Hey, I'm getting ready to make some pickups and I was wondering if there was any difference in the same type of magnets from different sources. Meaning are the Alnico 5 slugs I can find online the same as the Alnico 5 slugs Fender or Gibson might be using.
I'm not asking the difference between Alnico 2 or 3 or 5, rather are there different qualities of each and if so, where's the best place to get them?

Thanks for your help.
Rock on!

This post talks about this subject a little bit:

quality of pickup magnets - Seymour Duncan User Group Forums


I think that while it may make some difference, it's probably not as much of a difference as the type (alnico vs ceramic) or strength (2, 3, 4, 5, 8), or gauge wire you use and how many windings you use on the pickup, if you make them "scatter wound", the pole pieces and how they work within the package, etc...

However, maybe you can send Lindy Fralin or Jason Lollar an e-mail and see what they say. My guess is that where possible they probably use NOS U.S. magnets/magnet stock.

Thanks for the quick answer. I'll looked into it and Lindy Fralin says in a youtube video that he trusts the quality from AllParts.com who sell a set of 6 slugs for under $4. He was talking about pots, but still good enough for me!
Thanks