Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

[dazzlindino]

Anyone know what difference there is (if any) between an
Anico 8 and a Ceramic 8?
Same Gauss, tone?
Not the large Ceramic, but the small one same size as the Anicos

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

Some general characteristics are A8 is stronger than A5 but warmer. Sounds more organic than ceramic. Ceramic is the strongest and harshest. I use and like them both.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

The A8 is much smoother and warmer than the C8. Ceramics tend to have a very bright, harsh, piercing, and brittle sounding high end and a noticeable mid-scoop. The alnico 8 has more mids, a very strong low end but smoother and less punchy than the C8, and the highs are gorgeous...strong but not harsh, present but not brittle, bright but not piercing. The A8 is strong, full, hard-hitting, bright but warm. The C8 has very strong punchy lows...it doesn't "hit" it kicks. And you don't just hear the highs, you feel them slicing your eardrums.

 

[dazzlindino]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

Thanks for the replies guys
Will get an A8 to try against a C8 then

 

[SrDeMaFp]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

The A8 is much smoother and warmer than the C8. Ceramics tend to have a very bright, harsh, piercing, and brittle sounding high end and a noticeable mid-scoop. The alnico 8 has more mids, a very strong low end but smoother and less punchy than the C8, and the highs are gorgeous...strong but not harsh, present but not brittle, bright but not piercing. The A8 is strong, full, hard-hitting, bright but warm. The C8 has very strong punchy lows...it doesn't "hit" it kicks. And you don't just hear the highs, you feel them slicing your eardrums.

Very well said (barring "slicing your eardrums", but opinions and all - point proven).

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

The difference between the two is that Alnico has iron in it. So being metallic it raises the inductance. That gives you a boost in lows and less highs. Ceramic magnets are made from sintered iron oxide and barium or strontium carbonate. Ceramics also have higher coercively and permeability. The field is “harder” and they are harder to demagnetize.

While ferrite magnets can sound brighter or brittle, it depends on the pickup design. Many bass pickups like Bartolini, use ceramic magnets, and they are warm and full sounding.

I use neodymium magnets in most of my pickup designs, and they have aspects of both Alnico and ferrite magnets.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Davii]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

I find A8 has a noticeable compression too compared to other Alnicos. My understand of ceramic, is that they work better with high DCR pickups, whereby those aforementioned harsh characteristics are beneficial because they have been heavily reduced by the resistance of the the coil. Or such.

 

[dave74]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

I find A8 has a noticeable compression too compared to other Alnicos. My understand of ceramic, is that they work better with high DCR pickups, whereby those aforementioned harsh characteristics are beneficial because they have been heavily reduced by the resistance of the the coil. Or such.

Lower/medium dcr ceramics are all the rage right now it seems.
I have no experience with any of them but many of the newer DMZ are in the 10-12 dcr range but still high output-voltage.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

I find A8 has a noticeable compression too compared to other Alnicos. My understand of ceramic, is that they work better with high DCR pickups, whereby those aforementioned harsh characteristics are beneficial because they have been heavily reduced by the resistance of the the coil. Or such.

You're speaking in theory only. And that theory is generally correct...more winds=higher dcr=more mids/less treble, therefore a magnet with more highs should be beneficial. However, the original question has nothing to do with the theory of when ceramics might be useful, it is a about the noticeable (actual not theoretical) differences between two specific magnets. Your statement about compression is acceptable.

Also, the "harsh" characteristics of ceramics are almost never beneficial. If ceramics would give greater highs without the harshness and brittle sound that they also produce, that would be great. But there is a trade-off in everything and we tend to accept the brittle/harsh/piercing/fizzy quality of the highs from ceramics just to get the extra clean highs that may be desired from the pup.

 

[Davii]

Re: Alnico 8 vs Ceramic 8

You're speaking in theory only. And that theory is generally correct...more winds=higher dcr=more mids/less treble, therefore a magnet with more highs should be beneficial. However, the original question has nothing to do with the theory of when ceramics might be useful, it is a about the noticeable (actual not theoretical) differences between two specific magnets. Your statement about compression is acceptable.

Also, the "harsh" characteristics of ceramics are almost never beneficial. If ceramics would give greater highs without the harshness and brittle sound that they also produce, that would be great. But there is a trade-off in everything and we tend to accept the brittle/harsh/piercing/fizzy quality of the highs from ceramics just to get the extra clean highs that may be desired from the pup.

1/2 points only for me then I wasn't attempting any criticism of what you'd posted by the way