the.com/alnico
the magnet that ran the world before rare earths got greedy
means An alloy made chiefly of aluminum, nickel, and cobalt (plus iron) used to make strong permanent magnets, widely employed before rare-earth magnets took over.
from A blend word, stitched from the chemical names of its main ingredients — AL(uminum), NI(ckel), and CO(balt) — coined in the early 20th century as the alloy was developed for industrial magnets.
- name origin
- aluminum, nickel, cobalt mashed into one word
- heat champ
- keeps magnetism past 500 degrees Celsius
- guitar tone
- sweetens pickups in vintage Fenders and Gibsons
- brittle beast
- too hard to machine, only ground or cast
- speaker soul
- prized in 1950s amps for warm sound
for instance
alnico 5 magnet — used in fender stratocaster pickups since 1954, creates warm vintage guitar tone
alnico horseshoe magnet — classic permanent magnet used in vintage electric motors and loudspeakers throughout 20th century