Ceramic or Alnico Pickups - What sounds better to you?

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You're young, you have good ears. No? Ok don't worry about it. Just play along. Let's see if you can hear the difference between Alnico and Ceramic single coil pickups in this completely un-scientific blind tone challenge.
Also stick around because I'm announcing the winner of the Donner DST-100r giveaway featured in this video: • A New Guitar For You! ...
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Опубликовано:

4 дек 2020

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Комментарии : 343

@MichaelJ023 Год назад

I had ceramics in my 90 MIM Strat. I pulled them and replaced them with SCN noiseless. I realized I actually liked the ceramic sound so much that I didn’t throw them away. I kept them in a box, for 10 years. I ended up putting them in a 73 Mustang where they still are. They are much more usable than the original weak alnico pickups that were in it originally. Nice bite and more bass.

@thoryan946 3 года назад

Yeah I could tell the difference. Ceramic is the superior magnet so the output is much higher. I used to prefer ceramics when I first started playing guitar, but now I've grown to prefer alnicos. The output on ceramic pickups was just too scratchy for me. It's definitely my playing's fault, but I found that alnico pickups are a lot more forgiving in that aspect. Plus I get a lot more granular control with soft and hard notes since the output isn't so high. And having less output isn't a problem because you've got a volume knob on your amp for that. I gotta say I'm pretty happy with my decision to switch to alnico pickups a few years ago. They're not as good magnets as ceramics, but I think they're perfect for guitar pickups. A lot easier to dial in classic rock tones with them too. ;)

@jc6721 3 года назад

Some ceramics are awesome. I built a SD Everything Axe which consists of a Lil 59 neck, a DuckBucker Middle, and a JB Jr Bridge but I put a Pearly Gates for Strat in the Bridge. That guitar sounds so great, just tons of tone!

@KKMDStyle 3 года назад

Is Y the Donner? With the bridge pickup being a humbucker, it sounds deeper than x.

@tomdameek 3 года назад

I’m probably a bit wonky but I actually preferred the Donner ceramics on my TV speakers - wow !!! Congratulations Sarah 👏👏👏

@nikolaakso5589 3 года назад

4:41 is that Street spirit Edit: I recognize so many those Radiohead songs

@practicemakesperfecto9624 3 года назад

Congrats man!

@Krywicz Год назад

Thank you for the video. I chose "x" demo only for first and for fifth demos, very good comparison, it was interesting to listen

@1RobHunter1 3 года назад

Alnico's "X" had more treble and bite while Ceramic "Y" were duller and more "blah" - "yeah I work, but not as responsive or colorfull". I will stick to Alnico's on preferences. Your video reverified what I picked in past. Alnico II, III, IV pickups Classics

@ringoheywood3255 3 года назад

Gotta say, guitar x sounded better. Full and less harsh. I just like those alnicos man! Nice video. Thanks.

@b-regsproductions 3 года назад

Awesome test!

@BudgetRC_Channel 3 года назад

I got it wrong because X was much louder than Y. Because it was louder, I expected that to be the ceramic guitar. I thought the cleans were nicer on X, but it sounded like the drive was clipping on X, and the overall gain tone was just nicer on Y.

@MZmytube3443 3 года назад

Alnico pickups do give that vintage vibe

@itsnitinbansal 3 года назад

You are amazing bro. All the best for 50k Sub.

@wilsonmorta7719 3 года назад

Good stuff man

@Trauzzinator 3 года назад

I got so distracted by the video playing upside down that I almost forgot to listen for the sound demos!!! hahahahaha!!!

@wheelchairtestdummy3059 3 года назад

Congrats to the winner👍 Can’t wait for the 50k giveaway 🤞 Awesome video by the way.

@marcoferreira4576 Год назад

X sounds awesome! Thanks for the comparison. Now I know that a Classic Vibe is what I want.

