Are ceramic pickups the work of the Devil?

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:09 pm

I was looking for some sweet deals on the internet and came across someone selling Melody Maker pickups. He claimed that they were ceramic and instantly my buying boner died on me. That got me thinking, why is it so that "real" pickups have to be AlNiCo or CuNiFe (for weird types) all the way and ceramic carries a stigma of cheapness and crap?

Is my soul in danger for gazing lustfully at them?

Post by **Doog** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 7:18 pm

They're fine.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:11 pm

As long as dem magnetic domains line up, it don't matter.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:11 am

This is a misconception; there's a billion expensive/in-demand ceramic humbuckers. Super Distortion, Hotrails, Gibson 496R/500T and Dirty Fingers, Musicman Stingray bass pickups, Bill Lawrence, etc... they make a better hard rock or metal pickup to many.

Obviously there's a big difference in vibe between a cheapo ceramic Strat pickup being propped up with 500k pots and a ceramic high-output aftermarket humbucker that's scoopy or brutal by design (these are not cheap, so the ceramic stigma is not totally one of bottom-shelf).

Ceramic magnet pickups are thusly often designed to be a little louder and brasher, though this is not inherent of the magnet, nor is any other sound; all the magnet is doing is creating the magnetic field.

YuriK · Post by **YuriK** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:14 am

ceramics make some real nice humbuckers.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 6:03 pm

Some of the most iconic and well-known pickups in the world are ceramic pickups: Dimarzio Super Distortion, Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, Seymour Duncan Custom, EMG 81 Gibson 500T. They don't just make ballsy pickups, either. Barden, Lace, Bill Lawrence, etc. have built plenty of very clean low-output pickups with ceramic mags.

Compare that list to the list of CuNiFe pickups people have heard of: Wide-Range Humbuckers. Fair to say that ceramic has more of a track record of "real pickups" than CuNiFe does, which had at best a niche appeal.

Bill Lawrence wrote this about ceramic vs. alnico:

When I read that ceramic magnets sound harsh and alnico magnets sound sweet, I ask myself, "Who the hell preaches such nonsense?" There are harsh-sounding pickups with alnico magnets and sweet-sounding pickups with ceramic magnets and vice-versa! A magnet by itself has no sound, and as a part of a pickup, the magnet is simply the source to provide the magnetic field for the strings. The important factor is the design of a magnetic circuit which establishes what magnet to use.

Though ceramic magnets cost less than alnico magnets of equal size, a well-designed magnetic circuit using ceramic magnets costs much more than the six Alnico 5 magnets of a traditional single coil pickup!

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:31 pm

Ah good, I knew I was bullshitting myself. I added the CuNiFe originally because it's only known because of Wideranges and because "you can't get that anymore". Dumbest reason I've heard was that it's because CuNiFe is somehow toxic or dangerous

.

I guess the original reason why I felt that ceramic equals sub par is that I usually come across them when they are installed in a cheap and horrible guitar. NB: Not cheap and good guitar.