I really want to build another Ge fuzz face. Just a straight two knobber this time. My current one uses cv7112 mil spec oc140's and really sounds amazing.
I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the different types of Russian germaniums or the different suppliers? From what I can see there are a couple of inexpensive sources still out there including Gordeluxe and Orpheus on ebay and Evita electronics out of Lithuania. I have read mixed reviews everywhere about the major types. The ones that look suitable are gt308, gt309, gt404, gt402 including others. Most say that the leakage of the NPN types are too high. I am debating whether to get a batch or just stick with the SB transistors.
I'm sitting on a bunch that I haven't built anything with yet, but I got some gt402N, some gt108b, and a ton of gt308B.
They all test great for leakage (far less on average than most american/british) and are usually really well spec'd for gain (the drawback being that you don't get many 80 / 120 Hfe sets per batch).
The 402's in particular almost all test between 70-90 for Hfe and about 20-50 uA for leakage. They're also huge, bigger than the to220 package.
Those 402's look pretty great. Any word on where you picked them up?
There is an old fogey ham radio swap meet down the road from where I live about once a month; might just start buying up 1960's transistor radios and salvage the trannys.
I've gotten some ac 128's 127's and 187's from a supplier in Bulgaria. forgot the screenname. I'll check and get back to you. they all tested great. I used a 128 in a rangemaster and it sounded really good. I also got 5 mullard oc 81's from a supplier in Germany. saving those for a couple tagboard fuzz projects I've been dreaming up. I only had one dud out of about 20 or so. I had some russian ge's I used in a fuzz face I rebuilt. but I was underwhelmed. They looked like the mullards in the black glass packages. they had enough gain, but had a really ratty sounding decay. I always use a trim pot to bias them but just couldn't get those ones dialed in. If you find a good source please fill me in. I am always on the hunt for some decent ge's. I been building a pretty decent stash.
Will do if I find something. Someone north of me has a batch of 200 ac128's. I am going to ask if I can go and pick through them!
What I really want to find is the milspec OC140 (the cv7112), this is the best sounding germanium transistor I have heard in a FF. It is also super hard to find. SB has pairs for $24! I have been seeing hit and miss reviews with the Russian stuff, gt308 and 402 seem like pretty sure things but the suppliers are all in Moscow and get mixed reviews from DIY folk. Let me know where you picked up those ac128's, I would be interested in picking some of those up.
Why is this so difficult?!?! :-\ I am going to start buying germanium wafers and a proxy lithography system and making my own germanium transistors! Haha, any investors? :D
All this germ mojo! I'd really like to complete a germ fuzzrite but finding the transistors can be such a pain. I wonder if AC128's would work in that project.
Alright so I just contacted this ac127/128 guy. If anyone is interested he is trying to sell the mixed lot (185 total) of Amperex made Ge's for $1 each if you buy the whole thing. I asked if I could drive up and test them on Monday, no reply yet. I would like to buy these but want to make sure this isn't a picked over batch.
Quote from: JakeFuzz on April 20, 2011, 08:46:22 AM
Alright so I just contacted this ac127/128 guy. If anyone is interested he is trying to sell the mixed lot (185 total) of Amperex made Ge's for $1 each if you buy the whole thing. I asked if I could drive up and test them on Monday, no reply yet. I would like to buy these but want to make sure this isn't a picked over batch.
I'm interested in going in on this with you. If thats what your asking?
I am definitely interested, he lives in Ojai, which is pretty darn far from me. I just really want to make sure they haven't been totally picked over. He says they are from a movie set technician and I don't think he knows how to test them. I am going to see if I can swing by tonight and try them out. If all is good I will buy as many as I can and you guys can get in on it.
I wouldn't mind going with you out there. It is a far drive. Just let me know :)
I'd take about 25 0f them pm me so I can get your paypal info. I could pay in a day or two.
Quote from: JakeFuzz on April 19, 2011, 02:37:30 PM
Those 402's look pretty great. Any word on where you picked them up?
There is an old fogey ham radio swap meet down the road from where I live about once a month; might just start buying up 1960's transistor radios and salvage the trannys.
gordeluxe on fleabay.
Quote from: cjkbug on April 20, 2011, 09:38:15 AM
I'd take about 25 0f them pm me so I can get your paypal info. I could pay in a day or two.
I don't think I will have that many good ones out of this batch. I will let you guys know what turns up.