@johnconnolly3386 3 года назад

Love your channel

@0000song0000 3 года назад

This one was a bit "too obvious" but i still believe we all need a strat with Ceramic for some stuff (less high /less harsh high on drive/ less definition) to record the 3rd layer of guitars or something... AlNico's are very "in your face" for 2nd rhythm guitar for example.

@nikolastojanovic7629 3 года назад

cool vibes,great guy, im subcribed.

@landonbailey 3 года назад

Thanks for the sub!

@oldguy5381 3 года назад

Ok Landon I’ll subscribe, you seem to be entertaining enough I’ll watch for a while. You should make 50,000 in no time. Oh I was wondering if you ever tried the Slick brand guitars? I here they play well over there price point.

@xlvacp 3 года назад

Ceramic was louder and more muddy to my ears of that makes sense. The Alnicos were bright and crisp to my ears. My favorite is Martin. 👍🏽

@dawoud8013 2 года назад

Strange that in this video they are not louder and not reall muddy... I have ceramic pickups from a 2009 Squier Bullet (branded SEM) and they are great compared to my wilkinson WVS 60 pickups.

@gratefulmusicsound8337 2 года назад

@@dawoud8013 He’s trolling, He said his favorite was Martin.

@Randorita 3 года назад

It is really hard to hide the humbucker on Y. Alnico seems to be a bit hotter, but not necessarily better. Congratulations, Sarah!!

@mr1bienvenu1 Год назад

I had a MIM Strat with ceramic pickups and I LOVED them. I also had ceramic humbuckers in a G&L and I hated them.

@Shaun.Stephens 3 года назад

Thanks Landon.

@cameronandy84 2 года назад

I prefer X, which pup is that i presume Alnicos?

@ColinBloodworth 3 года назад

I always wonder this. Great video as always, Landon. I appreciate your work.

@RByrne 2 года назад

I have an old Epiphone Custom shop GT Les Paul. It's got ceramic pickups, trem bar and a killswitch. The whole guitar is more geared towards metal, especially the pickups. I prefer the Alnico, but I can see why people like the ceramics. They give a really bright, or really deep sound.

@rockycassiano4756 3 года назад

X ceramic. Question: do lower output pickups allow the amp to, 'breakup', at a lower volume?

@ryanteacher8134 3 года назад

Wouldn't lower output pickups be less likely to breakup the amp at lower volume?

@KKMDStyle 3 года назад

I got it right, but the humbucker gave it away. I wasn’t sure which was the Alnico or the Ceramic but I could hear a difference.

@sublyme2157 3 года назад

I assume the strength of the magnet is what makes a difference, not the material it's made of. If we had a ceramic magnet and an alnico magnet with the exact same magnetic pull, and attached each to the same pickup, would there really be a difference?

@voiceofexperience Год назад

I got both an Affinity with ceramics & a Classic Vibe with Alnico pups. They both sound good, but different. "Horses for Courses". I wouldn't be without either.

@GK-ud8dv 3 года назад

I got it right this time !!>> one tip off is the ceramics are a slightly louder, but to me the tones on both are good. Cheap ceramics sound muddy though, while even cheap ALNICO sound cleaner but have weak output. Good quality of either are more a matter of taste in my opinion.

@nichohells 3 года назад

Alnico, it's just better. It was easy for me, I play my player series strat way too much to not notice.

@tonysansom 3 года назад

Hey, well done Sarah!! Enjoy!

@philsequeira3180 3 года назад

Thanks for the giveaway, Good stuff!

@CarlosTehJackal 3 года назад

The alnicos on the Squier stood out. Donner still sounds pretty good though.

@danielsandaarhus 3 года назад

I had no idea, what was what, BUT thought X (the alnico apparently), was the best sounding one on almost every sound! It was the clearest, most defined and also the loudest for the most part. Louder is not always equal BETTER, of course but it definetely helps in a comparison like this, when trying to determine the texture and definition of a sound. The loudest one tend to stand out. But then you say that ceramic PU's tend to be louder? So yeah, its a funny little comparison, and now i cant help wonder if you switched them around somehow? :-D Thanks for the effort, nonetheless! :-)

@mojotronix3994 2 года назад

I can't believe I picked a ceramic (Y).over the alnico. Y sounded smoother. I'm confused. Perhaps the perceived lower volume in recorded y pickup threw me off?

