Most, if not completely, of those transistors continue to be created and can easily be bought. Germanium Fuzz Face Bill of Materials. The Fuzz E-One Small Bear Clone - Schematic Schottky diode D1 provides reverse-power protection with minimum voltage loss. In 1967, some models have been known as bringing a so called “creamy” sound texture to Fuzzboxes. Germanium Fuzz … I used em when they appeared. The earliest fuzz pedals used germanium transistors, which is why there is a strong a sense of nostalgia for these with old-school purists. 1. Used in the Italian versions of the Tone Bender Mk1.5, in 1967-75. By order of interest : GC301… I recall that apart from certain mythical or magical components, it is the technological family of transistors that is significant, rather than the particular model …. Underlined items have been used in historic pedals. Note that most of the original Silicon diodes from this period are unknown, simply marked with a black band, but some were marked 125. Of course, they get mixed up and there are overlaps, for instance, a well-behaved, dialled-back germanium fuzz can pass off as very warm overdrive and some of the more complex renditions of Big Muff circuitry certainly get very close to distortion. ГT402x, ГT404x*… There has been much confusion about this circuit, as the schematics on the patent, and on the original Ieaflet that came with the pedal are both wrong. Eventually they were replaced by components that were considered “better.” The EHX Germanium OD and Germanium 4 Big Muff Pi use these old school transistors. With all the Mouser references. Still fairly easy to find. Codes have numerous suffixes, without great influence on their sound in fuzzboxes. BC183 The BC183 transistors are a little warmer than the BC108 and still have plenty of fuzz. This will raise the current being provided towards the transistor and most likely fattens in the seem a little. Original fuzz pedals used a type of Germanium transistor which requires a power supply with opposite polarity, referred to as 'positive ground'. From left to right : AC128 by Philips / Mullard ; AC128 by Tungsram ; GC301 (GDR) ; GT402b (USSR) ; SFT363 (Italia). Another application of the Bazz Fuss design is the Buzz Box, also designed by Christian. Fuzz Faces naturally tend to bias with only about half a volt on the collector of the first transistor, so there is a lot of room upwards. This isn’t about particular brands of pedals, but the circuits they employ. We hand select 3 New Old Stock Philips OC41 Black Glass Germanium transistors for each pedal ensuring ideal performance and consistency. The 470 is at the middle in the last version, however it’s gone to live in the outdoors near the 20?F capacitor. Here’s a schematic from the original Germanium transistor form of the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face: As time continued, that old germanium transistors were gradually being replaced in support of the greater stable and consistent Plastic versions. With time, numerous people observed that the audio (left-hands logarithmic) taper gave far better charge of the fuzz. Someone in Aron’s Stompbox Forum stated that putting a 100pF capacitor over the Collector-Base junction from the transistors inside a Plastic Fuzz Face clone is needed control the gain and oscillation, so if you choose to build this version, remember that. AC128 … Original model, TO1 Philips / Mullard, often called “Red dot case”. The output capacitor seemed to be altered from .01?F within the original issue pedals to .047?F within the reissue pedals. The 1K fuzz pot within the original Fuzz Faces was straight line taper a tenPercent alternation in rotation gives in regards to a 10% alternation in resistance. The USA Electro-Harmonix factory was long gone by this time, and the old 1970's American made Big Muffs were increasing in value, so it was natural for some DIY makers to start building clones. They are labeled as silicon or germanium fuzz and there is an oscillation test with a wah wah at the end of each demo. Fuzz Face PNP Germanium Transistor With Charge Pump Version. A little forgotten or underestimated, so not common, alas. Features. Not hard to find. Russian GT308V (ГТ308В) : germanium PNP, don’t confuse cyrillic В with latin B because it’s actually equal to latin V. Russian transistors are sorted by hFE, but using cyrillic alphabet: A (A), B (Б), V (В), G (Г)…The V variation has hFE ranging 80-150 and is used in Dunlop Bonamassa Fuzz at Q2 position. It’s been noted many occasions over when they get too hot…they’ll cease working. The Fuzz Face has asymetrical clipping designed into it! The Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face has been available since 1966, and shows no indications of dying in the near future. The circuit has BC183L transistors, that have the B-C-E pinout. We want to take a moment here to explain how you can do this on your own for both the kit version and completed versions. Their fuzz box, the Electro-Harmonix Germanium 4 Big Muff Pi, is somewhat of a legend in its own right. The schematics and layouts are known to work, but you may have to do some debugging or component switching to get them to work properly. Be sure to check the PCB and Layouts against the Schematics and vice versa to make sure there aren't any errors. The NKT275 was New Market's version of the AC128. AC127*, AC176*… (npn versions