Lesson learned: no speaker will tune our guitars. Wow, that alnico sounded great clean and on the slightly dirty arpeggios. Thanks for the comparison. The Celestion Alnico Cream sounds great with vintage-style Marshall-type amps.
Your analysis was spot on. I preferred the alnico for the clean to light breakup and the ceramic for the heavy distortion. I guess the solution is to only buy amp heads and have separate alnico and ceramic cabs $$$$
Great presentation. Thank you for comparing speakers that differ only in one respect - magnet types. Most youtube music comparisons are presented in the most unscientific apples to oranges manner imaginable, making realistic comparisons impossible. Note that alnico systems normally weighs less than ceramic systems which might be the deciding factor in your particular situation.
Don't have to spend crazy $$$... Build your extension cabinets and buy cheap old electronics. I have a circa 60's RCA 1x10 cabinet (attic find freebie) with an RCA labeled vintage Jensen P-10Q Alnico and Just bought a Bogen Challenger PA amp for $6 and change that came housed in a double speaker cabinet. The cabinet was loaded with a Jensen 12" Alnico and a Jensen 12' Ceramic (right and left PA speakers). The amp (50 watt all tube) is being modified for guitar soon.
Good demo/analysis, thanks. I could hear the clarity in the AlNiCo for clean immediately. I think the AlNiCo is ALWAYS preferable if you have the money. Reason 1 is for the best clean tones. Reason 2, you can always get the ceramic tone from AlNiCo simply by either rolling back the tone on your guitar, rolling back the treble on your amp, or rolling back the tone/treble on your effect devices. No brainer to me, IF you can pay the difference. The same basic logic applies to guitar pickups for vintage tones. To me, clean is the standard. You can always warm up, distort, overdrive or dirty up the tone from there! If you don’t start with good clean tones as the benchmark, you don’t have a solid baseline or foundation IMHO.
It seems to my ears too that the AlNiCo speakers bring the presence, clarity and headroom the video maker describes. Why not have the full spectrum and harmonic content fully available? As I say above, you can always roll back the treble or tone on your amp or guitar to get more of the ceramic warmer or rounded sound. Sometimes, it's not what you hear, but what you don't hear, whether it comes to lows, highs or midrange. Start with full capability and tailor to taste! :-)
Well yes but actually no. Tone knobs (in this case) have very broad curves. Differences between speakers are mainly different resonances (fundamental wider resonance in the low end, 55 Hz or 75 Hz for example) and all kinds of narrow peaks and valleys in the highs (also how much they compress and how soon they break up etc). The same is true for pickups themselves (you can't make a single coil sound like a humbucker just by rolling off treble, not the same resonances).
I was shocked at the difference in sound for the final test. The other tests showed a noticeable difference between them, sure, but nothing like the night & day difference with high gain. That's a surprise. That said, overall, I actually prefer the warmer sound of the ceramic speakers. Good job, as usual, Darrell. Oh, I should mention that based on reviews by you & Brett Kingman, I purchased a Mooer GE 200 to add to my little arsenal of MFX pedals.
I went into this thinking this was going to be another one of those "I can't hear any difference" video's, I was wrong. Aside from the first setting, clean, I picked the ceramic. It just sounded more balanced over all to me. I have a hearing problem, the problem is that I can't hear! lol, so usually I don't detect subtle differences anyway but this time I did. I will say it was not a major difference in the first three but the last, heavy distortion, the ceramic stood out even more. The Alnico sounded muddy on the lows. Not real muddy, as in if It wasn't being compared with the ceramic I wouldn't have noticed an issue. But since it was being compared I noticed it. Thank you for doing one of these tests the way they should be done. Fairly short demos, and most importantly, you played the exact same thing for both demos! So many times guys will play completely different parts and then ask you to compare the sounds. You cannot fairly do that since there are so many other things that could interfere in your perception.
Excellent comparison Darrell! The warm sound of the ceramic sounded beautiful to me. By the way, the gorgeous Tele build looks great in the background. Thanks again.
funny coincidence. the test guitar is a semi-hollow guitar with Gretsch pickups. I just got a Gretsch Streamliner semi-hollow and I'm considering a new amp with alnico magnet in the speaker
Definitely caught off guard by just how big the difference is. Personally prefered the alnico throughout. Seemed to have more clarity, every note was defined and distinguishable while I felt the ceramic kinda blended them together at times. Might have to swap out my own amp speakers now.
Great comparison, Man. Thank you. It was especially revealing to hear 2 speakers which are identical in every way except for the magnet. I haven't seen that done before and it's especially useful. My .02 (not that anybody asked) is that you've just clearly demonstrated how no single speaker type is perfect for every playing style, or every amp. I agree with the overall consensus that the alnico sounded lush and lovely on the clean tones but mushy and muddy on the crunchy stuff, whereas the ceramic was a bit thin and lifeless clean compared to the alnico but sounded the punchy and defined bollocks on the crunch tones. I'm pretty fortunate to currently have 3 different amp heads (a Tone King which is basically 2 different Fender circuits, an Orange, and a custom-built Marshall-style circuit) and 3 different speaker cabs (one with a 12" Celestion Blue alnico, one with a 12" ceramic Greenback, one with 2 10" Celestion alnico gold), so I can rotate around, mix and match. I think that's the only way to really get all the best worlds. I know a lot of Nashville session guys take 3 or 4 heads as well as 3 or 4 cabs to every session, and I reckon this is why. Thanks again for the comparison. Cheers!
To my ears the difference was night and day on the clean test. The alnico speaker just sounded so much more lively. The ceramic one just sounded flat and lifeless in comparison. However the ceramics seemed to be better for high gain. It makes me think I should get a 2x10 cab and plug in 1 of each speaker!
