Alnico 5 magnets really are the “go to guy” for most of us when it comes to our first real pickups, and turn up incredibly often, on 90% of pickups out there. Tonally, they give a nicely defined voicing, often scooping the middle fairly heavily which really “cleans” the final product, giving great definition and bite in the top end – normally what people are looking for after dealing with the woolly, muddy tones on entry level pickups.

Here at HSMAG, we like to use Alnico 5s (or Vs) for pickups intended for a lot of lead work, especially with Humbuckers, so you’ll often see them matched up with a higher output coil and coil tap options. They really do lend themselves to a modern style, and cope especially well with effects, with the scooped mids allowing the notes to cut through all but the very heaviest distortion.

The one place that Alnico magnets fall slightly short of expectations is when their sustain is compared to other Alnico variants. They are, by their very nature, a strong magnet, which will limit string movement – the less movement, the shorter the note will ring out. Thankfully the curved nature of its natural EQ means you can cheat slightly by increasing output to rinse that little bit extra without muddying the final tone once the pickup is finished.