of AC128, sometimes referred as “Blue dot”), Less well known cousins : Maximum collector current : 0.5 to 1.5A (more than other small case transistors). Therefore, they gained a reputation that made this family of components enter the guitar effects culture. AC141*, 142, 180, 181*, 188, 187*… (almost identical, by other manufacturers) Here's a schematic of the original Germanium transistor version of the Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face: What's Inside...The Silicon Years As time wore on, Germanium transistors were slowly being phased out in favor of the more stable and consistent Silicon versions. Consequently, Dallas-Arbiter started equipping the Fuzz Face pedals using these new transistors with various seem results. Germanium diodes (like 1N34A) are hard to find in usual large distributors such as Digikey, Mouser, Newark, Farnell or RS, they are mostly found in specialised audio and guitar pedal boutiques since their use is more and more reduced to audio distortion in fuzz pedals. The FUZZ knob on the silicon version usually sounds and works best if you turn it down a bit (on the germanium I usually like it up full). Maximum collector current : 0.5 to 1.5A (more than other small case transistors). Fuzz God II - the insane silicon brother of Germanium Fuzz God. v1: The first Fuzzrites used Germanium transistors, but these were not temperature stable: they didn't sound good on a cold floor. Eliminate any need for special considerations when powering your Fuzz Face with the other pedals on your pedal board. The Fuzz Face is a distortion guitar pedal designed in London by Arbitrer Electronics Ltd in the autumn of 1966. Back in the day, it was simply a matter of switching the wires that hook up the battery. The collector resistor on Q2 continues to be decreased from 8K2 to 6K8. The BC108, for example, which I have seen specified in many old schematics for the silicon Fuzz Face, might have a gain of anywhere from 80 to over 200 depending on what factory made it and when. Works well in Fuzz Faces in the position of second transistor (after AC125 or 128 as T1). Maximum collector-emitter voltage: 12 to 20 V. Power dissipation : 0.5 to 1.2 W (more than most of other small case transistors). An excessive amount of gain may cause a Fuzz Face to seem horrid. Listen to the Buzz Box! AC128 by Tungsram… SFT131, All analog, featuring NOS Germanium transistors for smooth and deep complex tone with amazing clean-up. The Fuzz Face continues to be performed by nearly every famous guitarist which has ever resided, and will likely continue for many years. GC511, 521* by Tesla… AC124, 131, 138, 139, If well biased, the sound would be what “vintage” means : not shrill and responsive to the way of setting and playing the guitar. As time continued, that old germanium transistors were gradually being replaced in support of the greater stable and consistent Plastic versions. A multi-mode Germanium fuzz / booster inspired by british classic Fuzz boxes of the past. Some classic models, often mentioned, but there should be surely many others … It does not really give the wet sound of Mullard AC128s, but its medium tone is enjoying. It’s impossible to attract a conclusion regarding which version is “better” compared to other, because many people such as the Plastic versions, and a few people don’t. The circuit produces a nasty (in a good way), explosive octave-up fuzz similar to the Scrambler and Green Ringer. It is the East German AC128, with a credible wet sound, albeit a bit dark. Maximum collector current : 0.5 to 1.5A (more than other small case transistors). Huge bomb-shaped case, which makes its vintage visual effect! I'm a sucker for versatile compact fuzz pedals, and I automatically gravitate towards the more feature-rich models. Pedals Demoed: Analogman Sun Face Germanium, ScreaminFX 1948 Germanium, Analogman Sun Face BC183, ScreaminFX 1954, Analogman Peppermint, Dunlop Fuzz Face, EHX Big Muff and Zvex Fuzz Factory With Plastic it might be tough to stick to the Q1 hfe of 70 and Q2 hfe of 120, since most Plastic transistors are excess of 120 to start with. These transistors were at first designed to drive the loudspeakers of radios and consumer audio products. The build quality and performance are not as extreme, but they are consistent. They are distinct from other families by their dissipable power and their maximum collector current. WHAT: Twelve germanium fuzz circuits compared and analyzed. The combined forward voltage drops of D2 to D4 give the right voltage to simulate a "hot" penlight battery, and … The fuzz circuit uses four vintage Germanium transistors, the switches allow you to select between two of the most popular types used in fuzz pedals. It's wilder, it's crazier, it's the loose cannon sonic brother that you wouldn't introduce to your girlfriend, cause you know he'd try his luck with her. 1N125 is a germanium diode, but these are Silicon. There is just one part which was altered within the circuit apart from the transistors. AC152, 153, Would love it if Basic Audio, Monsterpiece, Skreddy or SolidGoldFX or one of those Fuzz specialists could do something similar - i.e. The original Fuzz Face used NKT275 transistors made by a British company called New Market. I apologize to the visitors who will be frustrated by this lack of material ! SFT 367/377*, 370, 387… Europeans cousins one should try.