Thank you. I'm rebuilding an old Fender Twin Reverb. I've been looking at alnico speakers.... After this review, I'll spend the extra for the tone. To me, they sounded better in every test.
I've been playing 30yrs and prefer ceramic in general. I hate alnico, just can't stand them but my new favorite clean speaker is the Neo Creamback, for dirty it still has to be ceramic/ferrite.
From Leo: Great test, that Filtertron type clean definition in your Tele was a great choice for the demonstration. My personal all time favorite speaker is the Eminence Cannabis Rex, but I really like the ceramic speaker in your test.
I love the sparkle of the Alnico speakers on clean tones. I was 100% sure the 1st one was alnico. It just sounds right. I can't get enough of it. In fact, I have Celestion Blue, Fane A60, WGS Blackhawk, Jensen Blackbird, Jensen P12Q, Amperian VSOP. I make speaker cabs professionally so it's easy to justify getting all of them 😂.
I've known a lot of guitar players that use 2 x 10" or 2 x 12" speakers in their amps and they use (1) Alnico and (1) ceramic speaker I've done it myself. When you set you tone controls right you can get the best of both worlds and also get some unique tones you can't get with either of them alone.
Both of these speakers are a winner in my opinion. Of the many comparisons I'v done along with the many I've watched performed by others, these two are the closest I've heard to sounding so much alike instead of drastically unalike. Going to have to get me one of each as soon as possible.
The ceramic immediately sounded ice picky to my ear after listening to the alnico played clean. I've had that same issue with strong alnico magnets in my pickups. I think it's less about the material and more about the strength of the magnetic field it creates. Maybe demagnetizing the ceramics a bit or making them smaller would help? I thought once you started adding dirt I'd have a harder time telling them apart, but that wasn't the case. Alnico sounded sweeter everywhere, but the Trainwreck. There, I prefered the brighter sound of the ceramic. As I prefer playing cleaner sounds, I'd take the alnico.
The first time through I was impressed with the extra punch the Alnico brought to some of the tones in some of the examples, but after repeated listenings the more uniform warm sound of the ceramic was more enjoyable to listen to in each example. The more I heard the Alnico the more it wore on my ears!
I've already greatly strayed from paper for guitar and pro audio speakers which is especially strange since I am a shred and sweep style player. *Polypropylene and better yet, metalized polyproplyene gives you the ultimate warm, intimate and defined tones because it dampens transients incredibly well.* As some will point out it "darkens" your tone but in my experience this is really just a factor of it's audible bandwidth so the highest even order harmonics as well as transients from various sources just never make it out of the speaker. I don't think I would ever eliminate paper entirely, but all my favorite 4x12 cabinets to date have 2 paper cones and 2 polypropylene cones. My favorite build for my pro audio systems and homes to date are just some cheapo metalized polypropylene 15's, but they sound phenomenally better than even my most expensive paper cone P.A. grade speakers. The way they carve tone when you start using an EQ, Spatializers etc. give the effect that the source of sound is literally in the room.
How come you didn't push the speakers? Isn't that where the difference becomes most apparent. I wanted to hear the volume on the amp cranked, not overdrive from pedals.
Considering which speaker is in his hand at the end of the video, I'll assume the ceramic is the one that stayed in the amplifier! I would agree with that choice personally.
After watching the AlNiCo pickup comparison and wishing the LP wasn't in neck position the whole time, this video is pretty helpful. I like how on the clean and dirty settings, the difference in speak was like orange vs tangerine, but then the saturated distortion showed it was more like cantaloupe vs grapefruit. Thanks for the video!
People always go for brighter, I think it’s social conditioning for people who think everything that sounds louder is better. When you play guitar loud all those high frequencies become super harsh in general. When a brighter speaker is compared to a darker one everyone usually says brighter is better but it’s not. Realistically all that matters is does the speaker cut tastefully in a mix. Again louder isn’t always better. Is it audible and clear to the point you can hear what’s played? Then it cuts fine. Darker is not muddy. It can be darker and clear. Usually people pick brighter sounds as a knee jerk reaction. I find myself usually trying to put high frequencies lower in real life. What matters most is midrange yet people like speakers that hype high end. Usually midrange focused speakers sound darker yet they highlight the most important range and are clear enough. But put a mid range focused speaker next to a high end hyped speaker and many people are gonna day “ that midrange speaker is too muddy the other is so clear and open” . No it’s not more clear or open, you’re just hearing more high end.
I think it really depends on your ears because I found myself favoring the ceramic all the way except for the high distortion demo which is the opposite of what you said. Somehow the ceramic sounded more "real" to me. I dont know how to explain it. But as always, great video! :D
Usually I would disqualified a speaker review because it's not played on a loop.. but damn you play consistently.. like the 3 times I saw Orbison.. album quality spot on consistent and that's a huge compliment! My two fave speakers are a old Thomas organ vox ceramic Oxford and strangely enough a vox wharfedale (ac30) transplanted into a fender drri. And I wanted a ceramic to sound different but as good, but that alnico (for my style of tones) is a real killer.. so damn many variables when it comes to speakers.. weather this helped or not it's back to the drawing board.. and ad on English vs. American voiced.. lucky you they gave you the chance to try out two and keep one.. haha.. love your channel and your positive smile..
Very cool vid. I'd prefer the alnico since it seemed like it would be more responsive at lower volumes. Haven't played out in years. Another factor to consider is how these speakers would sound once they're borken in, unless they were already (some are).
