Busting A BIG Guitar Myth!!

Do Ceramic magnets make pickups sound thin, harsh, and cold?
Do AlNiCo magnets make pickups sound warm, sweet, and smooth? Let's find out!
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[@stevenmgyori3826]

Nice demonstration D! Helpful to many, Bustin' Them Myths! We're all Guilty of perpetuating them until we know Better! Well done and thanks for sharing brother!

[@jameshill2015]

Tele pickups.. Noise cancelling.. DiMarzio vs Fender vs Seymore Duncan vs Lace Sensor... That would be a GREAT comparison vid!! I just ordered Seymores vintage stack.. Kinda wishing I went with Lace.. Your thoughts???

[@iwct]

James Hill in my opinion most of the negative comments about lace sensors is because people don’t like the look! It’s rumoured Jeff Beck wanted pole pieces painted on them!

[@BlommaBaumbart]

Magnet strength influences the RLC system and that's easily shown by both physical theory and lab measurements. But it's a system, and every value is influenced by multiple things. You can make ceramic bar pickups sound warm or brittle, and things in between, no problem. You CANNOT take a single part of the system and figure out what the pickup will sound like just by that. Still, everything else being exactly the same, a Ceramic magnet, which will only have a fraction of the strength of an equally built AlNiCo V, will produce a different tone because it will shift the resonant frequency of the system. Whether the difference is big enough to be RELEVANT is another question, at least on a non-bass guitar with its more limited frequency spectrum. But unlike some other guitar components, difference in the magnet strength, if big enough, can actually be perceived by the ear of a regular human.

[@guskalogeros9021]

😂

[@vivekbooshan9954]

The biggest myth in guitar history is that it gets you girls.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

😂😂😂

[@MarcCoteMusic]

A good friend of mine joked to me a long time ago, "We got into this business to get girls... and, damnit, we'll stay in it until we do."

[@tonray9395]

Only thing it ever got me was calls from debt collectors

[@mayurpathak7347]

Yes 😂😂😂😂😂

[@drothberg3]

Certainly was a myth in my case.

[@diego2112gaming]

Bleeding love the sound of the ceramics in that Tele. Holy hells. That just sounded amazing. Warm and wonderful.

[@taxo]

Some of the coolest recorded guitar sounds come from ceramic magnet loaded pickups. Old Gibson dirty fingers pickups were ceramic loaded (and John Sykes wrote some badass chops there), Ace Frehley from KISS used DiMarzio SuperDistortion extensively and he got great crunchy tones as well. Ritchie Blackmore in his first Rainbow era played with Schecter Monstertones, which were/are ceramic tapped single coils. Rhoads and Lynch both did great use of the Duncan Distortion back in the day . Joe Barden made a lot of great sounding ceramic pickups as well. No reason to bash the entire category

[@fortj3]

You make an excellent point. I don't think anyone can argue with the tones Frehley, Sykes, Blackmore, Rhoads, and Lynch put out. They also happen to be some of my favorite guitarists.

[@taxo]

@@fortj3 I almost forgot. Brian May played Trisonic single coils. Ceramic magnet in there as well.

[@bjl1000]

My opinion is flux is flux and the difference is in the strength of the magnet. Stronger magnets should dampen sustain because of eddy currents.

[@scod3908]

​@@bjl1000 You're ignoring the shape of the field. The ceramic magnet stuck to the back will have a different field shape vs the alnico poles.

[@ScottANovak]

In 1973 I replaced the ALNICO magnets with ceramic in my ES335's T-Top humbuckers. I also cut out the centers of the pickup covers. I thought it was an improvement in the sound and never heard any of this alleged "brittleness". Your test confirms what I heard. The ceramic tone is actually a bit warmer. Between the brighter tone of the cutout pickup covers and the warmer tone of the ceramic magnets I have a sound that I like. I nearly always use the neck pickup.

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

Ever since I found you on KZbin, I have followed your videos. Excellent information every time. I am 72, been playing guitar for 60 years. Been in two BIG touring bands. I REALLY enjoy your videos, Thank You.

[@VeganGorilla555]

Now that I've seen the comparison side by side I can honestly say that I prefer the ceramic over alnico.

[@flotron]

I came here to agree but the demo prove me that alnico is better. Did a blind a test

[@jordimateubartroli951]

You can't prefer ceramics or alnicos, in general. You can prefer a certain pickup, with ceramic o alnico magnets.

[@stevejeffryes5086]

Yeah, those magnetic fields do not know or care who their parents are

[@stoosam3244]

Haha...THAT'S what it boils down too. I wonder if the field shapes are different...eg. the metal base of a tele bridge single makes the magnetic field more 'bell' shaped (looking at it as a cross section). This changes the sound and rounds it, compared to a strat single. So the tele was prefered for rock by many. Maybe the base loaded ceramic pups have a similar pattern (? I will have to research this now)

[@carlosclaptrix]

You should never forget where you come from! Bad bad magnetic fields!

