Re: Great Jumpin Germaniums! (Ge Diode and Transistor Reviews & Discussion)
Posted by rocket88 on Sep 19, 2014; 5:45pm
URL: http://guitar-fx-layouts.238.s1.nabble.com/Great-Jumpin-Germaniums-Ge-Diode-and-Transistor-Reviews-Discussion-tp13256p13526.html
Some are, some aren't. The Russian age transistors don't seen to play be the normal rules for what gain sounds best in certain pedals (who's surprised by that, jk
). The big thing is frequency response.
For example, I've built a few fuzzfaces with 1t308v's both with gains around 50hfe. Those pedals sound just as good, have just as much output, and clean up just as well as those with the holy grail gain of Q1:80hfe, Q2:110hfe. I have yet to try anything lower then 40hfe, but have heard people say they still work just as well. The lower the gain, usually the lower the output, and less fuzz you'll get. In one of the fuzzfaces I built with lower gain, 40's hfe, was super smooth, not as biting as some higher gain ones.
Unlike pedals that use Si transistors. Ge is finicky, the weather and temp can have a major impact on how they work and you the gains will change with temperature changes. What I've done is I look at the gain ranges listed on the datasheet and see if they are in the ranges I'm looking for. You want to experiment with gains, depending on the pedal and see how it turns out and how you like it.
What I posted above is my experience with those Russians, and I will be posting my experience with others too, and hope others post their info. I've bought all of mine on eBay, just search by the transistor name and yell should find stuff, but some are really hard to find , like gt402v and gt402b. Take a look in the thread about the Bulgarian seller we all use (they usually have mp20's and 1t308's available for cheap),I also have had good experience from a seller in Russia, who I forget their name. When I'm home I'll post some sellers that I use and the ones our Bulgarian friend uses.
If you order anything, get at least 50, as you'll need to sort to see what gains and leakage you got, and it gives you a chance to experiment. When I order Ge transistors I usually order them 100 at a time minimum. In fact I'm still sorting my last order, and still have 100 MP16b's and 200 1t308v's I have to sort through.
URL: http://guitar-fx-layouts.238.s1.nabble.com/Great-Jumpin-Germaniums-Ge-Diode-and-Transistor-Reviews-Discussion-tp13256p13526.html
Some are, some aren't. The Russian age transistors don't seen to play be the normal rules for what gain sounds best in certain pedals (who's surprised by that, jk
). The big thing is frequency response.
For example, I've built a few fuzzfaces with 1t308v's both with gains around 50hfe. Those pedals sound just as good, have just as much output, and clean up just as well as those with the holy grail gain of Q1:80hfe, Q2:110hfe. I have yet to try anything lower then 40hfe, but have heard people say they still work just as well. The lower the gain, usually the lower the output, and less fuzz you'll get. In one of the fuzzfaces I built with lower gain, 40's hfe, was super smooth, not as biting as some higher gain ones.
Unlike pedals that use Si transistors. Ge is finicky, the weather and temp can have a major impact on how they work and you the gains will change with temperature changes. What I've done is I look at the gain ranges listed on the datasheet and see if they are in the ranges I'm looking for. You want to experiment with gains, depending on the pedal and see how it turns out and how you like it.
What I posted above is my experience with those Russians, and I will be posting my experience with others too, and hope others post their info. I've bought all of mine on eBay, just search by the transistor name and yell should find stuff, but some are really hard to find , like gt402v and gt402b. Take a look in the thread about the Bulgarian seller we all use (they usually have mp20's and 1t308's available for cheap),I also have had good experience from a seller in Russia, who I forget their name. When I'm home I'll post some sellers that I use and the ones our Bulgarian friend uses.
If you order anything, get at least 50, as you'll need to sort to see what gains and leakage you got, and it gives you a chance to experiment. When I order Ge transistors I usually order them 100 at a time minimum. In fact I'm still sorting my last order, and still have 100 MP16b's and 200 1t308v's I have to sort through.
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