Short Alnico 5 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which P.A.F. Magnet Reigns Supreme?

Short Alnico 5 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which P.A.F. Magnet Reigns Supreme?
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Episode #069 | Short Alnico 2 vs. Short Alnico 5 — Can You Hear the Difference?

Welcome back to the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! Episode #069 comes on the heels of a breakout Episode #068. But what brought everyone to the show? Was it the story of Steve Clark’s 1979 Gibson T-Top bridge pickup—or our discussion about whether the once-overlooked T-Top humbucker is becoming the new P.A.F.? We delve into these questions and also dig deeper into the tonal differences between Short Alnico 2 and Short Alnico 5 magnets in another P.A.F. Magnet Face Off!

🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode
Heritage H-150 Custom Core Guitars
ThroBak Lucky 7's P.A.F. Style Repro Reference Pickups
Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb
Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal

This week we keep the pickup conversation rolling with another head-to-head magnet showdown!

🎸 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK — SHORT ALNICO 2 vs. SHORT ALNICO 5

How much difference can the magnet make when everything else is kept as consistent as possible?

Jon puts two sets of ThroBak Reference P.A.F.-style pickups to the test. The pickup sets are wound to the same specifications, but one set is loaded with Short Alnico 2 magnets while the other uses Short Alnico 5 magnets.

To make the comparison even more revealing, the pickups are installed in a pair of Heritage H-150 Custom Core guitars with very similar weights. This gives us a great opportunity to hear what Short Alnico 2 and Short Alnico 5 bring to the equation.

Which has the sweeter highs? Which has more punch and authority? Which has the better low end? And most importantly—which one would you choose?

⚔️ THE GUITARGUMENT — IS THE GUITAR BUSINESS BECOMING TOO CORPORATE?

Craftsmen vs. the C-Suite!

The guitar business has always been built around musicians, inventors, craftsmen, small shops and larger manufacturers. But as private equity and corporate ownership become increasingly involved in the musical instrument industry, is something changing?

Jon and Matthew debate whether P.E. ownership provides the capital, professional management and resources companies need to grow—or whether an intense focus on profits, losses and financial performance ultimately puts restrictions on the very people who make the products special.

🎸 RORSCHACH RIFFS — BASS EDITION!

Put down the six-string! This week Rorschach Riffs goes LOW.

We have a special Bass Edition featuring four classic bass riffs spanning nearly four decades: one from 1966, a couple from the 1980s and one from 2004.

How quickly can you identify them?

🎶 MATTHEW'S MUSICAL MUSINGS — RUSH RETURNS TO DETROIT!

Matthew reports back from the August 28, 2026 RUSH concert at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The last time RUSH played Detroit was during the R40 Tour in June 2015. Eleven years later, RUSH returned with Anika Nilles behind the drums and Loren Gold on keyboards.

The concert was fantastic and the musicianship was everything you would expect, but Matthew came away particularly impressed by Geddy Lee’s voice. Compared with the R40 Tour 11 years ago, Geddy sounded remarkably strong. He has reportedly been working with a vocal coach, and from Matthew’s seat, the work has definitely paid off!

Join Jon and Matthew for another episode filled with vintage-inspired pickup tone, guitar-industry debate, mystery bass riffs and a first-hand report from the return of RUSH to Detroit.

Let us know in the comments:

Short Alnico 2 or Short Alnico 5—which magnet wins?

Is the guitar business becoming too corporate?

And if you saw RUSH on this tour, what did you think?

Thanks for watching Episode #069 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast!

👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups:
https://www.throbak.com

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