Ceramic magnet

A ferrite magnet made by sintering iron oxide with other oxides, widely used in pickups because it is cheap and magnetically strong.

A stronger field excites more of the string, so ceramic pickups tend to be louder and more aggressive, with a firmer low end and a bright, sometimes brittle top. That suits high-output humbuckers for heavy music and many budget and mid-price instruments, where the extra output covers for less refined winding. The characteristic is a matter of degree: a maker can voice a ceramic pickup warmly, and the magnet is only one variable alongside winding, wire and construction.

Example: a hot ceramic bridge humbucker driving a distorted amp keeps a tight low end where a weaker alnico pickup would smear.

Ceramic magnet

See also