[@Elcarsh]

@@carlosclaptrix I'm still electron from the block!

[@69steve2003]

@@stoosam3244 You can pour some iron filings on it to see the pattern

[@KenTeel]

They may not know who their parents are, but alnico and ceramics certainly sound different.

[@ericdenton6664]

The 1st pickup I bought was a Seymour Duncan Custom in 1983 in double cream. The pickup uses a ceramic pickup. At 17 years old I didn't consider the magnet materiel. I just bought the one the dude at the store said was great. It was great in the ash body strat I'd just assembled. I also bought a Schecter tremolo with a brass block the same day I got the Duncan Custom. I was also oblivious to the fact that trem had a big brass tone block. Later I put the Duncan Custom into a 1971 Gibson SG Special. Again it sounded superb. Even later I put that same pickup in a 80's Kramer super strat with a Floyd Rose trem. I sounded like crap.... A used $10.00 Ibanez V1 sounded great in that Kramer. The lesson I learned was a superb pickup can sound like crap in the WRONG guitar. You can't judge a pickup by the magnet type or any other spec. You must trust your ears. Fact: If it sounds good it is good. Thanks for busting that myth. Great channel.

[@agateenchantmentrockwizard5969]

Great demonstration, fair and unbiased. I believe you have nailed the differences accurately and to my ears spot on. Great job!

[@alexcorona]

I like Alnico 5s because it seems to be the best of both worlds, I have two teles One with Alnicos and a Brass Saddle, Bone nut. Another with ceramics, steel saddles and artificial bone. They sound like different guitars.

[@jamiej14544]

I recently bought a Bullet Squire Telecaster and was very happy it. The ceramic neck pickup had beautiful tone but the bridge pickup didn't quite give me the Tele twang I wanted, unless I EQed by amp to give it more treble. I decided to buy an Alnico 5 pickup on E-bay from China as a replacement. As I expected, the output was quieter than the ceramic pickup so I had to adjust the height higher to make it equal with the ceramic neck pickup. When I was finished, the Alnico bridge pickup had all the Tele twang and bite I hoped for, and I only paid $15 for the replacement! This is the third guitar in which I have swapped out one or more pickups!

[@RaphaelNano]

THANK YOU! Hate it when people read something on the internet and spread it to the world without checking. Also, about the magnets, I prefer alnico on single coils since I have a LP, cause I want a totally different vibe. If I had only 1 guitar and it's a single coil guitar, I would go with ceramic I don't know why lol. Myth busting series from you is my fav! Thanks, Darrell!

[@PD_Swag]

As a newer guitarist, this was really cool. The ceramics were definitely warmer and more vintage, but I could see them being too muddy for certain tracks. The alnicos were thinner by comparison but not in a bad way, I think they were clearer and more modern sounding. I think a fair conclusion is that they’re both great but for different purposes.

[@georgedickson1410]

My les Paul classic came stock with the 498r and 500t ceramic pups. I switched the bridge out for a Gibson 57 classic plus and the difference was night and day. Even with a saturated overdrive, the individual notes came out clear and articulate. On a 500t, is was somewhat garbled.

[@lgmx-peacekeeper3204]

It's not the magnet you're hearing in the ceramic pickup clips, it's the steel poles. The more steel you put into a coil, the higher the inductance it will have which increases the bass and mid frequencies while lowering the high end. Alnico poles have less steel in them which lowers coil inductance (vs steel pole) producing a pickup with more high end and tighter bass frequencies.

[@adamcolbertmusic]

I really do hear a "drier" sound with the ceramic pickups. Though they sound more robust in volume, the timbre itself does seem to be more "brittle". I really don't mean this in a bad way. I've been able to see/feel musical textures in my mind's eye when I hear sounds, and this is simply the best I can describe the ceramic pickups in words. They both sound great. I wouldn't say it's like comparing apples to oranges, but maybe apples to pears lol. Similar, but different flavors and textures. It just comes down to a matter of preference.

[@ardskoay]

Adam Colbert I agree. The differences are clear. Though, which is better is subjective.

[@Falasi4]

Really enjoy these types of myths being busted. Was doing something else while listening only and I could tell a difference but both were fine and venue would make way more tone difference than these.

[@joeanacleto2643]

you really want to compare, the original high output pickup: Gibson Dirty Fingers uses three ceramic magnets, the vintage high output pickup. The next are : Seymour Duncan SH-4/TB-4 Alnico 5 magnet Seymour Duncan SH-6/TB-6 Duncan Distortion™ (ceramic magnet) Both sound amazing, only main difference is one is Alnico V, other is Ceramic. Both are slightly different depending on the amp you're playing? Any of you that use any of these three you better demo these through a Marshall Super Lead or a MKII master volume, or a JCM800. You will get the best results. Tone of these pickups are subjective depending on the music you play and the amp.