@BeerZerkeraidean 3 года назад

Shawicked vid I could use a classic vibe for sure. Cheers ! Just subbed, Have you tried the Greg Bennett Samick's out ?

@landonbailey 3 года назад

cheers! I haven't heard of that

@BeerZerkeraidean 3 года назад

@@landonbailey A good cheap guit for sure.

@abujog 3 года назад

Got it right!!

@johnwelch557 3 года назад

I did see the results, so, my pick is x=alnico. Much more defined sound and broader frequency response. I prefer alnicos on my guitars, but also have ceramic for lots of genre defined recordings. Nice review and cheers to the guitar winner! Thanks Landon!

@DuplexIty1421 Год назад

I'm watching this after I ordered my first guitar ❤, its gonna be a strat type with alnico pickups. I honestly thought guitar X was the ceramic because of how bright it sounded. Thank you Landon

@davidlouis2354 3 года назад

Y WAS BEST FOR ME. IT WAS WARMER AND HAD A VERY SLIGHT REVERB VIBE. X WAS A LOT CLEARER BUT SOUNDED CHEAP TO MY EAR. I LIKE A MORE BALLSY SOUND. NO SHADOWS FOR ME THANKS.

@jimcamp2423 2 года назад

I think it's really a push, the differences I heard was probably more due to the specific setup, could be pickup height, action height differences, pot differences, basically just a cumulative difference of the entire guitar build & setup. I preferred Alnico on some of the settings, ceramics on others. This is one reason I don't swap parts out on a guitar unless they're broken really. If a pickup is mocrophonic & I've rarely ever had that happen. Really get that with a sub $ 100, but even with those it's rare to get that pickup that is poorly potted or defectively wound. I recently bought a Tele that had a looser & rattly neck pickup cover & the bridge bobbin top flatwear piece wasn't flat for that pickup. Both easily fixable with gentle & minor surgery to take them apart and fix the issue. Whether it was a curled/warped bobbin, flatware part or it needed a little more or less wax for the potting on the top of the pickup. That Tele plays about as good as any other Tele on the planet, even one's priced hundreds & thousands more. The more I adjust & noodle around, with a guitar setup, it would have to really be poorly constructed & aligned for them to sound awful. If the alignment is correct, the setup is the difference maker. Even perceived cheaper strings that many whine about, seem to matter less when the guitar is properly aligned from the tuners to bridge, also setup & played in.

@jfiery 3 года назад

Ahhh "Doesn't Remind Me" by Audioslave. Very nice!

@itsnitinbansal 3 года назад

congrats to the lucky winner. You are really lucky to get this guitar from Landon Bailey.

@levieux666 3 года назад

Congrats to the winner 👍

@mashilmy 3 года назад

i guess... guitar x is alnico guitar y is ceramic if i described both pickups, it'll be like this : ceramic : modern sounding (smoother), warmer, bassier, sometimes it'll sound muddy if the pickup is too close to the strings alnico 5 : vintage sounding (sharper), brighter, twangier, treblier, rich of clarity, less bass, bell like tone

@landonbailey 3 года назад

cool thanks for the sharing!

@DavidHBurkart 2 года назад

Hey, I got it right... probably because of my Squier CV 70s with Alnicos. Sounded familiar

@deadbang241 2 месяца назад

Switched to the Alnico 5’s on my strat and my low E string was buzzing above the 15th fret ! It didn’t buzz before , couldn’t figure out why that was happening ? Lowered the base side of the pick ups and viola , no more buzz ! Definitely stronger magnets ,for sure !