Great demo! My school of thought has always been if you play single coil guitars which are usually bright, ceramic speakers always helps out in the amp to warm things up.
with headphones on, i percieve the ceramic speaker sound like its physically closer to my ears. since i like synthetic music i would probably favour using ceramic
Hello Darrell. I deleted probably 4 comments but I'm going to try again. You always sound great, I like the new intro. I wish you were a part of Guitcon, but its their loss. You're one of the best channels on YT. OK, with that said and out of the way... I have really been pining for the Mesa Triple Crown TC-50. With a rack format preferred, and MIDI already enabled in my rig, that TC-50 would add a new flavor, actually 3 new, and I could customize them with tube options, and reap havoc with a single 50 watt channel. I have already got cabinets and speakers, but I really dislike cable jockeying, so I would try to get it nailed down with one single speaker that likes 50W pummeling it. I would have to use my knowledge of speakers and pick one, not two, that would be ideal and then load that into a vacant spot on my 4x cabinet and wire up an input jack and mount the new input jack in one of the handles, making it a 4 channel 4x cab. Then I would mount a mic clip, screwed directly to the cabinet and locked into place with a single mic, prob just a 57. From there I would need a channel, and I could use my interface preamps, I have a couple extras, OR I could get one channel (or two) of outboard preamps... I have 4ch outboard, but 6 would be nice. Where would I go next? Chandler? Avedis? Hmm... I'm not really into 500 series, but I would get a chassis for it and stay 19"... Maybe get a Crane Song, or a single channel of Great River with their EQ on the other half... prob to die for. But why? I have 7 decent channels already... So what's stopping me? I'm stopping me. Maybe I should stop stopping myself and just get the channels I want. Maybe you should too.
I like the sound of the alnico better. But what I really love is how alnico is so responsive under your fingers. It seems more dynamic and touch sensitive. Ceramic is definitely more versatile. I have homemade birch plywood semi-open 2x12 cab with a scumback j75 (ceramic) and a wgs BlackHawk 50 (alnico) that I push with a jtm45 clone and it is total sonic heaven. Unreal blues and classic rock setup
Another fun vid. Very informative and interesting. I may have to have both! Both strong for different applications. I like the alnico for cleans and even moderate dirt. But I also like the ceramic, especially for heavy dirt. Nothing wrong with either one, though.
I was surprised to be able to hear the difference so readily. I could tell during sample 1 each time and preferred alnico each time, which was a relief as I payed a small fortune for the alnico Weber Chicago 15" for my Yamaha G100ii. Can't even remember what drove that selection!
I like ceramic magnets. I play a MIM Strat with Ceramic pickups through an AC-15 with a ceramic Greenback speaker, I’m very happy with the tones that combo delivers. And yes, I did try out some alnico pickup Strats through alnico Blue sneakers before making my decision on what rig to buy.
This is a very useful video for me. On the 1st test, my guess is wrong. Then I listen to your explanation about the sound different and listen to the test more closely. For the last 3 test my guess are correct. What I learn for this video is two things. 1st. In clean, light to medium overdrive. The speaker retains most of its characteristic. If I like/dislike certain speaker in certain amp, I will still like/dislike it when I put a pedal in front of it. In other word, pedal won't drastically change the sound coming out of the amp. 2nd. with heavy distortion. The speaker looses a bit of its characteristic. But, if I listen to it very carefully, I can still differentiate it. Regarding ceramic vs alnico. I agree with your opinion. My experience comes from celestion IR. I play with heavy distortion from amp sim. When I use celestion cream IR, the sound seems too smooth and lack of bite. When I change it to G12T or V30 IR, then my sound really comes alive.
The ceramic sounds warm on clean , I found the alnico to be very bright which was surprising since I've always been told the opposite. Interesting. I'm sure also manufacturing is the most important thing since no two speakers are the same regardless of magnet
i think alnico,All day long.But maybe i am biased,because i am listening to you on alnico speakers,from philips 1968,ad1255m7s,which are from the philips crown series,used in studio monitors,but also in guitar cabinets.
Hey Darrell love your videos! It seems like you record a little too hot as I can sometimes hear clipping when you hit the strings hard. Love the sounds you're getting out of every setup though! Keep up the great work!
In general, accuracy is achieved with a stronger magnet. If you prefer the sound of a weaker magnet, you can generally closely approximate it with equalization, except you should overall have lower (unplanned) distortion characteristics...although you might like those distortion characteristics.
I have an old MusicMan 210/65 watt. I was going to rplace the speakers with Celestions until my tech said the ones that are in the amp are Alnico and the Celestions which are 2 for $120 are ceramic. Might not eve fit do to space concerns in the cab. Going to stick with the Alnicos.
Great comparison test. I own a mix of both ceramic and alnico myself and came to similar conclusions as you. I don’t use much high gain, and use 2x10 cabs with alnicos mostly, but also have some 12” cabs with high power handling ceramics if I need to use a higher watt head than the 10’s can handle.
To my ears, the alnico is marginally superior in Tests #1, 2 and 3, but VASTLY superior in Test #4 (heavily overdriven). No question. So it confirms the age-old, but simple and general rule to use ceramics for black-face and alnico for brown-face and tweed. Many thanks for posting this helpful video.
Cool video. I found the ceramic speaker darker and I was surprised. At the beginning I think you meant “slam these speakers” not “ slam these pedals” :). Much prefer the alnico.
It depends on the music played, the amp and guitar used - I couldn't generalize about which type of magnet ALWAYS sounds better, because of the variables.
I picked the ceramic three times out of four. I don't care about the super-distorted sound because I don't use it, but in the first three clips I thought the ceramic sounded smoother and more focused.
