Did some pickup magnet swapping. Confirmed my opinion

[scottosan]

Did some blind testing. Had my wife Mars the ends of the magnets with different color nail polishes.

Tried ALNICO 2,3,5 and 8 in 2 different picks. Took notes, decided and preferences and it was spot on to what I’ve historically preferred

1. ALNICO 2
2. ALNICO 5
3. ALNICO 8 and 3

Couple notes: I think it’s best if you swap magnets it’s best relax between the magnet and baseplate and reseat it while giving it a heat blast hairdryer. I was getting some excessive feedback until I did so


Historically I’ve preferred the 57 classic over BB’s, Duncan RTM vs J.B., and several other pickups where the modes were similar except for the magnets. The ALNICO 8 can become a hot mess with high gain unless you have the height just right, which takes time. The 3, which is the weakest of the 4, should only be used in the neck, as it’s too week in the bridge. Exact opposite of the 8. For me, without hesitation, the AII was most musical for both clean and high gain applications.

 

[grooveHT]

Scott, have you played with AN IV at all? Also, some folks talk about differences in polished, rough cast, and unoriented, not sure if you've messed with that aspect as well.

 

[SpiderWars]

Scott, have you played with AN IV at all? Also, some folks talk about differences in polished, rough cast, and unoriented, not sure if you've messed with that aspect as well.

Yes, there are all kinds of details about the magnets and some mfrs degauss them to varying degrees depending on what they are going for. There are some A5s I've tried that were just super scooped/boomy/icepick and others that were almost A2-like. There are definitely trends and overall characteristics tho and I tend to waffle between A2 and A5. Very generally speaking the hotter the wind the more likely I'd choose A5...the lower the wind A2.

 

[scottosan]

Scott, have you played with AN IV at all? Also, some folks talk about differences in polished, rough cast, and unoriented, not sure if you've messed with that aspect as well.

not this time around, but always found the 4 to be a very vanilla clinical sounding magnet.

 

[scottosan]

Scott, have you played with AN IV at all? Also, some folks talk about differences in polished, rough cast, and unoriented, not sure if you've messed with that aspect as well.

Yes, there are all kinds of details about the magnets and some mfrs degauss them to varying degrees depending on what they are going for. There are some A5s I've tried that were just super scooped/boomy/icepick and others that were almost A2-like. There are definitely trends and overall characteristics tho and I tend to waffle between A2 and A5. Very generally speaking the hotter the wind the more likely I'd choose A5...the lower the wind A2.

Speaking of winds, Many of people focus on the DC resistance of pickups to decide hotness. It’s really the winds, not the DCR. 5500 turns on one a 43ga wire would be hotter and less 15 percent less DCR than 5400 with 44ga wire