@Kevin.OBrien44 3 года назад

Wow that color is sick

@CIRCLEKELDEREMO 3 года назад

i was split till you did the neck alone and then I knew which one was which.

@valueofnothing2487 3 года назад

The ceramics in my Ibanez sound a little dead sounding, and they have unpleasant distortion after effects. Clean they sound great, but not quite as great as my single coil Alnico. But it is quite possible I have no idea what I'm talking about.

@thelastgreyhawk2161 Год назад

I determined Ceramic was Y I looked for what I seemed to have less articulation/subtleties. Having never owned a guitar with ceramic pickups before until recently the first thing I noticed was the ability to get a different sound by using more or less force was practically absent, that I do not appreciate and those pickups will be replaced sometime soon

@jessecrockett8127 3 года назад

The Alnico pickups are distinct and bright. The highs are noticeably high and the lows are noticeably low. Gives a good vintage sound. I'd prefer it in the neck, playing something slow and clean. The ceramic pickups are what some people would consider thin and flat, but I consider very round and smooth. The lows and highs blend very well together for a thick tone. I'd probably use it in the bridge with distortion, allowing me to get a heavy tone across all strings. They're both great pickups, my experience with both is that sometimes with Alnico the highs are almost ear piercing through a loud amp or with headphones, you need to roll the tone and volume down a bit. And the ceramics can't quite survive on their own, I feel they're a blank canvas for tone control and effects.

@davidkastin4240 3 года назад

I thought you already did the giveaway on the Donner Strat last week. It's al nee co. I couldn't tell which was which on the tone test this time and usually I can. I love ceramic and alnico single coils and experiment with different K output pots with them with great results. I mentioned if I win the giveaway I'd give it to my son.

@shaunw9270 3 года назад

Al Ni Co = Aluminium , Nickel and Cobalt. Why Al Knee Coe ? 😂

@darwinsaye 3 года назад

I guessed right, but I also learned from this demo that not even bright ceramic magnets can brighten up a humbucker.

@andyhightides 3 года назад

Blind comparisons make me uncomfortable, but that's kind of your channel in a nutshell, so, good job.

@plecksiboya5992 4 месяца назад

I was right because i know the fender very well.. But now i knew more what is facifica all bout... Thanks bro..thats helps alot

@StaggaLags 3 года назад

I guessed guitar X and Y correctly only because guitar X sounded really similar to my Squier Affinity. Those ceramics sound better with dirt on than the alnicos to my ears.

@jujijime 3 года назад

...”just... stay subscribed.” 😄... subbed!

@MajorUpgrade 3 года назад

Why is it every time I see an X and Y comparison video...I think of Algebra and get nervous about failing at math? If train X carrying 450 Fender guitars is heading west at 80 MPH directly towards another train heading east going 450 MPH that is carrying 80 Donner guitars, how many Michael Bolt-ons hits does it take to win a Grammy? Well, DUH! The answer of course is just 1 upside-down Landon doing a blurry unboxing video. Also, those alnico pickups sounded pretty good in my opinion. You know you wanted my opinion. You asked for it. Also, congratulations to Sarah Conor for winning the guitar. I hope it helps you to defeat the Terminator and stop judgement day from coming.

@davidkastin4240 3 года назад

It was Sarah Gardiner

@MajorUpgrade 3 года назад

@@davidkastin4240 my bad. Sarah Gardiner, good luck with the T-1000's. 🤣

@michaelrendon6808 3 года назад

Michael definitely has a set-neck.

@MajorUpgrade 3 года назад

@@michaelrendon6808 This is the tale...of Captain Jack Sparrow - pirate so brave on the seven seas....

@thomaslthomas1506 Год назад

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

@vince8081 5 месяцев назад

Ceramic has a harsh tone, especially in the treble, for certain type of sounds it can be great, mostly in distorision. Alnicos are sweeter and more musical to my ear, and the choice between II, III, IV and V are noticable. Alnico II are my favourites.