Funny, I preferred ceramic almost every time. When you did a pickup shootout before, same results. Thats not what the internet gurus tell me I should prefer. Yet, the logical part of me says there should be no difference, a magnet is a magnet, assuming the strength of the magnet is accounted for. In this case, I wonder if the different mass on the back of the speaker has more to do with differences than actual magnet type.
Normally I like brighter sounds but I really preferred the ceramic across the board. I would like to see a comparison with adjusted EQ for each, trimming highs in alnico and cutting bass/boosting highs on the ceramic.
I didn't leave a comment the first time I watched this video. I have the same Blue Angel amplifier which I bought new. I had a chance to audition both types of speakers at the music store because you could order both variations from Mesa Boogie. I ordered the Alnico because I heard a big difference on this particular amp. However I think the Alnico comes across warmer and cleaner with this circuit configuration and the EL84 and 6V6 tubes. I have a ceramic Greenback in my Deluxe Reverb reissue and I think that sounds great. Just depends on the amp.
I have a G12C in an old handwired Fender amp and was considering swapping it for a G12A but based on this comparison I wont be doing that because the difference is so slight in reality that it just isn't worth the cost. Yes there were some differences (curious if the guitar was played each time or re-amped, latter would be a better test) but for me they were not significant. In a studio the difference could easily be made up for with EQ and live (and loud) no-one would be able to tell.
Darrell, Alnico vs Ceramic pick-ups. Funny thing is when I though about the subject, I came directly to your channel, because I was sure you had a video on it. Well... Not yet. 😁
Hmmm, I was surprised to find going strictly by which tone sounded best to me I picked the ceramic each time. The first test instead of picking the best tone [to me] I was trying to pick the alnico and was wrong. After that I just went by tone and like I said picked the ceramic. I am in the process of picking a 12" speaker for my Vox TV8 which the stock 8" speaker sounds like crap-0-la. But I played it through a Marshall 4x12 and it sounded killer. I don't need [or want] and 4x12 so I picked up a used empty 12" cab which now needs a speaker. I'm trying to get as close to a vintage AC30 sound as possible. I was leaning toward Jensen which I used in previous amps but I've heard good things [no pun intended] about WGS so definitely on my radar. Great video.
Although slight it was obvious alnico had more over all tone. For years I always install a horn and or Piezo in my amps. I am going to look at some shoot outs with this warehouse speaker compare to JBL D120f Great Demo. Thanks for Sharing. c];-)
Speak 1 Alnico Speaker 2 Ceramic Alnico has more bright sound Ceramic is more Bass And Middles but the Equalizers help a lot! Very Good Your Videos Explications.
Lesson learned: no speaker will tune our guitars. Wow, that alnico sounded great clean and on the slightly dirty arpeggios. Thanks for the comparison. The Celestion Alnico Cream sounds great with vintage-style Marshall-type amps.
You know what never gets old? Guys calling out youtubers on real or imagined tuning infractions. Such a humble and endearing quality.
@@sesa1076 It is not imaginary, the guy is right.
@@qddk9545 yep. Immediately apparent.
I too heard what sound like the B string outa tune.
Your analysis was spot on. I preferred the alnico for the clean to light breakup and the ceramic for the heavy distortion. I guess the solution is to only buy amp heads and have separate alnico and ceramic cabs $$$$
E C Recommend read my comment above. Another very simple solution people often overlook.
Great presentation. Thank you for comparing speakers that differ only in one respect - magnet types. Most youtube music comparisons are presented in the most unscientific apples to oranges manner imaginable, making realistic comparisons impossible. Note that alnico systems normally weighs less than ceramic systems which might be the deciding factor in your particular situation.
Don't have to spend crazy $$$... Build your extension cabinets and buy cheap old electronics. I have a circa 60's RCA 1x10 cabinet (attic find freebie) with an RCA labeled vintage Jensen P-10Q Alnico and Just bought a Bogen Challenger PA amp for $6 and change that came housed in a double speaker cabinet. The cabinet was loaded with a Jensen 12" Alnico and a Jensen 12' Ceramic (right and left PA speakers). The amp (50 watt all tube) is being modified for guitar soon.
I mixed them. Have a 2x12 with Weber alnico blue dog and a ceramic silver bell
I like sound alnico.
Good demo/analysis, thanks. I could hear the clarity in the AlNiCo for clean immediately. I think the AlNiCo is ALWAYS preferable if you have the money. Reason 1 is for the best clean tones. Reason 2, you can always get the ceramic tone from AlNiCo simply by either rolling back the tone on your guitar, rolling back the treble on your amp, or rolling back the tone/treble on your effect devices. No brainer to me, IF you can pay the difference. The same basic logic applies to guitar pickups for vintage tones. To me, clean is the standard. You can always warm up, distort, overdrive or dirty up the tone from there! If you don’t start with good clean tones as the benchmark, you don’t have a solid baseline or foundation IMHO.
It seems to my ears too that the AlNiCo speakers bring the presence, clarity and headroom the video maker describes. Why not have the full spectrum and harmonic content fully available? As I say above, you can always roll back the treble or tone on your amp or guitar to get more of the ceramic warmer or rounded sound. Sometimes, it's not what you hear, but what you don't hear, whether it comes to lows, highs or midrange. Start with full capability and tailor to taste! :-)
Well yes but actually no. Tone knobs (in this case) have very broad curves. Differences between speakers are mainly different resonances (fundamental wider resonance in the low end, 55 Hz or 75 Hz for example) and all kinds of narrow peaks and valleys in the highs (also how much they compress and how soon they break up etc). The same is true for pickups themselves (you can't make a single coil sound like a humbucker just by rolling off treble, not the same resonances).