[@KennethCrickmore-sl8jl]

the reason people think ceramic magnets in pickups are so screachy and thin sounding is that in the 70's guitarists would add ceramic magnets on top of the alnico magnets to get more output from the pickups and that combo although louder with mire power they were extremely bright and screachy. cermics alone are warmer sounding up to a point. I have 3 quad rail/ciol humbuckers thast are 18.6K Ohms each and are as warm sounding as any other humbucker just louder and since they have 4 coils, when coil split they are essentially humbuckers. but do sound more likw a single coil. I put them in a Strat build with many other tricks wired like a 50's Les Paul with coil splits I use .047 orange drop tone caps. with the bridge pot also a P/P to activate the bridge amdneck pick ups together regardless of any other controls.. Wanna Play??

[@aprendedefinlandiaconunfin9359]

I've been kind of an alnico snob since an old geezer told me about the difference between ceramic and alnico. I asked "How do you know when the guitar has ceramic magnets?" And he said "When it's a cheap guitar" and laughed, but yeah after that I always looked pickups by "are they alnicos?" Lol. Good video. I actually like many ceramic pickups and this video made me realize that I'm not a noob if I like them.

[@the4thway51]

Big difference in sound between ceramic bar magnet and alnico pole piece single coils. The brightness of alnico pole pieces remain articulate when in crunch or distortion. The cemamics are however muddy.

[@willhoren9200]

Brian May's Burns tri-sonics are ceramic. Does anyone think he sounds harsh?

[@ToddSauve]

May doesn't use a pick. He uses a British coin that is no longer in circulation, so that is how he gets part of his sound.

[@willhoren9200]

Yes, he uses a sixpence. I don't think that would radically alter the tone of the pickups.

[@tylerdean980]

Personally, I do. Just an opinion though.

[@PaintHerWhite]

@@ToddSauve just no and stupid.

[@ToddSauve]

@@PaintHerWhite I don't understand your reply ...

[@JRandallS]

I am digging the ceramic sound right now. Playing in a band I need some sweet midrange. The ceramics just do it for me.

[@adammichaelchannel]

+1 for using a pick sliding on a table as a sonic device, in the opening riff

[@andrewh1113]

It is more the guitar and pickup location than anything else that effects the tone. It isn't like the pickups being used are of wildly different classes which tend to sound better like simple generic pickups compared to Lollars.

[@bjl1000]

My opinion is, flux is flux and the difference is in the strength of the magnet. Stronger magnets should dampen sustain because of eddy currents.

[@kenmeen8918]

While the ceramic magnets did not sound thin, harsh and cold, they did sound veiled in comparison to the alnico, which was more open, airy, and transparent.

[@rickrichards2829]

Great video, but I'm more interested in that vintage AT-AT you have in the corner of your room!

[@neargaming2057]

Listening to the comparison I do note there's more treble emphasis with the alnicos. That's the only thing I noticed.

[@StuntcatTV]

Mr. Braun is a unicorn amongst the guitarists today. Knows how to play and knows his stuff. Keep up the great work!

[@justcallmesando]

I can hear subtle differences indeed but sounds to me like I could always EQ them to my taste.

[@chilidog73]

Wow, that MIM in the beginning sounded sooo much fuller than the American Strat. Well, Ill never worry about ceramics again. I learned years ago about misconceptions when I had a strat that wouldnt stay in tune and I thought I needed some high end tuners. Then an old tech told me to just lube up the nut grooves with chapstick and pencil lead. Problem solved.

[@spikeafrican8797]

So many myths. Sometimes the musicians community reminds me of the audiophile community. Thanks for this one busted!

[@wesleymorris1]

I think is a combination of winds and magnets, ceramic sounds better with overwound pickups imo, but paf or lower output pickups sound better alnico, but both sound good when everything is wound right. Ceramic can be harsh, in a brighter wound pick up or lower output, many pickups people love have ceramic magnets in them, it's many factors not just magnets that make a pickup sound good.

[@alexeyschezel8641]

thanks for comparison. I don't think that the myths have been just busted. My opinion is that ceramic pickup-guitars can out do the alnico pickup-guitars only if they go with the coil-tap function. Ceramics MUST go with the coil-tap !!

[@BobaFettBountyHunter]

Unlike with your video on the amount of sustain in heavy vs. light guitars, there actually were significant perceptible (at studio, ambient sound levels) differences between the pickups (ceramic vs alnico) regardless of how you want to characterize those (EQ vs. adjectives like "warm" and "brittle"). I'm not sure why you didn't discuss those differences.

[@TheSaxAppeal]

Ceramic to me sounds way better. I'm a sax player and this to me seems similar to the mouthpiece question: which mouthpiece to use? Which, to a point a good enough player can use any mouthpiece in any setting unless the construction is SO different that it's impossible

[@kiereluurs1243]

Anyway, interesting. Good way to compare.

