Whaddaya mean with AlNiCo 5, huh?

[LtKojak]

Or A2 or any magnet for that matter?

Looking just at the AlNiCo sheet published in the neomax site, they can manufacture the following:

Grade US Standard
MMPA Equivalent

LN9 A3
LN10 A3

LNG12 A2
LNG13 A2

LNG37 A5
LNG40 A5
LNG44 A5
LNG52 A5DG
LNG60 A5-7

LNGT28 A6

LNGT18 A8
LNGT36J A8H
LNGT32 A8
LNGT40 A8

LNGT60 A9
LNGT72 A9

What kind do you order to your own p'ups?

Do you order by Grade or MMPA Equivalent?

What are the tonal differences among the different grades, specially among MMPA Equivalents?

Why are A6 and A9 not used (as far as I know) for production p'up making?

Inquiring minds would like to know...

[SJE]

Yep and I have a samples of pretty much all of them from Neomax - who I highly recommend (being nice people they are they even throw me in a couple of Ndfeb large enough to magnetise humbucker alnico for free!).

In my own personal opinion manufacturers (both mass and larger boutiques) don't use them since they are to obessessed with chasing the PAF rainbows of never neverland and same for purchasers. Even though many people wouldn't have a clue what a 'PAF' sound actually is!

I can honestly say having used both the Alnico 9 (which grade would be telling! ) and 6 in my prototype pickups is they both provide great sounds. I believe the 6 has been used in some single coils before now. For those who watched it - yes I know the sound in the video isn't great but I've been doing further comparisons with SD APH1, SH-3, SH-2, SH-5 custom and the stock Peavey EVH humbuckers and can honestly put my hand on heart and say my pickups have far better and more all-round sound than any of them. I still need to compare them to a pair of EMG-60 and 81s which I need to install in a guitar to give me another comparison - I might put up a better recorded blind vote on here when I get time.

The 9 is a strong magnet no doubt about it significantly stronger than the others however it's in no way harsh as in C8 sounding or muddy as the Alnico 8 is reported - although again the 8 has had good reports if wound with certain gauges, not that I've used one . . . yet.

[RedHouse]

... I've been doing further comparisons with SD APH1, SH-3, SH-2, SH-5 custom and the stock Peavey EVH humbuckers and can honestly put my hand on heart and say my pickups have far better and more all-round sound than any of them...

Be careful of PFS when you evaluate your own pickups.
(Proud Father Syndrome)

We all to some degree have a tendancy to initially accept our own work and find it's virtue, where we tend to accept others with scepticism and find fault, it's the nature of the beast.

BTW, I think your guitar sounds great, does that modern Metal thing really well.

Got a link to Neomax?

[SJE]

Be careful of PFS when you evaluate your own pickups.
(Proud Father Syndrome)

We all to some degree have a tendancy to initially accept our own work and find it's virtue, where we tend to accept others with scepticism and find fault, it's the nature of the beast.

BTW, I think your guitar sounds great, does that modern Metal thing really well.

Got a link to Neomax?

Link . . http://www.neomax.cn/

I spoke to Violet Yu . . . whose email is sales08@neomax.cn . . tell here Steve sent you and it about magnets for guitar pickups and it'll save you hassle of explaining what you want!

Cheers for the compliement on the sound . .

Yep and fully aware of the PFS! In my testing I've have tried to be a impartial as I can switching quickly between guitars and playing the same things over and over. At the end of the day I am trying to be as self critical as possible as the next pair I wind I want to sound better - also why I post on such forums as looking for critiques (good or bad).

And there is an 8 string set waiting to be wound (and the guitar is approaching finishing as well . . ) so that'll be more new experiments - yes Neomax will make magnets the right size for 8 string pickups to order without any additional production fees (I guess this would include 7 string sized magnets as well).

[Spence]

"In my own personal opinion manufacturers (both mass and larger boutiques) don't use them since they are to obessessed with chasing the PAF rainbows of never neverland and same for purchasers."

No, it's because people want the PAF tone not your AlNiCo 9 tone.
Now get out there and sell as many pickups as Duncan has.

[David Schwab]

Be careful of PFS when you evaluate your own pickups.
(Proud Father Syndrome)

I often make prototypes and then think it's the worst thing I've ever heard!

Puts me in a totally bad mood and I just stop there and come back tomorrow.

Then things don't seem as bad.

My Jazz bass pickups were like that. Then I tweaked them a bit and they weren't so bad. But then I decided I really didn't like them, and redesigned them.