Exactly 👍
The differences were surprisingly noticeable, even on my phone
I was shocked at the difference in sound for the final test. The other tests showed a noticeable difference between them, sure, but nothing like the night & day difference with high gain. That's a surprise. That said, overall, I actually prefer the warmer sound of the ceramic speakers.
Good job, as usual, Darrell.
Oh, I should mention that based on reviews by you & Brett Kingman, I purchased a Mooer GE 200 to add to my little arsenal of MFX pedals.
Thanks Marc!
Congrats on the new pedal! Tones of tones on that little baby 👍
I went into this thinking this was going to be another one of those "I can't hear any difference" video's, I was wrong. Aside from the first setting, clean, I picked the ceramic. It just sounded more balanced over all to me. I have a hearing problem, the problem is that I can't hear! lol, so usually I don't detect subtle differences anyway but this time I did. I will say it was not a major difference in the first three but the last, heavy distortion, the ceramic stood out even more. The Alnico sounded muddy on the lows. Not real muddy, as in if It wasn't being compared with the ceramic I wouldn't have noticed an issue. But since it was being compared I noticed it.
Thank you for doing one of these tests the way they should be done. Fairly short demos, and most importantly, you played the exact same thing for both demos! So many times guys will play completely different parts and then ask you to compare the sounds. You cannot fairly do that since there are so many other things that could interfere in your perception.
I liked the alnico overall, except for the heavier drive. Ceramic was very warm, alnico sounded more like a vintage speaker.
One of the first blind tests I could hear the difference every time. I think the Alnico sounded little better.
Excellent comparison Darrell!
The warm sound of the ceramic sounded beautiful to me.
By the way, the gorgeous Tele build looks great in the background.
Thanks again.
Darrell - Your analysis was spot on. Both sounded good. Just depends on the type of music you want to play.
Thanks man!
Time for another blind test!
Which tone was your favorite, Alnico or Ceramic?
would you ever shell out the cash for that vintage Alnico tone?
Alnico
funny coincidence. the test guitar is a semi-hollow guitar with Gretsch pickups. I just got a Gretsch Streamliner semi-hollow and I'm considering a new amp with alnico magnet in the speaker
Like the alnico....the clean n light breakups sounded beautiful
I liked the ceramic best.
Have seen many of your videos, first time commenting. Recently went with one of each in a 2x10, loving it. Keep up the great work.
Definitely caught off guard by just how big the difference is. Personally prefered the alnico throughout. Seemed to have more clarity, every note was defined and distinguishable while I felt the ceramic kinda blended them together at times. Might have to swap out my own amp speakers now.
Great comparison, Man. Thank you. It was especially revealing to hear 2 speakers which are identical in every way except for the magnet. I haven't seen that done before and it's especially useful.
My .02 (not that anybody asked) is that you've just clearly demonstrated how no single speaker type is perfect for every playing style, or every amp. I agree with the overall consensus that the alnico sounded lush and lovely on the clean tones but mushy and muddy on the crunchy stuff, whereas the ceramic was a bit thin and lifeless clean compared to the alnico but sounded the punchy and defined bollocks on the crunch tones.
I'm pretty fortunate to currently have 3 different amp heads (a Tone King which is basically 2 different Fender circuits, an Orange, and a custom-built Marshall-style circuit) and 3 different speaker cabs (one with a 12" Celestion Blue alnico, one with a 12" ceramic Greenback, one with 2 10" Celestion alnico gold), so I can rotate around, mix and match. I think that's the only way to really get all the best worlds. I know a lot of Nashville session guys take 3 or 4 heads as well as 3 or 4 cabs to every session, and I reckon this is why.
Thanks again for the comparison. Cheers!
Exactly why I always run alnico and ceramic together as a pair. You can get a great mix where best attributes shine through
To my ears the difference was night and day on the clean test. The alnico speaker just sounded so much more lively. The ceramic one just sounded flat and lifeless in comparison. However the ceramics seemed to be better for high gain. It makes me think I should get a 2x10 cab and plug in 1 of each speaker!
Thank you. I'm rebuilding an old Fender Twin Reverb. I've been looking at alnico speakers.... After this review, I'll spend the extra for the tone. To me, they sounded better in every test.
Glad to help!
Good luck with the project 👍
I loved the ceramic speaker sound! To my noob ears, they sound more warm and dreamy!
I've been playing 30yrs and prefer ceramic in general. I hate alnico, just can't stand them but my new favorite clean speaker is the Neo Creamback, for dirty it still has to be ceramic/ferrite.
Great comparison Darrell! Loving the new intro.
Thanks Casey!
From Leo: Great test, that Filtertron type clean definition in your Tele was a great choice for the demonstration. My personal all time favorite speaker is the Eminence Cannabis Rex, but I really like the ceramic speaker in your test.
I appreciate this comparison. I am more into clean with perhaps mild distortion. The Alnico does it for me.
I love the sparkle of the Alnico speakers on clean tones. I was 100% sure the 1st one was alnico. It just sounds right. I can't get enough of it. In fact, I have Celestion Blue, Fane A60, WGS Blackhawk, Jensen Blackbird, Jensen P12Q, Amperian VSOP. I make speaker cabs professionally so it's easy to justify getting all of them 😂.
I've known a lot of guitar players that use 2 x 10" or 2 x 12" speakers in their amps and they use (1) Alnico and (1) ceramic speaker I've done it myself. When you set you tone controls right you can get the best of both worlds and also get some unique tones you can't get with either of them alone.
Excellent comment!!!
Best of both worlds!