[@alseveron6558]

At Last - someone blowing all the BS out of the water! Kudos to you, D!

[@SlowMenThinking]

A Ceramic magnet should not loose its magnetism where a AlNiCo will fade over time unless it has a keeper... both will have a different effect on the coil's impedance which may or may not affect the resonant peak of the pickup in a meaningful way.

[@theleftymonster]

They do sound different and you feel the difference more when you are playing rather than just listening because you can feel the direct affect of how pickup respond to your playing. It’s not a biased affect either because I had two Stratocaster and I didn’t even know that one of them had a ceramic pickup but the difference in sound almost immediately got my attention because I used to play in Alnico 5 pickup. It’s not about good or bad sound but rather different sound. I can summarize it like this Alnico pickup has more chime to it and gives you more initial attack but ceramic pickup has more sustain and less attack. If these pickup were amps I would describe the Alnico as Vox sounding amp and Ceramic as Roland JC amp if that makes sense to anyone. Both great amps but different taste. In fact I was thinking to change the ceramic pickup to Alnico but then I realized that I’m not gaining anything but loosing one more sonic option!! So now that I know why they sound different I would rather to keep it that way. Thanks for your videos by the way they are great and educational.

[@theifavlog1427]

Hey Darrell, how about a video A/B sound test of nitro finish vs poly?? Similar guitar, same pickups - different finishes?? Seems to be a lot of opinion speculation here. Just and idea.....

[@tomek9966]

Great video Darrell! I stop reading internet bollocks long time ago and as a bass player after YEARS of changing gear my main basses are Classic Vibe Squier series - CHEAP and BETTER than most "genuine" fenders I have ever played. We are fooled on the TV and internet too. Cheers!

[@birdmanbl]

damn good video thanks so much....been playing 40 years and you taught me something new!

[@justinzabilski4179]

Maybe test the different types of nuts? Bone, Plastic, Graphite

[@Turybegood]

I ve Got a Japanese Squier Stratocaster from the 80 s,it has ceramic pick ups and I love the warm sound compare to the Americans made (Too bright) for my taste,guitar players lately are more concerned about power pick ups than looking for a great sound

[@jeffruebens8355]

I like all your mythbusters videos. Another topic you could cover is if cheap pickups get worse over time or not. A lot of people are still drinking the expensive pickup kool-aid. Also, the difference between an expensive and cheaper amp, especially with the same speaker- this seems more true than kool-aid.

[@SirLoinMagroin]

Nice demo. Similar differences are found in alnico vs ceramic magnet speakers. They are different for sure. Even when all else is the same { like the voice coil size, winding, former material, ohms, wattage, etc.} I personally prefer alnico speakers but prefer a guitar with ceramic humbuckers and an alnico single coil in the middle. It seems to help me obtain a wider variety of sounds and genre's. If you just play metal there are better alternatives, as there are with about any single genre. It's also about personal taste. Other ears may vary.

[@danfurr1907]

The Alnicos sounded much better if you like clarity. The ceramics sounded a little dull. But some people prefer that sound. Me........I like the bright clear sound of Alnicos.

[@Roomfulofgear]

Ebony vs Pau Ferro vs Rosewood vs Maple. Do it Darren!

[@EinBierMedia]

The ceramic although warm, does sound brittle/less dynamic.

[@Healcraft]

Sounds like some sunk cost cope

[@baharuddinbukari3088]

.. thanks for helping me to decide .. I think I like the sounds the ceramic ones make more than the alnicos .. I guess I am cheap .. but the alnico 5 sounds really good too

[@robbyjobby]

I really appreciate your intelligence, Darrell.

[@hearpalhere]

Very interesting video. Just discovered your channel but have subscribed! Looking forward to seeing more of your content. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the ceramic pickups sounded but I still preferred the sound of the alnico on the clean settings for some reason.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Welcome to the channel!

[@hearpalhere]

Thanks!

[@garydorfman747]

I thought both sounded fine....it depends on what kinda sound your looking for....I happened to favor the ceramic sound!! I bought a fender brandX 25r watt for 25 bucks at a estate sale.....best amp I ever bought.....

[@zvonimirsarcevic7928]

Ive spent money on different kind of pickups..and they sound different and interesting at the beginning..but later its just the same.. From now on, unless something sounds really bad..I wont change anything..

[@keviniles8748]

Love this channel. So many guitar myths getting BUSTED! So many players get so tied up in specs and forget to use their EARS! There's only 1 question to ask yourself when choosing pickups, or anything about your guitar. Does it sound good? That's it! If you like the way it sounds and it works for your playing style and aethetic, use it! I've done lots of pickup swaps in my guitars and have never once worried about whether it was an Alnico or ceramic ir if it was Alnico 2, 3, 4, or 5. I just listened to the demos, tried some for myself, and made the decision.

