Alnico 3 Rod Magnets

[Brian W.]

I've been spending a lot of "Covid Time" winding Telecaster and Stratocaster pickups with Alnico 5 and 4 magnets. What differences can I expect with A3's ? I'm pretty sure there will be less output with the 3's. Seems that some of the early 50's Telecaster bridge pickups had A3's [according to some of the "boutique" pickup winders] and my original 1952 Esquire was a great sounding guitar.....but there are other factors involved with how a pickup sounds.
Anyway, just looking for some A3 opinions. THanx!

[big_teee]

I really like the strat and tele sounds of A3 magnets.
I primarily wound for rock and blues players, and the rounder sound of A3 was welcome.
My favorite pickup for my own guitars is a 4/2 A3/A5 pickup.
2 x .195 x A5s for E,A, for brighter Lows, and 4 x.195 x A3s for the rest, giving a nice tone on the high strngs.
Slightly staggered.
You get plenty of gauss from an A3 rod magnet.
Experiment and play around with it.
GL,
T

[Brian W.]

Thanx for reminding me about "hybrid" magnets. I was thinking about that about a year ago but was afraid that the A5 magnets would make the "E" and "A' strings too loud.
I'll check to see if Addiction FX has any A3 in stock...
I'm guessing the same specs work on a Telecaster bridge pickup?

[mozz]

Didn't like the A3 strat set i made that much. Kind of mellowed out and too smooth. There is no sharpness or attack like a staggered set of A5 there at all. My first impression was that it would be a great set if you only played rhythm guitar.

[Brian W.]

Didn't like the A3 strat set i made that much. Kind of mellowed out and too smooth. There is no sharpness or attack like a staggered set of A5 there at all. My first impression was that it would be a great set if you only plated rhythm guitar.

was the bridge pickup "brittle" sounding?

[mozz]

I sold the loaded pickguard but don't remember it being shrill in the bridge position, as much as a A5 anyway. Maybe the inductance was higher because of more iron, maybe the Q was lower. My testing notes ( memory) get lost after as while. But as I said, first impression was a great rhythm sound, as if the tone was flatter and a bit darker than A5.

[Brian W.]

I sold the loaded pickguard but don't remember it being shrill in the bridge position, as much as a A5 anyway. Maybe the inductance was higher because of more iron, maybe the Q was lower. My testing notes ( memory) get lost after as while. But as I said, first impression was a great rhythm sound, as if the tone was flatter and a bit darker than A5.

Thanx.
I keep hearing that A3 have less mids than A5 so I'm concerned about thinner overall tone.