Best Overdrive/distortion using Ge Diodes

[motterpaul]

Although it is a little embarrassing, I admit I just learned more about Ge Diodes than I knew in the past. I did buy a batch of what turned out to Si 1n34a off of eBay, and really didn't know the difference.

I now have some real Ge 1n34s, 1n227s and I have some D9e coming from Russia.

I do have some other real Ge diodes, but I can't recall that I have used any yet. So, I am looking for a recommendation for a build that really makes the best of these real Ge diodes.

On a related note, I have built a few Crunch Boxes lately (My new favorite distortion) and I noticed how much more you get out of them when you use the 5mm red LEDs instead of 3 mm. If you happen to have one with 3mm, I recommend you swap them out for 5mm and see if you agree. I think you will.

[induction]

motterpaul wrote

On a related note, I have built a few Crunch Boxes lately (My new favorite distortion) and I noticed how much more you get out of them when you use the 5mm red LEDs instead of 3 mm. If you happen to have one with 3mm, I recommend you swap them out for 5mm and see if you agree. I think you will.

The size of an led's plastic case is not really a relevant factor in diode clipping. The only appreciable difference between one led and another in a hard clipper is forward voltage, which is a function of the tiny silicon die inside the plastic. Any led die can be put in any size casing, which means that the variation in sound you heard when you switched from 3mm to 5mm casings only applies to the specific diodes you replaced and the ones you replaced them with. Your results are highly unlikely to be replicated across different manufacturers and part numbers.

[Beaker]

"So, I am looking for a recommendation for a build that really makes the best of these real Ge diodes."

Take your pick, really. Any build that specifies Ge diodes will work. even if it does not, you can always put a pair on one side of a switch, with Si diodes on the other side for an extra diode selection option. You have probably built a lot of pedals already, which you can retro-fit this to.

The good old Germanium Giant is always a good one for testing out how different Ge diodes sound and break up. It's one of those pedals where you really can hear a difference.

[motterpaul]

Good input, guys. Thx

I was thinking about my Klones. I'm not sure what is in there now (it's been a long time since I built them - my first pedals) so I will have to look, but I see it is a "mystery" Ge (as I recall) from reading differing posts here.

By the way - here is really good article on clipping diode theory (I am sure many of you have seen it):

http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/diode/diode-clipping-circuits.html

[zombie_rock123]

Germ clipping in overdrives Ive always recommended the Cornish SS2 - for what it is it partswise it sounds amazing. I think it might just be a Distortion + with a tone and recovery stage? Doesnt sound too similar though for some reason. Nice feedback at higher gain settings but certainly no crunchbox.

Then theres always the Speaker Cranker - at least thats what I think its called. EQD. Which I think is just an electra with ge clipping so very much like the afor mentioned Giant. They also have the Crimson Drive which is some mixture of fet and ge goodness.

[Sphere80]

-DAM Ezekiel is a bass  overdrive  that uses a germanium pair as one of the options.
-You Dirty Rat is a Rat with germanium diodes
-Fender Blender is an extreme fuzz that uses 4 germanium diodes.  You can even add another pair to the clipping stage since  it's not the loudest pedal.  
-Black Arts Toneworks Pharaoh is a Big Muff with germanium clipping as an option
-Black Arts Toneworks Quantum Mystic is an MXR Dist+ with a 3 band EQ