[@ryotaryuu]

What is the difference between all the different Alnico types of pickups?

[@MrOgre1110]

I liked the sounds of ceramic pickups.

[@clintnieves]

The Alnico sounded brighter and the high strings are more pronounced. The separation is apparent even here with my iPad. The ceramic pickups made the strings sound closer in tone to each other. A bit deeper sounding and not much separation. Then again it might just be how you’re playing the strings. The best way to test this in a controlled studio environment. Better if it can be tested on the quiet rooms such as those used by Shure in their HQ. I say mic it up using the same amp, guitar, and settings, then check the recordings or get it on an oscilloscope, that way the only remaining variable will be the soldering quality, and the pickup manufacturing quality. I’m sure temperature, pressure, and humidity can play a tiny bit of a variable. If we can measure the voltage and ambient electro static charge as well we can finally settle this debate scientifically. I guess that’s going overboard and wouldn’t matter much in the real world after all of this so I guess at the end of the day just go with what sounds best to you that suits your style of playing. 😅✌️

[@Chris_Decker]

I use a ceramic Synyster gates bridge pickup, and is is anything but thin sounding

[@cabbycabby1770]

I’ve always known in the back of my mind that they use different magnets. But i’ve never put much thought into it. I just buy what sounds good.

[@jacobsaintjames]

I stopped searching when I discovered gold-foil pups. They redefine presence.

[@mpogze8020]

As far as all the descriptive adjectives and perceptions are concerned if something is repeated enough it can eventually become perceptual truth to those listeners.

[@self4autism333]

They sounded very different, thats something. How do we verbalise that difference. Having a preference is easy, as it is purely subjective and can even be left non verbalised. Btw what kind alnico were they, i actually really prefered them and want to mod some pickups.

[@terencehealy5110]

Hi Darrell could you do a review on tone cap's my favourite is orange drop but that's just because of its namesake 😊 I've seen an add for old style oil paper and was wondering if they would make a difference many thanks Terry

[@guitartec]

It's odd, In my experience, those who have no need for a specific tone from their guitar are the ones most concerned with it. I guess magnet material is a goal of some kind for the players that are more on the technical side and/or are less concerned with their playing ability... whatever. If you feel it makes you play better, experimenting is always fun. Pros can make anything sound great and many times are less concerned with smaller things you'd think they'd be concerned with. Their methods to get a specific tone are always different. If you listen to interviews with most pros, they'll say be more concerned with practicing your instrument. The rest comes as you venture. Things will solidify with your idea of tone and you probably will take many paths of equipment throughout your playing career. It's simply part of that journey. SOOOO, the pickups you use, want, care about, allow you to get your sound, etc. depend on the musical path you're on. It can be shortsighted to look at the minutia until you need it, but I'm not saying it's "wrong" to play around in any way. Just do it when it's appropriate and don't get caught up in it. Just sayin'.

[@fedboy21]

The different only the power output, ceramic has more power than the alnico....I know because i have guitars with those 2 types of pickups magnet

[@WorldClassSound]

To my ears the ceramic magnets were definitely "warmer" in a nice way (when played clean) but lacked the definition of the alnico magnets. The ceramic magnet seemed a bit "muffled" when distorted once again with less clearly defined note separation.compared to the alnico. I can definitely see (hear) situations where one would be more suitable than the other and in no way would I consider ceramic inferior to alnico but I do believe that the alnico may be more versatile and lend itself better to a wider variety of musical genres. Great video by the way..... Thanks for the unbiased info.

[@guitarshredddddder91]

Personally i love both. Depends on what im playing. Ive found with the 18V mod with the EMG 85 in the bridge with lower than usual gain performs amazing crunchy sounds and quite good lead sounds as well but again its all at what volume and gain settings are because these can change too much. Sometimes less is more with the gain for me. But i cant say the same for the jackson i have with its ceramic passive style pafs and those sound kinda thin to my ears and find that they kinda fizzle out and get this brittle broken glass sound. Which kind work good for bluesyy stuff in the cleans but i just dont care for them with gobs of distortion.

[@danieltrickey9285]

You showed a bar magnet to switch out. I thought alnico pups were magnetized individually without a bar magnet underneath. At least on single coil.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

Hi! Not on a P90 :)

[@paests]

Thanks for this great vid ! Cld you do one for Graphtech TusqXL nuts, and one for Callaham hardware please ? Tks !

[@LeeHoMusic]

excellent! thanks

[@1cleandude]

Another fine video Darrell btw I would love to lick the fretboard of that Tele!! She's gorgeous!!

