Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

K

krulty

New member
Has anyone tried making or found anyone that offers a pickup with BOTH ceramic and alnico 5 magnets in it:?: there are plenty of discussion as to which is better. but why not both? :33: I know ceramic is generally stronger. but I also know you can get weaker ceramics and stronger alnico's. maybe one with a 3 magnet build. one in the middle and the other on the outer.

(p.s. if all your gonna post is. "it'll be bad" "it'll suck" ect ect, then dont bother, tone is down to taste)
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

you can have an alnico bar in the middle and two small ceramics on the sides
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

GilmourD said:
How'd you do it?
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Poorly. I cut both magnets down the middle length wise. This is something I don't recommend because the ceramics are brittle and break easily and the A5 is incredibly hard to cut. I put the A5 side facing the neck and the ceramic side facing the bridge. The ceramic gave the demon more bass warmth and treble sizzle.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Bulldog pickups have a few hybrid magnet models in the works. But i'm not too sure when they'll officially be out
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

idsnowdog said:
Poorly. I cut both magnets down the middle length wise. This is something I don't recommend because the ceramics are brittle and break easily and the A5 is incredibly hard to cut. I put the A5 side facing the neck and the ceramic side facing the bridge. The ceramic gave the demon more bass warmth and treble sizzle.
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Found out the hard way that Alnico is one of the hardest substances known to man, didja? How did you cut it, and did it require explosives?

Jeremy's suggestion is the best and most practical way, and not only because of the difficulty of cutting Alnico. Alnico has to have a certain minimum distance between the poles or it will demagnetize itself. I've had some custom width Alnico's made and you can get away with 3/8" but below that it gets a little dicey. So if you cut an Alnico bar to 1/4" wide, it might not hold a charge. Ceramic doesn't have that problem because its coercivity is much higher.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

I just looked into Bulldog pickups. it look like they're alnico 3 and 4 combined. not ceramic
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Jeremys Idea is more what i mean. I figure you can take a pickup like the SH-8 Invader with its 3 ceramic magnets and put the side ones in a SH-10 Full Shred keeping its alnico v in the middle. I was hoping someone had already done it or you can buy one like it
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Could you not use 2 slug coils, where one has Alnico rods and the other had a ceramic bar directly under the non-magnetic rods of the coil?

I've seen a single coil that had a ceramic bar under non-magnetic rods, and it worked for that (not sure who made it, though - came with a free-floating Jackson cover).
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Zhangliqun said:
Found out the hard way that Alnico is one of the hardest substances known to man, didja? How did you cut it, and did it require explosives?
Click to expand...
It took quite a few Dremel cutoff wheels. The magnet supply has gotten better so I would go with magnets cut to size if I were to do it again.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Yes, and if I remember right Andrew Lamprecht had a 500T with an A2 in the middle with the spacer mags left in it.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

just looked at the Gibson Tony Iommi signature and it is indeed a hybrid of alnico 2 and ceramic. But I'm not looking for vintage tone.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Iommi sound may not be true vintage, but its not exactly modern. I've looked into it now and its made with Alnico 2 magnet and Enamel coated wire, every thing about it is made to vintage specs apart from the ceramic magnet. so in essence it is a vintage pickup.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

The Iommi is a hybrid magnet structure like has been said here but I will add this...with the wind of the Iommi and the ceramic magnet it is rather far from a vintage pickup. I had a set and while I liked them Ia lot in fact) they are night and day when compared to a PAF or other vintage style pickup.
 
Re: Ceramic/Alnico HYBRID

Also, Gibson holds the patent for pickups with different magnet combos (at least for bar-mag combos in humbuckers) because SD has the Five-Two and P90s have multiple magnets. So Gibson is really you're only option along with one SD model (which if I remember correctly is only offered in a single coil without getting the custom shop involved).

The rumor though is that the Iommi has a ceramic and A2, BUT the entire pickup is sealed in black epoxy so no one is sure until someone is willing to cut two $150 each pickups in half - thus ruining it - just to look inside. I've heard it could even have ceramic, A2, AND A5 mags, but again, no one is sure.
 
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