4 and A5 is that A4 is less scooped and more compressed. Clean, it sounds more like the unplugged guitar than any pickup I've ever tried. If you've ever played unplugged and heard a warm, stringy sound and then plugged in and heard nothing but attack, you may want an A4. It also has a ton of punch compared to an equally loud A5 pickup, although any given wind will be quieter.

I find that it really excels at Pete Townshend, Malcolm Young sounds.

Here's an awful vid I made, but you can see how it responds to an aggressive right hand:

Buddha Alnico IV 8.5K bridge humbucker: https://youtu.be/wEzRcMwgiJ0
 
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Re: alnico 2 vs 3 vs 4 vs 5

A5: very strong output. Lots of low end. Breaks up an amp earlier than other magnets in the same pickup.

A4: less output and less bass than A5. IMO, A4 "corrects" the problems with A5's, making for a more refined, easy to control, and versatile pickup...but without losing the gist of A5.

A3: low output, thus cleaner and clearer. Very evenly balanced e.q.-wise.

A2: low strength magnet as well, but huge midrange makes it sound bigger than A3.
 
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