[@tiejol]

Nice! i checked their website but i did not find the pickups for $15 do you have a link

[@blahblahsen1142]

just put one of each together like a humbucker with a coil tap and add a bland knob. tadaaaaa

[@DunderHead.5000]

I hate alnico speakers and pickups. They aren't well rounded, the treble is piercing and the bass is not tight. I swapped out my EMG 60 to a 60a and immediately put the 60 back in. I forget exactly what speakers I have tested but the change of a speaker or a pickup it made my baritone sound like a Telecaster and the change of both made it sound like a banjo, definitely not my style.

[@ziggylayneable]

Dude on all the videos the MIM were Hendrix-ish sounding pickups...,

[@labdra]

And now I want to order me some caramic pickups. And one more thing... If you ever decide to review your teeth care products, I'll buy those too.

[@robdarimartin]

Ceramic nice for jazz

[@ichbrauchmehrkaffee5785]

what was the distance between the pickups and the strings? Or more precisely: was the distance consistent throughout both setups? I'd say that could potentially greatly influence the test result.

[@Unknown-ko7xt]

*Doesn't matter of any sheet. Untill and unless a good player is playing the exact instrument.* ☮️✌️

[@curtwuollet2912]

The whole industry depends on the fervent hope that whatever sounds best is whatever isn't in your guitar.

[@springbloom5940]

Well, its pretty much a given, that if you spend less than $2k on a guitar, that will be true.

[@curtwuollet2912]

@@springbloom5940 And if you spend more than $2k. It seems some people are never satisfied.

[@springbloom5940]

@@curtwuollet2912 I know Ive never had anything under ~$600 that didnt benefit from relatively cheap upgrades. Particularly electronics. I just bought a $400 Jackson and got a noticeable tone improvement, with a $15 Chinese A5 humbucker. The ceramics were HOT at 16k, but flat and murky. I cut the output significantly, but got a lot more definition. I think you probably pay 20%+ for the headstock decal.

[@curtwuollet2912]

@@springbloom5940 that's great. But I doubt the manufacturers seek out junk, and decent pickups, for example, aren't very spendy

[@springbloom5940]

@@curtwuollet2912 They don't seek out junk, but they do seek out 'good enough'. Pretty much any guitar under $500 is going to have the cheapest switches and pots available. That may not cost much on your end to upgrade, but it does put a pretty big hit on mass production. For example, you can much easier afford $200 of incremental upgrades, than an extra $150 on the initial purchase. Also, market drives specs. Most people buying budget instruments are going to be playing by themselves in their bedroom, the vast majority of the time. Those thicc high output ceramics go a long way to filling in for other absent instruments and give a satisfying tone. Most beginners or wild kids wouldn't be as appreciative of the relatively thin, mid centered tone of high end pickups that are meant to cut through a band.

[@elonmush4793]

don't trust guitar forums, only trust your ears

[@sandb1867]

Agree. Don't listen with your eyes.

[@sighermike]

Yeah, and most people can't tell a difference.

[@29Caly]

I'm deaf

[@qua7771]

@@29Caly Do you read music?

[@troystaunton254]

@@qua7771 back in black was an exciting read.

[@geetarislife2843]

I don't really care about pickups that much they tend to sound the same once I run them through 3 boss metal zones and tune lower than drop F Im kidding btw great vid Darrel

[@Emergentministry]

Lol kidding but there is a lot of truth to that! If you cram enough effects on it and eq you can even make it really hard to tell between a humbucker or a single.

[@geetarislife2843]

@@Emergentministry lol that is true tho \m/

[@bradh6185]

Better be running those Metal Zones through a solid state.

[@geetarislife2843]

@@bradh6185 actually your supposed to run through an amp sim... duh

[@bradh6185]

@@geetarislife2843 Well yeah, if you're playing at such an elite level.

[@maureenbell5448]

Had to put it to the Test. Recorded an open D string . Once using a ceramic pickup, once using an alnico. Lined the 2 waveforms up and compared them. The ceramic was not too far from a regular sinewave, close to a piano waveform, rolling peaks and not a lot of harmonic content. The alnico was full of jagged peaks throughout the wave much more like a violin and full of harmonic content. Ceramics give a warm sound with a lot of fundamental frequency when clean and a controlled sound at super high gain. Alnicos are full of harmonic content and top end with an incredible musical response to the way you play and I love `em.

[@olivermirez6667]

Very interesting, thank you for sharing, Maureen.

[@9unslin9er]

This is specifically why I stopped engaging in guitar forums. You get guys recommending magnet swaps all day to fix a problem with "tone", and then you realize the "advisor" just sucks at playing and dialing in their amp/eq.

[@juanvaldez5422]

yup. The worst cork sniffers usually cant play for sh*t. They also like to make strong ascertions about gear they, in reality, have NEVER EVEN OWNED

[@Balesz36]

so true.

[@iganpparamarta8813]

Alpha Centauri haha true that. Tiger vs lion, Messi vs Ronaldo, katana vs european sword and many more

[@matthewrevell2706]

Yeah I wish more people would take online music advice with a grain of salt.