Now I think they are the bee's knees.

[SJE]

"In my own personal opinion manufacturers (both mass and larger boutiques) don't use them since they are to obessessed with chasing the PAF rainbows of never neverland and same for purchasers."

No, it's because people want the PAF tone not your AlNiCo 9 tone.
Now get out there and sell as many pickups as Duncan has.

You see that's the thing 'people' don't. Some people do. Then other people want that 'hetfield', 'mustaine', 'vai', 'Zakk Wylde', 'Slipknot', 'Dimebag' or whoever sound these people don't just want a PAF. These people invaribly will want a pickup that can replicate there heroes but also give them their own tone.

Trying to replicate something made 50 years ago is very good and I respect the work people put into it. But it's hardly pushing the boundaries or advancing of pickup making and guitar sounds is it?

But hey if I ever sell as many pickups as Duncan - I'll be a very happy and wealth man - but considering his 30 year or whatever headstart I doubt it'll ever happen . . but more to the point you make if so many 'people' want 'that' PAF sound why haven't you sold as many as Duncan?

[RedHouse]

...they are the bee's knees....

How funny, that is a real saying where my wife is from.
(Scotland)

"The bee's knees" and "it's the beans" are classics.

[Spence]

You see that's the thing 'people' don't. Some people do. Then other people want that 'hetfield', 'mustaine', 'vai', 'Zakk Wylde', 'Slipknot', 'Dimebag' or whoever sound these people don't just want a PAF. These people invaribly will want a pickup that can replicate there heroes but also give them their own tone.

Trying to replicate something made 50 years ago is very good and I respect the work people put into it. But it's hardly pushing the boundaries or advancing of pickup making and guitar sounds is it?

But hey if I ever sell as many pickups as Duncan - I'll be a very happy and wealth man - but considering his 30 year or whatever headstart I doubt it'll ever happen . . but more to the point you make if so many 'people' want 'that' PAF sound why haven't you sold as many as Duncan?

You clearly have no idea. You're not pushing boundaries, you're just using an alnico 9 magnet. What have you done that's new? Nothing at all.
I haven't sold anything like what Seymour has. But that's my point; respect those who already have a reputation for making great pickups such as Duncan.
And for the record, most people don't like any of the artists you mentioned.

[David Schwab]

And for the record, most people don't like any of the artists you mentioned.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Metallica is a huge band, and Wylde and Vai are very respected players, as are the others mentioned.

Not really my thing, but I know a lot of players into those people.

[Spence]

I wouldn't go so far as to say that. Metallica is a huge band, and Wylde and Vai are very respected players, as are the others mentioned.

Not really my thing, but I know a lot of players into those people.

I know who they are and you're right about their size and respect but I was just pointing out that in the grand scheme of things, most people listen to something else.

[David Schwab]

I know who they are and you're right about their size and respect but I was just pointing out that in the grand scheme of things, most people listen to something else.

As do I. But I get a lot of people who cite them for tone.

[RedHouse]

As do I. But I get a lot of people who cite them for tone.

Same here, not in my top 10 but still in the top of the field for the next-gen. That's one of the things that is ever hard to choke down ...I'm getting old...the next gen has risen.

Let me tell a quick funny (or not-so-funny) story, at a Thanksgiving doo we had a couple years ago, my nephew was there and my very good old friend of 35 years (a vocalist, and my nephews dad).

In conversation I mentioned one of the bands I was in back in the 80's opened-up for a Cheap Trick / Molley Hatchet concert. My poor nephew was looking like he didn't understand so I looked over at him and asked "what's up" he said "so what's a cheap trick and a molley hatchet?" ...dang I felt old at that minute.

I tried to make a quick joke about a beer and a chaser but it didn't fly.

[Possum]

....

Man there isn't anything that really hasn't been done in pickups before, just spend a couple years digging up every pickup patent ever filed to see the history, its all there, the weird shit and the flops and the classics. Probably the most innovative thing lately has been the Alumatone pickups from Lace, yet its still an old idea they updated.

I think my 18 year old self would be shocked at what I listen to and jam with these days, jazz blues stuff stuff mostly. Back then it was Hendrix as G-O-D, Clapton as son of, Beck as amazing and Page as cooool. Maybe its something about the pentatonic scale getting realllllllly boring around age 49, there HAD to be more to life than THAT

[Possum]

...

How would you characterize Neomax's alnicos? Bright and shrill or darker/mellower, say in alnico 5?

Do they have a minimum order amount?