?Here's a neat little topic that really doesn't get a lot of attention but is very important. I am often asked "What's the difference between Alnico and Ceramic speakers? Well first off the two different types refer to the Magnets that are used in the construction of the speaker. The early speakers were made of "Alnico" magnets and the more modern speakers use "Ceramic" magnets. The reason why most speakers?have evolved to Ceramic magnets was to increase the power handling that the speaker could handle without blowing and they are cheaper to manufacture.
? There has been a recent resurgence in the use of alnico magnet speakers for the pure fact that modern technology has advanced?so you can get a little?more power?out of them plus the?benefits of alnico tone. These speakers are more often than not used in smaller combo amps that are normally around the 30 watt mark or less. Ceramic magnet speakers can handle the big watts and are the choice used for high power applications.
? What's the tonal differences? Alnico's are smoother and warmer, they "break up" earlier and are the best choice for real vintage tone. I have also noticed the bottom end to be stronger, bigger?but still tight, just overall sweeter and warmer. This is the speaker of choice for old Vox amps or small vintageFender amps. These are GREAT upgrades and very affordable. Jensen,Celestion, and Weber all have great alnico speakers. I use them in my small Fender's all the time and LOVE 'em. The Jensen PQ series are my favorite because they are very affordable and can handle more power! Ceramic speakers offer more headroom, with less midrange. They often can stay cleaner longer and are the better choice for the modern rock tones. If you're a Rectifier guy then this is the speaker for you. The bottom is not quite as full but tighter and better for the modern riffing style. Celestion makes great Ceramic speakers. The Vintage 30 and the G12h30 watters are my favorites!
Comment #1
(Posted by frank pacella) Rating
nice article, i am currently the owner of a 20 watt traynor combo that I recently put in a reverend alltone 1250 speaker (ceramic mag) I want to switch to an alnico jensen and sell the alltone which are commanding @ 120 on auction so ..... Im just an at home player but still like to sound good so i want to throw an alnico in my traynor jusy to see what it does to my sound. I play an American Strat and like most of the late 60s early seventies sounds.
thanks!
Comment #2
(Posted by looker) Rating
caught up on your comments of the two types of speakers. Great Help!
I'm changing speakers in my fender hot rod 40W soon and now i can get to " that sound " a little quicker and a lot less guessing.
Comment #3
(Posted by Chuck Wagoner) Rating
I want to run to run two Line 6 amps at the same time with one FBV foot pedal. Anyone have any ideas. Thank you
Comment #4
(Posted by Larry) Rating
Excellent info for most people.
Comment #5
(Posted by Leroy) Rating
Great article , just what I was looking for. Just picked up a mint Fender Blues Jr with all original hardward my intention was/is to hook up the sound so my Guild Manhattan sounds as fat and sweet as Grant Green.
I'm hoping upgrading to high end studio monitors is going to change my life and answer a ton of studio monitor questions. Posted in Audio Engineering Principles
When a company goes out of their way to provide outstanding service, I like to run my mouth about it. Today I tackle the verbal 5k for Pintech Drums. Posted in Drum Recording
Listen to a Neumann M147 vs Karma K58 on Voiceover from the Killer Home Recording System and The Interrogator Sessions. Posted in Audio Engineering Principles
---Quote (Originally by Danny Danzi)---
Grey area really...me personally, I always like to have more than I need because if I ever need it, it will b Posted in Sonar / Cakewalk
Yeah pretty much as soon as I did this little improvisation I forgot about it and moved on to other things. But it doesn't mean it was a useless excer Posted in Bash This Recording
It can be hard to tell, but you posted that your interface is a Fireface 800, so
that part of the equation is solved cause that's a top notch interfa Posted in Misc Music Stuff
My main box is a old ZPro. It has onboard SCSI for disks, all the slots are PCIe, and it's got onboard fire of some flavor & USB. The only Fire device Posted in Solve Technical Issues
Hey guys, it's been long since i've posted a clip here, but now i want your help to improve my guitar tone.
Guitar is a low end douglas with an a Posted in Rock / Metal