[@cadebrown2092]

All eqs at noon, just a little bit of reverb.

[@brianfromoregon2244]

What did I learn from this video, “I need a Tele with a P90 in the neck!”

[@frankfoduw-ci8rr]

Contemporary Telecaster® HH

[@malcolmhardwick4258]

I put a p90 in the neck of a tele and its staying there !

[@barbmelle3136]

From Leo: The P90 is a great tone, also: Check out his video with Gretsch Fltertron style pickups on a Telecaster style guitar. That is going to be my next mod project.

[@velvetonecustomshop5026]

@velvetonestudios on instagram. Our standard Tele has a p-94 or TV Jones T-90!or T-Armound in the neck. Strings vibrate further physically nearer the neck pup. Therefore a wider magnetic field is better up there!

[@christopherkaesemeyer1575]

I want a Tele with a p90 in the neck badly. I used to hate teles until I actually played one a few years ago and it was great stock but I thought the only thing better would be if it had a p90 at the neck. I'm still itching to get one

[@jdl2180]

They sounded a little different but both sounded very good.

[@jltrem]

4:41- "We'll talk about where some of these things come from." From guitar snobs.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

These are my favourite videos to make - bustin' some myths :) Is this one you guys had heard before? If you have any "common misconceptions" you want me to challenge let me know in the comments!

[@stankfanger1366]

I had a front row seat on the Alnico bandwagon for way too many years, turning my nose up at everything ceramic that came along, no matter what. I thought people that made ceramic pickups were building junk the easy way with cheaper parts and a faster process that resulted in an inferior sound. Alnico magnets required love and care, attention to detail, and a love of the knowledge of how to build a pickup correctly. To be fair, I was hit on the head a lot as a child. Honestly, though, while I could have gone the rest of my life without this being dispelled, I do love learning stuff. Again, Mr. D, a great video. I don't guess you'd dare to do the ultimate myth video, would you? Do you dare? Could you even say the word in a video without breaking the web? I dare you. Come on, say it! Say it! _TOOOOOOOOOOOOOONEWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD_ 🙈🙉🙊

[@ferrinbonn]

No one component of a pickup's construction will dictate the tone. Look at the product listings for Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio. There are only a few types of magnets that are used in pickups and tons of flavors of pickups. There are too many variables to be able to predict how a pickup will sound just by looking at magnet type or DCR or any other single point. The best way to find a pickup that will be good for you is to first identify what you want to change. If you have a vintage sounding PAF already, you're likely not going to see a drastic change by getting another vintage sounding PAF. But if you know you want something brighter, or darker, or hotter, that gives you an idea of where to go. Then find a builder that has a ton of info and some good sound clips. That's why I like Duncans. Their website is great, the EQ curves they list for each pickup are pretty true to form, and they have good clips that allow you to compare their different models. That being said, the wood in each guitar is different and you don't know exactly how a pickup will play until you get it in there.

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

😄 👍 Great comment! Almost every boutique maker offers some form of ceramic pickup too. People would never know as they just sound like great pups :)

[@ianmiller4195]

I've noticed when people disprove the myth about, "You need to start on an accoustic." They almost overcorrect and might make someone who wants to play accoustic decide they need to start on an electric. This is easily fixed by adding the statement "Start out on whatever appeals to you."

[@kenthomas1613]

Why aren’t there any neodymium magnet pickups? Wouldn’t they be great for pickups? Also, for another myth busting episode how about nuts? Brass vs Bone!

[@wmfthe5th376]

I wind my own guitar pickups, and I've made about thirty so far. I've tried different types of alnico rod magets, 2,3,4 and 5. The stronger the magnet strength, the louder and brighter the pickup sounds, using the same magnet diameter and length, bobbin size and turns of wire. I personally don't like alnico 5 magnets in Strat style pickups, because they're too bright. I don't give a damn about output, because I'm not trying to overdrive an amp, so I use alnico 2 and 3, mostly. I've also mixed alnico 2 and 4 in the same bobbin, which sounds very nice. Some cheap Squier Strats use ceramic magnets with bobbins that only measure 3.7K. They use more powerful ceramics to boost the pickup's output to compensate for fewer turns of wire. A slightly stronger ceramic magnet is apparently cheaper than copper wire and the additional time it takes to put more windings on a coil. Fewer turns of wire seems to have an effect on the attack and dynamic range of the pickup as well, fewer turns = faster attack and less compression/more dynamic range. These are not good things, if they don't suit your playing style. If you do like more attack and dynamics, then a Charlie Christian style pickup will give you that, with the heavier gauge wire on the coil augmenting those characteristics. I've also wound Strat style pickups with larger p90 sized bobbins and 38, 39, 40 and 41 gauge wire, FWIW, and I'm well aware of the effects of wire gauge as a result.

