Anico verses MFD's for sound output

[Fumble fingers]

so I was playing around today switching between guitars and my legacy with Anico's seems a "notch" lower output over the guitars MFD's ..... is this normal ??

I have large MFD's , small MFD's , Z coils and Alnico , all seem to have simular output except the Alnico's , like the Anico's need one more notch on the amp to have the same output .... its no big deal really , if I was'nt switching around guitars I probably would have never noticed , just wanting to make sure this is normal with Alnico PU's

Thanks , Eric

[blargfromouterspace]

Yep, that's normal.

[Craig]

so I was playing around today switching between guitars and my legacy with Anico's seems a "notch" lower output over the guitars MFD's ..... is this normal ??

I have large MFD's , small MFD's , Z coils and Alnico , all seem to have simular output except the Alnico's , like the Anico's need one more notch on the amp to have the same output .... its no big deal really , if I was'nt switching around guitars I probably would have never noticed , just wanting to make sure this is normal with Alnico PU's

Thanks , Eric

Yes, this is normal. Here's a quote from the Features page on G&L main website:

The G&L Magnetic Field Design pickups
The Magnetic Field Design® pickups use a ceramic bar magnet installed underneath each coil, with soft iron adjustable pole pieces to transfer the magnetic field to the surface of the pickup. By contrast, traditional Alnico type pickups, such as used in the Legacy and George Fullerton models, use nonadjustable Alnico pole pieces leaving the only adjustment being pickup height. The Magnetic Field Design has this adjustment, but further offers individual adjustment of each pole piece, letting the player effectively adjust the output of each string on each pickup. Magnetic Field Design yield about twice the output per wind, making the pickup quieter while allowing a greater overall output. The sound of Magnetic Field pickups is slightly warmer with a broader frequency response. One major Nashville session guitarist remarked that the G&L S-500 with Magnetic Field single coil pickups sounded as balanced and "sweet" as his favorite old vintage Alnico equipped axe. The difference is that the S-500 sounds that good right into his amp without all the EQ tweaking of his mixing console that made his other guitar sound so good. When he ran his S-500 though his studio rig, he was truly amazed at the rich and warm, yet clear and sparkly sound.

and, from the Legacy Specifications page:

The G&L Legacy™ blends contemporary refinements from the Leo Fender†-designed S-500™ and Comanche® models with classic Alnico V pickups. If your holy grail is faithful Alnico single-coil tone with modern refinements and superb craftsmanship, the Legacy makes for an excellent choice.

The Legacy’s vintage-spec CLF-100 Alnico V pickups have that unmistakable chime and quack reminiscent of the best examples from the late ‘50s, thanks to the work of Paul Gagon, G&L VP Engineering. Gagon found his inspiration reviewing original prints stored in Leo’s private laboratory at G&L, but that was just the start. About 30 years ago, Gagon was an R&D engineer at another company when he was tasked with finding out what was so special about the early bolt-on guitars many players raved about. Gagon tirelessly analyzed many examples of what were considered holy grail guitars, spending time out on the shop floor talking to builders still working in the pickup department since the ‘50s, all on a quest to discover where the real mojo was – and wasn’t. What he learned from the builders matched his own engineering analysis. You see, back in the day, the actual spec of pickups coming that down that old production line varied considerably. That meant coming up with the right specs for the Legacy pickups was more challenging than simply following the prints. Gagon’s persistence paid off as the Legacy garnered rave reviews from both players and magazines like Guitar Player and Guitar World.

This axe is no slave to the past, however, starting with Leo’s PTB™ (Passive Treble and Bass) system which functions on all three pickups for dramatically more variety than the vintage setup. What’s more, the Legacy features a Leo Fender-designed Dual-Fulcrum vibrato, a work of engineering art which allows bending up or down with unsurpassed stability, while offering a silky feel through its beefy aluminum vibrato arm. The Legacy’s hard-rock maple neck features an easy-playing satin finish, while its 12” radius lets you bend notes deeply and its Plek-dressed medium-jumbo nickel frets deliver silky playability. The moment you open the luxurious deluxe Tolex hardshell case, you’ll be greeted with a stunning instrument and delicious aroma that’ll have your pulse racing.

Hope this helps.

[Fumble fingers]

Yep, that's normal.

Cool !! .... cause I like the sound of the Legacy , but I was playing them all today and noticed a difference in output between the MFD's verses Alnico's , thought maybe I did something to it when I took the neck off yesterday ....lol


thanks , Craig , I was about to post when your post popped up