Excellent demo! Just replaced my 1-12” cabinet from EV Ceramic to a Jensen Blackbird Alnico 100 watt & was a huge improvement!
Both of these speakers are a winner in my opinion. Of the many comparisons I'v done along with the many I've watched performed by others, these two are the closest I've heard to sounding so much alike instead of drastically unalike. Going to have to get me one of each as soon as possible.
The Alnico speaker just shines through so much better in every one. Those speakers just have that bright shine that lights up the mix and cuts though.
i preferred the alnico but, I think we may be sniffing corks here. Or we could just put them both in a dual 12 cab.
A combination of these would be killer
first test - def preferred the alnico, fourth test - def preferred the ceramic. second and third were toss-ups for me. fun test.
The ceramic immediately sounded ice picky to my ear after listening to the alnico played clean. I've had that same issue with strong alnico magnets in my pickups. I think it's less about the material and more about the strength of the magnetic field it creates. Maybe demagnetizing the ceramics a bit or making them smaller would help?
I thought once you started adding dirt I'd have a harder time telling them apart, but that wasn't the case. Alnico sounded sweeter everywhere, but the Trainwreck. There, I prefered the brighter sound of the ceramic.
As I prefer playing cleaner sounds, I'd take the alnico.
The first time through I was impressed with the extra punch the Alnico brought to some of the tones in some of the examples, but after repeated listenings the more uniform warm sound of the ceramic was more enjoyable to listen to in each example. The more I heard the Alnico the more it wore on my ears!
Super helpful, one of the few times I could hear a difference and it was consistent, so thank you for the excellent setup and delivery of this info.
Both speakers were great . Next Gen is ACE Canadian parts supplier !
I've already greatly strayed from paper for guitar and pro audio speakers which is especially strange since I am a shred and sweep style player. *Polypropylene and better yet, metalized polyproplyene gives you the ultimate warm, intimate and defined tones because it dampens transients incredibly well.*
As some will point out it "darkens" your tone but in my experience this is really just a factor of it's audible bandwidth so the highest even order harmonics as well as transients from various sources just never make it out of the speaker.
I don't think I would ever eliminate paper entirely, but all my favorite 4x12 cabinets to date have 2 paper cones and 2 polypropylene cones. My favorite build for my pro audio systems and homes to date are just some cheapo metalized polypropylene 15's, but they sound phenomenally better than even my most expensive paper cone P.A. grade speakers. The way they carve tone when you start using an EQ, Spatializers etc. give the effect that the source of sound is literally in the room.
They both sound great, can't go wrong either way. Alnico for me, I felt that note definition with distortion was clearer.
How come you didn't push the speakers? Isn't that where the difference becomes most apparent. I wanted to hear the volume on the amp cranked, not overdrive from pedals.
Considering which speaker is in his hand at the end of the video, I'll assume the ceramic is the one that stayed in the amplifier! I would agree with that choice personally.
After watching the AlNiCo pickup comparison and wishing the LP wasn't in neck position the whole time, this video is pretty helpful. I like how on the clean and dirty settings, the difference in speak was like orange vs tangerine, but then the saturated distortion showed it was more like cantaloupe vs grapefruit. Thanks for the video!
People always go for brighter, I think it’s social conditioning for people who think everything that sounds louder is better. When you play guitar loud all those high frequencies become super harsh in general. When a brighter speaker is compared to a darker one everyone usually says brighter is better but it’s not. Realistically all that matters is does the speaker cut tastefully in a mix. Again louder isn’t always better. Is it audible and clear to the point you can hear what’s played? Then it cuts fine. Darker is not muddy. It can be darker and clear. Usually people pick brighter sounds as a knee jerk reaction. I find myself usually trying to put high frequencies lower in real life. What matters most is midrange yet people like speakers that hype high end. Usually midrange focused speakers sound darker yet they highlight the most important range and are clear enough. But put a mid range focused speaker next to a high end hyped speaker and many people are gonna day “ that midrange speaker is too muddy the other is so clear and open” . No it’s not more clear or open, you’re just hearing more high end.
I think it really depends on your ears because I found myself favoring the ceramic all the way except for the high distortion demo which is the opposite of what you said. Somehow the ceramic sounded more "real" to me. I dont know how to explain it. But as always, great video! :D
Right on down the line I preferred the Ceramic speaker samples.....to each they're own. The Ceramic won hands down is my opinion.
I guessed right on tests 1-3, only test 4 stumped me. Alnico just has a special character to it!
Usually I would disqualified a speaker review because it's not played on a loop.. but damn you play consistently.. like the 3 times I saw Orbison.. album quality spot on consistent and that's a huge compliment! My two fave speakers are a old Thomas organ vox ceramic Oxford and strangely enough a vox wharfedale (ac30) transplanted into a fender drri. And I wanted a ceramic to sound different but as good, but that alnico (for my style of tones) is a real killer.. so damn many variables when it comes to speakers.. weather this helped or not it's back to the drawing board.. and ad on English vs. American voiced.. lucky you they gave you the chance to try out two and keep one.. haha.. love your channel and your positive smile..
Very cool vid. I'd prefer the alnico since it seemed like it would be more responsive at lower volumes. Haven't played out in years. Another factor to consider is how these speakers would sound once they're borken in, unless they were already (some are).
Great comparison! Drastic sound changes - almost sounds like the tone knob was adjusted
Hey dude, didn't know you were a fellow Canadian! where are ya? Love the channel and content.
You couldn’t tell when he said “G-12 Eh”? haha
Great demo! My school of thought has always been if you play single coil guitars which are usually bright, ceramic speakers always helps out in the amp to warm things up.
