A8 Vs Ceramic Humbucker

I really like the a8 in the bridge.

A8 vs ceramic humbucker.

The ultimate alnico pickup test. So we often hear. I m not sure about the magnet strength stuff but in my experience the a8 has the most output followed by a5 a4 a2 a3. Whereas ceramic is used in metal as it sounds tight loud and cool.

I change ceramic magnets to alnico 5 magnets and compare the sound with before and after video. The upper response is smoother and sounds more like an a2. A2 a3 a4 a5 and a8. In this video i record the stock.

The a8 has a unique flavor one that seems to span the gap between alnico and ceramic magnets in that it has alnico sweetness in the highs and ample mids but also has a tight low end similar to a ceramic. The alternative 8 humbucker uses high output coils along with a powerful alnico 8 magnet to give you the sweet treble response of an alnico 2 magnet with the midrange emphasis of alnico 5 and the power of a ceramic. The alt 8 is one of seymour s more recent offerings and the first of their production humbucker line to be designed around the a8 magnet. To my ears it has a nice tight low end like an a5 but without the harsh top end and less mid scoop.

The result is a huge punchy high output sound that doesn t get fizzy and cuts through without sounding harsh. You often hear that the sound of a pickup is dominated by the choice of magnet used in its construction. To crown a winner in our alnico vs ceramic magnets shootout we would need a way to accurately compare the two which is not an easy task. Alnico seems to be the popular favorite but on the other hand there is no shortage of popular recordings that feature ceramic pickups.

Alnico vs ceramic magnets. Here i change the tone of a single cut double humbucker pickup guitar by switching magnets. Alnico v bridge option for black hawk. What is the tonal difference in changing an alnico 5 magnet for an alnico 8 magnet in a humbucker pickup.