Alnico 2 vs Alnico 5: Telecaster Tone Showdown

Ask Zac · Jul 14, 2025 · 8m

Alnico 2 and Alnico 5 are the two most common magnet types used in Telecaster pickups, but how much do they really change the tone?

In this video, I compare them in the exact same Telecaster, using pickups with identical windings, wire, and build—only the magnet type is different. We’ll listen to tapped and full output, and both clean and dirty tones, of these Seymour Duncan 53 Tapped Custom Shop Pickups. The clips were recorded in a professional recording studio using a Bruno version of a Deluxe Reverb with an EVM 12L, for maximum transparency.

https://truetone.com/

Thanks to MJ at Seymour…