Top, top marks. Difficult to find identical everything apart from motor materials. Extremely useful and well recorded too. Subscribed
with headphones on, i percieve the ceramic speaker sound like its physically closer to my ears. since i like synthetic music i would probably favour using ceramic
Hello Darrell. I deleted probably 4 comments but I'm going to try again. You always sound great, I like the new intro. I wish you were a part of Guitcon, but its their loss. You're one of the best channels on YT. OK, with that said and out of the way...
I have really been pining for the Mesa Triple Crown TC-50. With a rack format preferred, and MIDI already enabled in my rig, that TC-50 would add a new flavor, actually 3 new, and I could customize them with tube options, and reap havoc with a single 50 watt channel.
I have already got cabinets and speakers, but I really dislike cable jockeying, so I would try to get it nailed down with one single speaker that likes 50W pummeling it. I would have to use my knowledge of speakers and pick one, not two, that would be ideal and then load that into a vacant spot on my 4x cabinet and wire up an input jack and mount the new input jack in one of the handles, making it a 4 channel 4x cab.
Then I would mount a mic clip, screwed directly to the cabinet and locked into place with a single mic, prob just a 57. From there I would need a channel, and I could use my interface preamps, I have a couple extras, OR I could get one channel (or two) of outboard preamps... I have 4ch outboard, but 6 would be nice.
Where would I go next? Chandler? Avedis? Hmm... I'm not really into 500 series, but I would get a chassis for it and stay 19"... Maybe get a Crane Song, or a single channel of Great River with their EQ on the other half... prob to die for.
But why? I have 7 decent channels already... So what's stopping me? I'm stopping me. Maybe I should stop stopping myself and just get the channels I want. Maybe you should too.
If you’re just going to go with one mic, I’d take an SM7 or RE20/RE320 over an SM57
Darrell, a fellow Canuck! I had no idea! Keep up the good work, man!
Thanks Matt! 🇨🇦
Very helpful demo and pretty clear differences. I agree with your assessment about clean vs. distorted tones.
Easiest blind test I’ve seen,
Getting an alnico.
I like the sound of the alnico better. But what I really love is how alnico is so responsive under your fingers. It seems more dynamic and touch sensitive. Ceramic is definitely more versatile. I have homemade birch plywood semi-open 2x12 cab with a scumback j75 (ceramic) and a wgs BlackHawk 50 (alnico) that I push with a jtm45 clone and it is total sonic heaven. Unreal blues and classic rock setup
Another fun vid. Very informative and interesting. I may have to have both! Both strong for different applications. I like the alnico for cleans and even moderate dirt. But I also like the ceramic, especially for heavy dirt. Nothing wrong with either one, though.
Hey Darrel, nice comparison. Overall, I preferred the Ceramic, but for test #3. After being broken up, they should sound even better. Cheers !
Thanks, man! These are exactly the speakers I was looking at and trying to decide between
Interesting, I picked ceramic in every test. Thanks for enlightening me!
Glad to help!
Very helpful video! Which one did you choose?
I was surprised to be able to hear the difference so readily. I could tell during sample 1 each time and preferred alnico each time, which was a relief as I payed a small fortune for the alnico Weber Chicago 15" for my Yamaha G100ii. Can't even remember what drove that selection!
As a bedroom rock star with an EQ pedal, the ceramic speaker seems to really do the job for me, for quite a nice price difference. Great comparison!!
I like ceramic magnets. I play a MIM Strat with Ceramic pickups through an AC-15 with a ceramic Greenback speaker, I’m very happy with the tones that combo delivers. And yes, I did try out some alnico pickup Strats through alnico Blue sneakers before making my decision on what rig to buy.
👍 For a nice warm and balanced tone, ceramic pups and speakers can't be beat!
i preferred the ceramic for all of it, which kinda surprised me
I'm curious if you could put 1 ceramic and 1 alnico in a 2x12 to get the best of both worlds? Would be interesting to hear what that would sound like.
This is a very useful video for me. On the 1st test, my guess is wrong. Then I listen to your explanation about the sound different and listen to the test more closely. For the last 3 test my guess are correct. What I learn for this video is two things.
1st. In clean, light to medium overdrive. The speaker retains most of its characteristic. If I like/dislike certain speaker in certain amp, I will still like/dislike it when I put a pedal in front of it. In other word, pedal won't drastically change the sound coming out of the amp.
2nd. with heavy distortion. The speaker looses a bit of its characteristic. But, if I listen to it very carefully, I can still differentiate it.
Regarding ceramic vs alnico. I agree with your opinion. My experience comes from celestion IR. I play with heavy distortion from amp sim. When I use celestion cream IR, the sound seems too smooth and lack of bite. When I change it to G12T or V30 IR, then my sound really comes alive.
The ceramic sounds warm on clean , I found the alnico to be very bright which was surprising since I've always been told the opposite. Interesting. I'm sure also manufacturing is the most important thing since no two speakers are the same regardless of magnet
i think alnico,All day long.But maybe i am biased,because i am listening to you on alnico speakers,from philips 1968,ad1255m7s,which are from the philips crown series,used in studio monitors,but also in guitar cabinets.
First few tests had some different nuances, but WAY different on those drives. Would you say the speakers were broken in?
Very helpful video, I really like the alnico! Bet my BJ2 is gonna get an alnico soooon 😎
I found myself enjoying the ceramic speakers most. I enjoy the warmer tones it makes in most instances.
The price doesn't hurt either! 👍
@@DarrellBraunGuitar That wasn't a consideration when listening, but it's a nice bonus!
Excellent test! Ceramic for me on the hard overdrive section.
