Humbuckers changin

i know there must be a difference between alnico 2 and alnico 5. i know alnico 5's are supposed to be a bit hotter than 2's.

Originally posted by the fool
i know there must be a difference between alnico 2 and alnico 5. i know alnico 5's are supposed to be a bit hotter than 2's.

But what does "hotter" mean?

Higher output? The position of the coil(s) relative to the magnetic flux path has a lot to do with this. The number of turns in the coil also affects this, so it's not just attributable to the type of magnet material.

More high frequency content? This is also affected by the coil design. And the placement of the coils and the magnets.

An awful lot of the stuff we musicians get thrown at us is just advertising hype, or the musician's equivalent of 'urban legends'. Electric guitar involves a lot of technology in a very artistic activity. Sadly, this means that a lot of the people who are drawn to the artistry of making music with these wonderful instruments are poorly equipped to deal with the technical issues.

One of the reasons I use DiMarzio pickups in all of my guitars is the effort that company puts into taking the guesswork out of choosing a pickup. The descriptions are only slightly less hyperbolic than some others, but to my knowledge, they are the only manufacturer who attempts to [u]quantify[/u] the characteristics of their pickups. They give as much useful information as they can, presented in a way that allows some meaningful comparison among their products. If you have some experience with one or more of their pickups, you can make a fairly well-informed estimate of what results you will get. To me, that kind of approach is worth supporting with my gear-money.

Another example of this is Weber VST. More than the fact that their speakers are very well made, the best part of dealing with this company is the attention to customer guidance in selecting the right product for their application. Their website is loaded with useful information, technical specifications, descriptions, and comments from customers. And if you still have questions, you can e-mail the company, and the person who answers you is likely to be Ted Weber himself!

When I deal with either of these companies, I can be fairly sure about what I can expect from the product I select. Dealing with less informative sources turns the process into an expensive crap-shoot, and that is just not good enough.

{/rant} :)