Speakers Magnet
Published on
July 29, 2024 at 1:45:00 PM PDT July 29, 2024 at 1:45:00 PM PDTth, July 29, 2024 at 1:45:00 PM PDT
Welcome to Part 3 of our series about the inner workings of guitar speakers.
Come along as we take a deeper look into the speaker magnet--one of the key components that allows us to rock out.
The Evolution and Impact of Neodymium Magnet Guitar Speakers
Neodymium speaker magnets are quickly becoming a favorite among guitarists of all styles, due to their light weight and wide variety of tonal applications. In this article, we will discuss how Neodymium magnets came to be, what can be expected of them, and how that impacts your tone.
In guitar amplification, at every level, the choice of speaker plays a vital role in shaping the tone and character of the sound. As one of the newest types of speakers available, neodymium magnet guitar speakers are an unmistakable sign of advancing technology and improved efficiency. Their development and construction have taken the guitar world by storm, and they are becoming more popular every day.
Do you want the power handling of ceramic, with the responsiveness of Alnico and only about half of the weight to carry around? The future is now with neodymium speakers.
A Brief History of Neodymium Guitar Speakers
Alnico magnets were the only choice for guitar speakers in the middle of the 20th century, until they were supplanted by louder and more stable ceramic magnet speakers. But now there is a new option on the scene that has moved manufacturing technology forward by leaps and bounds. First discovered in the early 1980s (K&J Magnetics, n.d.), and then adopted into bass speakers in the late 1990s, progress in neodymium guitar speakers lingered a bit longer than might have been anticipated. Although it took some time for manufacturers and musicians to figure out how to design around, and then for, neodymium speaker magnets, many of the secrets have finally been unlocked and players are taking note.
Some manufacturers are building upon their previous Alnico designs with neodymium magnets, slashing weight while aiming for tones reminiscent of the pre-ceramic days, while others are pushing the boundaries of what this relatively new material can do, creating 400-watt monster speakers with the touch sensitivity expected of something much smaller and heavier. In general, the tone can be said to be similar to Alnico, but with a more balanced (occasionally brighter) frequency response and far more headroom.
The Use and Impact of Neodymium Magnet Guitar Speakers
Neodymium speakers are known for their response and power, and especially for providing this at such a low weight (Gough, 2022). Even traditionally purist blues guitar players like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Samantha Fish are happily on the forefront of this new technology (Shepherd, 2017; category5amps.com). Fender uses them in their ToneMaster series of modeling amplifiers (Fender.com), and almost every speaker manufacturer of note has at least one neodymium offering, so it is safe to say that neo speakers are here to stay.
The evolution of neodymium magnet guitar speakers plays a growing role in the world of modern guitar music. From their origins as light-weight bass speakers to the refined guitar-centric options available today, these speakers have proven themselves as versatile and reliable components of any guitar amplifier. If you are a fan of the classic rock tones of the 1960s and '70s, or the muscular high-gain sounds of today, neodymium magnet guitar speakers offer tone and responsiveness that continues to surprise guitar players all over the world.
At Mojotone, we celebrate the rich history and continued innovation of guitar amplification. Everything that we do here is intentional, which is why we did not simply jump at the earliest chance to offer a neodymium speaker - we took our time in order to get it right for our customers and for our own ears. With that experience in our pocket, we feel we have created the most responsive and versatile neodymium speaker on the market: our BV-60N British NEO. Our British NEO is a direct descendant of our wildly popular BV-25M British Vintage speaker, which will place you right in the sweet spot of vintage British tone, with a little more touch and a lot less weight.
What kind of tone lives in your head? What sound do you want to hear? At the end of the day, and at the end of your guitar's signal chain, there is one piece of equipment that has the final say on what comes out of your amplifier: your speaker.
References
(1) The History of Neodymium Magnets, K&J Magnetics, Inc.
(2) Gough, Paul, "How the advent of speakers using neodymium magnets enabled bigger sounds from lighter cabs", Guitarist, July 26, 2022
(3) Shepherd, Kenny Wayne; Facebook, Aug. 30th 2017