Great test. Liked the alnico everytime and heard a clear difference in every test.
holy cow, the clarity on the alnico... I usually suck at blind tests, but I got them all right. welp I guess alnico is worth the cash IMO
clean tone I actually like the warmth of the ceramic. , Second test, Alnico took it with chime &harmonics,third test Alnico ! fourth test :o
Hey Darrell love your videos! It seems like you record a little too hot as I can sometimes hear clipping when you hit the strings hard. Love the sounds you're getting out of every setup though! Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the kind words!
Yeah, thats something I should keep my eyes on a little better 👍
In general, accuracy is achieved with a stronger magnet. If you prefer the sound of a weaker magnet, you can generally closely approximate it with equalization, except you should overall have lower (unplanned) distortion characteristics...although you might like those distortion characteristics.
I have an old MusicMan 210/65 watt. I was going to rplace the speakers with Celestions until my tech said the ones that are in the amp are Alnico and the Celestions which are 2 for $120 are ceramic. Might not eve fit do to space concerns in the cab. Going to stick with the Alnicos.
Great comparison test. I own a mix of both ceramic and alnico myself and came to similar conclusions as you.
I don’t use much high gain, and use 2x10 cabs with alnicos mostly, but also have some 12” cabs with high power handling ceramics if I need to use a higher watt head than the 10’s can handle.
To my ears, the alnico is marginally superior in Tests #1, 2 and 3, but VASTLY superior in Test #4 (heavily overdriven). No question. So it confirms the age-old, but simple and general rule to use ceramics for black-face and alnico for brown-face and tweed. Many thanks for posting this helpful video.
Cool video. I found the ceramic speaker darker and I was surprised. At the beginning I think you meant “slam these speakers” not “ slam these pedals” :). Much prefer the alnico.
Wasn't expecting one over the other but I did find the ceramic more pleasing on all tests.
Thank You! For my ears thru headphones the Ceramic sounded better with all four tones.
It depends on the music played, the amp and guitar used - I couldn't generalize about which type of magnet ALWAYS sounds better, because of the variables.
I've had nobody explain this so well. thanks.
Nicely done Brother! I enjoyed both tones, very useable! Yes I would spend to have both!
Really liked the intro mix!
Thanks for sharing D!
Thanks Steven!
The few WGS speakers I had I never bonded with. The reaper was good, but I didn't care for the invader, et-65, or the retro.
The way you did the video was actually useful (so many are not) - thanks!
I picked the ceramic three times out of four. I don't care about the super-distorted sound because I don't use it, but in the first three clips I thought the ceramic sounded smoother and more focused.
Funny, I preferred ceramic almost every time. When you did a pickup shootout before, same results. Thats not what the internet gurus tell me I should prefer. Yet, the logical part of me says there should be no difference, a magnet is a magnet, assuming the strength of the magnet is accounted for. In this case, I wonder if the different mass on the back of the speaker has more to do with differences than actual magnet type.
Normally I like brighter sounds but I really preferred the ceramic across the board.
I would like to see a comparison with adjusted EQ for each, trimming highs in alnico and cutting bass/boosting highs on the ceramic.
I didn't leave a comment the first time I watched this video. I have the same Blue Angel amplifier which I bought new. I had a chance to audition both types of speakers at the music store because you could order both variations from Mesa Boogie. I ordered the Alnico because I heard a big difference on this particular amp. However I think the Alnico comes across warmer and cleaner with this circuit configuration and the EL84 and 6V6 tubes. I have a ceramic Greenback in my Deluxe Reverb reissue and I think that sounds great. Just depends on the amp.
Definitely liked the alnico better for the clean tone and the ceramic for the distortion. I would have never known. Awesome comparison.
I have a G12C in an old handwired Fender amp and was considering swapping it for a G12A but based on this comparison I wont be doing that because the difference is so slight in reality that it just isn't worth the cost. Yes there were some differences (curious if the guitar was played each time or re-amped, latter would be a better test) but for me they were not significant. In a studio the difference could easily be made up for with EQ and live (and loud) no-one would be able to tell.
Darrell, Alnico vs Ceramic pick-ups. Funny thing is when I though about the subject, I came directly to your channel, because I was sure you had a video on it. Well... Not yet. 😁
Great shootout, spot on!
Hmmm, I was surprised to find going strictly by which tone sounded best to me I picked the ceramic each time. The first test instead of picking the best tone [to me] I was trying to pick the alnico and was wrong. After that I just went by tone and like I said picked the ceramic. I am in the process of picking a 12" speaker for my Vox TV8 which the stock 8" speaker sounds like crap-0-la. But I played it through a Marshall 4x12 and it sounded killer. I don't need [or want] and 4x12 so I picked up a used empty 12" cab which now needs a speaker. I'm trying to get as close to a vintage AC30 sound as possible. I was leaning toward Jensen which I used in previous amps but I've heard good things [no pun intended] about WGS so definitely on my radar. Great video.
Did you notice any response difference, when you hit the strings? Is any of these speakers more sensitive to the pick attack? Great test, thanks!
Lol the new intro is sick luv it
Thanks man!
NexGen is a great company for us canucks. Thanks to them for supporting the channel.
Fantastic comparison! Agree 100 %. Thank you!
Although slight it was obvious alnico had more over all tone. For years I always install a horn and or Piezo in my amps. I am going to look at some shoot outs with this warehouse speaker compare to JBL D120f Great Demo. Thanks for Sharing. c];-)
Speak 1 Alnico Speaker 2 Ceramic Alnico has more bright sound Ceramic is more Bass And Middles but the Equalizers help a lot! Very Good Your Videos Explications.