@Jack-bz6nj 3 года назад

i love your humour

@diekatze1781 2 года назад

👍👍👍👍👍!!! Hi Landon , nice to see you and thanks for making this video. I hope You are fine. you seem a little bit exhausted. Ceramic is significantly harder and thinner than an Alnico pickup. if you know exactly what you want to play and how it should or must sound. You must choose the pickups accordingly. For example. I think ceramics are good for hard and aggressive sounds. modern sounds and nothing for 50s sounds ,for example. maybe for 60s sound with the right amp attitude. if i want to play 50s sound i use alnico vintage pickups. I think ceramic pickups are a little bit bad for good Strat sound. for example.

@landonbailey 2 года назад

cheers! this was a while ago

@usafirefly7967 2 года назад

X is louder than Y so people generally go for louder -- need to be equal volume right?

@landonbailey 2 года назад

I don't know what people go for

@dragan4658 3 года назад

Scientological! Always entertaining! Very fitting to play Rush-ish tunes on a Canadian channel! The classic vibe is one nice guitar, one of the best deals at that price range. 🤟

@chrisdaykin3899 3 года назад

I guessed correctly - but more because the Donner needs some setup work - the pick ups sounded the same on my tablet

@chriskoch2465 3 года назад

I called x as vintage vibe, great sounding for the price

@carpathus 3 года назад

Have Fender ceramics in a mim strat and DD alnicos in a VM strat. Like them both.

@Jet1ranger 3 года назад

The sounds were pretty clear. I liked the Donner sound better.

@jimmyjames2022 3 года назад

I toss back and forth over my PRS SE stock HB Bridge pup with ceramic magnet, or does it need an Alnico bar magnet or pup swap. Only way to know for sure is use the same pickup, same guitar and swap magnets and see what I like best, before blowing lots on pup swap. The Donner pups are muddy, but ceramics don't need to be, so I think your comparison says more about the Donner pups than the magnet differences. Congrats to Sarah!

@auntjenifer7774 3 года назад

I've got an older PRS se custom 22 and it sounds like ALNICO to me.

@jimmyjames2022 3 года назад

@@auntjenifer7774 Thanks. Mine's a 2008 PRSE SE SC (22 fret, 25in scale), I haven't opened the pup up to see, just read that they were, they are pretty bright sounding and loud, not warm, not thick. I also read that they're ALNICO 2 or 5, just shorter magnet 2.25in and maybe that explains the sound. PRS says the resistance is around 10K but I haven't measured it. Hard to get actual specs online for SEs so nothing definitive. What ALNICO you think they are 2 or 5?

@peyotepete4903 3 года назад

Yes!

@mertacaban1789 3 года назад

my favorite guitar company is people who made their own guitar not fabricate guitars maybe one day i can make mine. but in my country its hard to buy guitar making one is nearly imposibble :(

@chijuumanalo2879 3 года назад

Both 👍

@theblondelions9894 Год назад

if u are using a good ceramic picks u can equalize the tone of ur amp and guitar increasing the bass and u get a similar sound to alnico. Alnico gives u more round sound that´s is true but when u are in a band this produces por interferences with the bass for example. So we must be careful and think about many variables that influence: the amp equalization , the context, the type of guitar u are using etc. Different colour for different tastes as we say in Spain.

@Bovineicide 3 года назад

I couldn't tell the difference with youtube compression lol

@Gramasz 3 года назад

Tone deaf....

@wincysalandanan9862 Год назад

Got my decision at first comparison. Had my decision final at bridge pickups. Humbuckers rlly sound different with single coils. Got it right thou

@Curtislow2 3 года назад

Congratulations Sahara!

@neildmonte8786 3 года назад

Ceramic pickups aren't as warm to my ears but are much cleaner sounding for sure, especially when you add gain or od.

@thadedwards2285 3 года назад

Congratulations, Sarah!