[@DreidMusicalX]

I use alnico RA5 EMG's and they sound great! You need to run an EQ pedal on them and choose the right cabinets to run them with though or they can sound brittle, chimey, or breaking glass. haha! But if you get the right ones (also depending on your amplifier you use)? They sound badass! I also like ceramic pickups as well. I like the DP100 Super distortion in a bridge and DP104 in the neck. Some like the dp103 PAF in the neck.

[@lazaglider]

I’d love to see you expend on this, similar tests for alnico 2, 3, 4, 5 etc

[@DarrellBraunGuitar]

You are in luck! I've got one in the works :) 👍

[@carlodelavera9735]

I was about to comment the same

[@fransvenrooy4760]

I thought he did those already a while ago.

[@SovereignOne]

One single description: Ceramic are not as chimey. They have more middle tone.

[@FabiansTinyWorkshop]

Great Video!!! Thank you for spreading the message to a wider audience :) I have guitars with AlNiCo pickups and Ceramic pickups and they all sound great. Of cause there are a lot of bad ceramic pickups out there especialy on budget guitares where the factory did not so much care about the sound but about saving money, but that's also true with cheap alnico pickups. It's more the cheap pot metal rods and the thin low-quality

[@self4autism333]

I do love my ceramic pickups, love them. Its just that this video has made me think they could be even better. The bullet pickups i have are only 3.5k. This is ridiculouuuus. However i just turn the bass on 10, mids on 0, treble on 5 and turn the tone knob on guitar onto about 5. I also use a scooped eq on my od/ ds pedal. then you get this vintage extreme articulation. Super expressive and its possible to get the jazzy tele sound on a strat this way. Maybe the 3.5 k is actually a better match for the ceramics. Mine sound really natural and pleasant this way. The other thing that seems to help is 500k pots, eventhough this doesnt seem logical to do.

[@MarioBohorquezE]

Another myth: Shielding eliminates single coil hum.

[@Hickeroar]

Yeah, that’s a weird one to me. It just cuts interference from outside sources that can cause static or other anomalies. 60 cycle hum doesn’t come from outside interference.

[@bciecko1]

Forgive me for the 2-years-out reply. Haha. This is true but there is a caveat. While it can't get rid of 60 cycle hum it can greatly reduce hum from outside sources. And when those outside sources are all but totally eliminated then one realizes that 60 cycle hum is nowhere near as loud or bothersome as once believed. At a clean setting playing at volumes suitable for a living room the guitar can be almost dead quiet. Mine are. While the statement of yours is true it's also a touch misleading but so is thinking it eliminates all hum. I have.peopel that bring guitars over for work and they ask for shielding and I explain it won't cut all but can can reduce some, if not a lot from outside sources as it sits in what is essentially a Faraday cage.

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

It does eliminate it though. I know how my Strats sound before and after copper tape shielding. They went nearly silent. After all, Fender uses shielding paint for their cavities for a reason, if it doesn't work - why use it?

[@bciecko1]

@@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040 "...nearly silent..." Is the point. Cut out all the other him and frequency gibberish making it in and one finds that 60 cycle hum isn't that loud in a low to moderately volumed set-up. It's still there though. Have a tube amp, like a Princeton, on 2, with a properly shielded angle coils guitar and it'll likely sound as quiet as a humbucker. Crank that volume up and you'll hear a little change in the hum. It won't be bad. You didn't get rid of 60 cycle hum you got rid of outside interference.

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

@@bciecko1 You do you.

[@erikbanuelos8616]

Wonder how those pick ups would look through a wave graph on a recording software.

[@jesus_talks]

That's what I'm hoping people start doing in their reviews. The words say nothing to me: clappy, bright, muddy. Don't know what that means. Show me a graph associated with the sound and I'll understand that.

[@ianbraganza3065]

Totally agree! I think what Darrell mentioned about focusing on eq profile etc... is definitely the way to go

[@qua7771]

There is a learning curve to reading that kind of graph, and knowing what it translates to in a real world scenario. It's easier to listen to what they sound like.

[@resterjp]

Maybe we should ask Brian Wampler? He does that all of the time, only with pedals, on his channel.

[@ErebosGR]

Ceramic: mid-scooped Alnico: balanced/mid-boosted

[@robinbebbington7063]

The ceramic pickups just seemed fuller to my ears and I preferred them over the alnico pickups

[@Case_]

The best I would describe the difference in sound would probably be that the Alnico sound a bit more single coil-y, with a bit of "airiness" to it, while ceramic sounds a bit more like a humbucker, slightly more "muffled" and midrange-y. But that's still rather vague, and, more importantly, the difference clearly isn't that big and the overall design of the pickup (diameter of the wire, number of winds) will have a significant impact too, probably to the point where it doesn't really matter much what magnet is used.

[@gersh1642]

Great point and well made. There's so many variables involved in tone, not least the fingers.