Prescription Electronics Germ

[rungia]

Hello everyone. Anyone know the Prescription Electronics Germ? It's an amazing little circuit with a clean boost and a nice little overdrive. In circulation there aren't schematics It's all resin coated inside. I think that it isn't a simple germanium NPN boost with some adds, but a thing similar to Fulltone Fat Boost without tone control and with switching in some points of the circuit for the two configurations, boost and overdrive...  It works very well as buffer too.. I'm confused... Suggestions? Thanks and all the best!

[Muadzin]

From what I've learned over the years if they goop over a board its usually less to keep their new and exciting circuit a secret and more to keep others from discovering it's yet another *insert well known and often cloned circuit* with a slight twist.

Few things are really new in the pedal industry and I suspect its less because 'everything has been done already' and more because some DIYer starts fooling around with an existing circuit, does a little modding, likes the sound and decides that rather of building a really new circuit he builds a new business instead. They're tweakers, not innovators, as they hype themselves to be.

Okay, sorry about the derailing rant.

[rocket88]

there is major truth to what you said Muadzin. there are a few times where someone with something really new goops. it's similar to companies that sand off the labels from parts so you "can't" clone it. if it was really something amazing then no reason to hid it. case in point, i bought a wren and cuff phat phuk b, because in the videos it sounds great and i couldn't make out the circuit from gut shots. when i opened it up there's a Ge transistor that had the labeling removed and what looks like a Si transistor that had the face sanded. the funny thing is the labeling on the  "Si transistor" clearly says J201, and the Ge transistor if it was something really amazing and NOS it wouldn't have the model number removed. Travis and i were looking at it trying to figure it out, and from the parts of the label you can make out, and the shape we figure it's a chinese Ge transistor. while not a big deal, it's nothing special.

as far as building a business on modified circuits or clones is how it's always been, even into the 60's. there's nothing wrong with it, as long as a company is upfront with what a circuit came from, but when you have companies make it out that they spent months or years creating a "new circuit" (cough *JHS* cough) that's where there's an issue. it's dishonest and people fall for it. if you build something that's good, modified from something old or not, it's all good in the pursuit of good tone. look at what can be done with a big muff and how much you can change how it sounds. just my $0.02 on the matter.

[Silver Blues]

I agree. It's not at all the cloning and tweaking that's the issue, it's the trying to pass it off as an original design.

[rungia]

Thanks Muadzin for the reply. :-)
I also think the same thing about the boutique builders in general...but this pedal sounds really good and I want to understand where's the magic.

[rungia]

Thanks rocket88 for the reply:-)
That's what I have already written to Muazdin. I like to build pedals for myself and I would put this germ in output to a Landgraff clone. I wanted understand...

[rungia]

Thanks Silver Blues for the reply :-)
I 'll try to build a Rangemaster with changes to the tone and see the effect it does.
Clone or not clone this Prescription Germ is really good, like a rangemaster boost but little fat.
Ah ah