@williamkennonjr1147 3 года назад

Yes you can hear a difference definitely

@giuseppegeppetto8705 2 года назад

I think ceramic pickup has a more compressed sound, while Alnico pickup has a more clear sound. It's just about personal preferences and what kind of music to play with what kind of effectors and amplifier.

@DaleStephens Месяц назад

I use Tom Anderson pickups which are neodymium. Strong tight response.

@kolchak3578 3 года назад

I own 3 guitars and all have alnico pickups. So I guess I prefer them. But I don’t mind ceramic in some guitars. On a side note - I love that Fly By Night intro too. I play it just about every time I have a guitar in my hands. Cat Scratch Fever is another of my go to riffs. Would be cool if you made a vid of riffs you love to play.

@sleepycoco9172 3 года назад

I like X, guessing alnico for X. Fly by Night! I knew when I heard the bridge clean.

@mikeybeazley3 5 дней назад

Here 3 years late, but… through my iPad speakers I actually kinda preferred the ceramic ones in the 5 and 3 positions. The alnicos sounded better with more clarity on the in between positions and the bridge to my ears. That bridge humbucker sounded pretty bad to me though.

@azazeellucifer684 2 года назад

I like X, will find out which one is it

@peskypesky 2 месяца назад

I often get fooled on these blind tests, but I got this one right. The ceramics are slightly more "harsh". Not a huge difference, but enough.

@snowcie 3 года назад

I'm at 3:36 . Damn I honestly cant tell which is which, because I like how both sound. It's just going to be a personal preference at this point lol

@absolutely_senna 2 года назад

Obviously the Y guitar has less bass frequencies so it's the guitar with ceramic pickups. Anyway, it's the fingerboard the most affective part of the sound, so you should do the comparison with both guitars with the same fingerboard (maple or rosewood).

@landonbailey 2 года назад

they would sound the same

@patientswim6888 2 года назад

Oh mate, what are you talking about? That's like saying the particular type of steel in the roof of a car has the biggest effect on the noise that comes out of the exhaust.

@pflakes5497 Год назад

Tone wood is a myth😂

@DanLacroix 3 года назад

Made sense the way R.Baker said that the guitar he gave away was part of the channel and that's why he used it in a few vids. I think you should do the same! As for the difference in tone, I honestly think that it wouldn't make a difference if I was playing a $200 guitar and a $5000 guitar.. They all sound like garbage in my hands (working hard to change that).

@landonbailey 3 года назад

Love Robert’s stuff! I did use this guitar in 3 videos total

@joelpoitras6226 28 дней назад

Ceramic in the bridge, and alnico in the neck position is a good balance.

@mrsips710 3 года назад

Y was the ceramic pickups. Ceramic is pretty distinct; not bad, but distinct. I've had cheap Squier ceramic pickups (particularly the ones that were in my Bullet Tele) that were pretty cool.

@avgmaster1 3 года назад

I know what you mean

@soonkihong8727 2 года назад

Wow you love Radiohead! I love them a lot as well! Good riffs!

@Yeti.Goose.Creature 2 года назад

I tested this out using two Strats, comparing back to back recordings, and found the OPPOSITE of what I was told. Ceramic pickups had more bass, Alnico V pickups had more treble. Both had the about same output / volume. Which just goes to show that you can't trust what so-called experts write about on websites. ;)

@cmmnsenserules4339 Год назад

Ok I listened with headphones on that time. BIGGGGGGGG difference. The CV I really liked. The only way I can describe it was more "authentic, classic strat tone"......that being said, the ceramic pickups are very good. It's not until you hear them side by side that it stands out. You earned yourself a subscriber 👍

@landonbailey Год назад

cheers!

@3r1cratpool22 2 года назад

I prefere alnico. I just bought a strat jv modified and they say vintage style pups but i suspect ceramic. Its hard for me to play ceramic pups. The dynamic is different and they sound cold to me. I love the strat but something is not vintage in their vintage style pickups. Dosent sound round and creamy. They sound crispy and cold and hard to play with.