👕 Get New Ernie Ball Merch Now!
  • Ernie Ball
  • Music Man
  • Sterling by Music Man
  • Security notice: Ernie Ball staff will never send you a direct message about a prize or giveaway, and will never ask you to click a link to "claim" anything.
    If you receive a message like that - even from an account whose name looks official - do not click the link. Please report it using the Report link on the message so the moderators can act. A scam campaign impersonating admin accounts was blocked on 29 July 2026; those accounts are banned and their messages have been deleted.
Majesty Premium Select

Alnico Music Man 5 String Pickup

Musicman Nut

Musicman Nut

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
1,456
Location
California
Hey Kids here ya go, On ebay someone is selling a looks like to be a 1992 Alnico 5 Pickup.
I get 10 emails a month people dying to score one. This could be your chance. One never knows maybe one Day Big Poppa Will blow us away one day with a Sterling and a Stingray 5 Alnico version for i get so many request for that.

Anyway One is on Ebay as of today. DJ
 
oldbluebassman said:
I understand that the current SR5s have Ceramic magnets, so when was the change made from Alnico to Ceramic?
Click to expand...


Somewhere around the 1992ish, Ceramic last longer then Alnico and much cheaper to build yet sound very good, 70% of all pickups today are pretty much Ceramic magnets.

Some of us who grew up on Old Fender basses Love the warmth from an Alnico, and most guys I know who have only played active basses don't even really know the difference.

If you grew up with just active then Alnico orver Ceramic won't really matter, it becomes taste i think, to me its like Vinyl over CD's, Records sound warmer to me over CD's but a CD is like being in the control room, Both sound great just different. DJ.:D :D
 
Mr Light said:
Hmmm...

Why was there a change?
Click to expand...


Cost, Anytime you can cut Cost without Changing Quality it all helps. This is why I Love and Respect Big Poppa and His Daddy/Family, They refuse too make Junk or drop quality to save money like so many other companies. One more reason to buy a Music Man, First because nothing else sounds as Good. DJ
 
Is it okay to say after discovering the Bongo it doesn't matter what pup is on a Ray here?


tk
 
oldbluebassman said:
Is there an obvious way to tell the difference between a ceramic and alnico pick-up?
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% on this but, if I remember correctly, the older alnico SR5 pickups didn't have the phantom coil.
 
The SR5 pickups changed to ceramic at the same time the dummy coil was added (1992). If there's no dummy coil underneath, then the poles are alnico.

The alnico's also have a tendency to tarnish after a time where as the ceramic have a shiney appearance.

Also, undernaeth the pickup, the alnico poles have sharp edges. The ceramic's have bevelled edges. I say underneath because I think the alnicos are bevelled at the top (like they did the the SR4 alnicos in 2003).
 
If you don't want to remove the pickup for underneath inspection, then an indirect way is to look at the pre-amp IC chip.

The alnico pickups (without the dummy coil) used virtually the same pre-amp as the 3EQ's found on the SR4's with a "TL062" chip.

With the intro of the ceramic, a new pre-amp was featured with a "LF444CN" chip.
 
Thanks guys. So the early SR5s didn't have coil switching?


Anyway I've bought it .We'll see how it compares to the MM ceramic and the N*r**t***d that I have.
 
>>>So the early SR5s didn't have coil switching?

My understanding is that they've always had coil switching???

From 1988-1990 the pre-amp was the same as the 3EQ Ray with a rectangular board and TL062 chip. But the board was adapted to take the pickup switching.

From 1990-1992 they changed the board to a crescent moon shape but still with the TL062 chip. It still had switching. Actually they used the new crescent moon board for the Sabre Bass at the same time. But the swithcing to the board for the Sabre was adapted to take the two pickups.

Then from 1992 came the newer crescent moon board and new chip which is current today.
 
>>>Anyway I've bought it .We'll see how it compares to the MM ceramic....

Just occured to me Dave!

You can't put an alnico (with no dummy coil) pickup into the newer SR5 pre-amp. I don't know what pre-amp your Bass has. If it has the newer pre-amp and chip, you have to do slight moderations. I have the schematic for conversion if you need it.
 
So, if the earlier SR5's with the Alnico pickup had coil switching, but no phantom coil, was the single-coil mode noisier than the later ones with the dummy coil? I would assume that's the reason for adding the additional coil.
 
todd4ta said:
So, if the earlier SR5's with the Alnico pickup had coil switching, but no phantom coil, was the single-coil mode noisier than the later ones with the dummy coil? I would assume that's the reason for adding the additional coil.
Click to expand...

Yes that is 1 big reason for sure, plus as much messing around and coil switching myself in my own shop, i haven't found a way yet to have a 3 coil Alnico to sound as quite as a 3 coil Ceramic, This is where Dudley & Sterling should come in. They are masters at this stuff so if it can be done they'll be able to do it. DJ
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Classic Rock N Roll Slinky
Back
Top