Identifying magnets: Ceramic or Alnico?

[Regis]

I have a 1996 Mexican "Sixties" Stratocaster I am wanting to sell. I took it to my guitar guy for a setup and he said the electronics were American, that is, CTS pots and Fender American pickups. He thought the pickups were alnico but wasn't sure.

How do I determine whether the magnets in these pickups are ceramic or alnico? It would be a good selling point if they were alnico, but I need to be sure before I say so when I sell it.

thanks

regis

[Spence]

Ceramic pickups will have a dark charcoal colored magnet on the bottom of the bobbin. The poles themselves are not magnetic. If there is no ceramic magnet underneath then your pickups will be AlNiCo.

[Joe Gwinn]

Ceramic pickups will have a dark charcoal colored magnet on the bottom of the bobbin. The poles themselves are not magnetic. If there is no ceramic magnet underneath then your pickups will be AlNiCo. Also, ceramic magnets do not conduct electricity, while alnico magnets are fairly good conductors. So, an ohmmeter will tell ceramic from alnico.

[Stan H]

Most alnico magnets are shiny where as ceramic is usually dark colored and dull.

-Stan

[Possum]

touch your ohmeter probes across it, no reading its ceramic