Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

gtr player

gtr player

New member
Alright, can someone give me the scoop on the differences?
Gibson minis in their FBirds are all ceramic.
Duncan also sells Alnico minis. What are opinions on these differences?
Great, small, none?
I am looking for a vintage tone here...Johnny Winter's first album....was that ceramic minis in his FBird?
Thanks!
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

This is a gross generalization. For a more overdriven rock & roll tone go with ceramic. For a more vintage tone go with alnico.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

Johnny's first album was a Mustang through a Super Reverb, the Fender pups are Alnico, though.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

It's easy to make that mistake--my first good guitar was a non reverse Firebird V, which I fought with because Gibson had started making them with skinny narrow necks instead of the wide flat necks on older SG's and reverse Firebirds.

When I finally got to play a real Stratocaster (a beat to hell early '60's burst) I realized THAT was the tone I wanted, but I couldn't talk the guy at the store into a trade, LOL.

I even owned a Mustang for a couple weeks, but the neck was so small I couldn't really play anything on it, but they obviously fit Johnny's hands better.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

The ceramics sound pretty harsh to my ears, I vote for the Alnicos. The Antiquity II minihums are beautiful.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

I have been using an Antiquity Firebird. Its A2, and it screams! Great for gutsy slide work.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

Ceramic is brighter, harsher, and thinner-sounding to my ears. I don't like them in full-size HB's, and in mini's they'd have even more of the negative traits. With mini's I think you need to go in the direction of more warmth.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

Butch Snyder said:
Firebird Minis are ceramic. LP Deluxe minis are Alnico.
Click to expand...


I always kinda wondered by some of the vintage Firebirds were a bit more raspy, while my '70 Goldtop Deluxe sounded pretty mild in comparison. The stock bridge pickup was just whimpy, but the neck tone is to die for, especially now after 38 years of age. Anyway, the Antiquity Firebird bridge is a really gritty, aggressive A2. I like it a lot!
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

The anatomy of a minihumbucker....

The Firebird PUP is a different pickup from the Epiphone Mini Hum. Both feature Alnico magnets. The Deluxe is just like a MINI HUMBUCKER with the magnet bottom loaded, and with one row of adjustable polepieces. The Firebird pickup has a magnet in each coil, a vertical magnet like a Fender, and has no adjustable polepiece.

That said, as far as vintage minis, I was wrong about the Firebird mini having ceramic magnets...
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

Well, modern day Firebirds have ceramic magnets in them and they definitely have a brighter, harsher, thinner tone to them. I prefer alnico myself because of the warmth it adds. Minis are brighter than standard humbuckers, so to make them ceramic never made a lot of sense to me, it's almost asking for trouble.

They do have a really nice bite to them and really cut with higher gain, but they almost seem like "too much" to me.
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

I have a Dimarzio Minihumbucker/Hot Minihumbucker set in my Hamer Eclipse and it sounds awesome. Ceramic magnets.

-Austin
 
Re: Alnico vs. Ceramic Mini Humbuckers?

i have the sm-2 mini humbucker ceramic and it is not thin sounding at all. the clean i one of the best cleans i have ever eard and when overdriven you can play anything even metal
 
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