Quote from: bigmufffuzzwizz on April 20, 2011, 09:36:47 AM
I wouldn't mind going with you out there. It is a far drive. Just let me know :)
Plans aren't set yet, he said he has to check his schedule. I'm down, probably leave around 6pm tonight if he is available. Anyone else want to drive? That's like a $40-50 gas tank for me ;D.
Keep track of your miles and gas, as that will ultimately affect the price per useable tranny.
Jacob
Yeah I don't think it is worth it anymore. He just sold more than half of the NPN's. Bummer. Maybe I should just get like 20 and test that batch and see if I want to get the rest.
This could've been really useful. There's always next time!
Quote from: bigmufffuzzwizz on April 20, 2011, 09:40:40 PM
This could've been really useful. There's always next time!
He sold the whole lot to one person. It was a really good price too @ less than a dollar for each piece! Maybe I shouldn't have been so picky, of course they may have all been duds! Yeah I will continue the search. A UK based components supplier quoted me $14 per each untested Mullard OC140! Yikes.
"orpheaus" is the bulgarian suppliers id on ebay. he lists the specs for the transistors individually.
I just purchased a quantity of 100, GT308B for $38.00 bones plus shipping. I'm hoping these will fair better because of their age, 1990. And, if they don't, no sweat. I've spent more on beer an pretzels! :D
http://cgi.ebay.com/Germanium-PNP-Transistors-GT308B-USSR-1990-QTY-100-/310319330642?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4840793552
I've heard good things about elebcz (http://stores.ebay.com/elebcz?_rdc=1) on Ebay. I haven't bought anything from him yet, though.
Quote from: slimtriggers on May 18, 2011, 01:33:22 AM
I've heard good things about elebcz (http://stores.ebay.com/elebcz?_rdc=1) on Ebay. I haven't bought anything from him yet, though.
Hmm that guy look interesting. He has NKT275's for 14 bucks. That's not too bad for a matched set of 2N404's.
Quote from: JakeFuzz on May 18, 2011, 08:24:19 AM
Quote from: slimtriggers on May 18, 2011, 01:33:22 AM
I've heard good things about elebcz (http://stores.ebay.com/elebcz?_rdc=1) on Ebay. I haven't bought anything from him yet, though.
Hmm that guy look interesting. He has NKT275's for 14 bucks. That's not too bad for a matched set of 2N404's.
those are newmarket transistors. the reports are that they do not sound anything like the originals. can't tell if they sound good or bad, just different. I think those are the transistors in the reissue ff's that dunlop put out.
I'm bidding on a hundred 2n404 from a great german seller.
If I win I'll give you some if you want (I'll never use 100 in my life ::) )
Quote from: cjkbug on May 18, 2011, 09:25:24 AM
Quote from: JakeFuzz on May 18, 2011, 08:24:19 AM
Quote from: slimtriggers on May 18, 2011, 01:33:22 AM
I've heard good things about elebcz (http://stores.ebay.com/elebcz?_rdc=1) on Ebay. I haven't bought anything from him yet, though.
Hmm that guy look interesting. He has NKT275's for 14 bucks. That's not too bad for a matched set of 2N404's.
those are newmarket transistors. the reports are that they do not sound anything like the originals. can't tell if they sound good or bad, just different. I think those are the transistors in the reissue ff's that dunlop put out.
I think analogman uses nkt's in his sunface FF clones. They can't be that bad.
Analogman does use NKT275's in his sunface clone but I'm sure they are NOS ones. I've also heard the transistors used in the Dunlop FF reissues are new production NKT's that do not match the originals in sound. It's a shame the germ world can be so deceptive.
Quote from: night-B on May 18, 2011, 09:31:27 AM
I'm bidding on a hundred 2n404 from a great german seller.
If I win I'll give you some if you want (I'll never use 100 in my life ::) )
Yeah man, Ill buy some of those off of you. Let me know when you get them.
If you wanna know my favorite retailer : minifux1
Here's the deal, I'm the best bidder actually :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/100-of-2N404-germanium-transistors-/380340274397?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item588e0c04dd
Quote from: stecykmi on May 18, 2011, 10:21:13 AM
Quote from: cjkbug on May 18, 2011, 09:25:24 AM
Quote from: JakeFuzz on May 18, 2011, 08:24:19 AM
Quote from: slimtriggers on May 18, 2011, 01:33:22 AM
I've heard good things about elebcz (http://stores.ebay.com/elebcz?_rdc=1) on Ebay. I haven't bought anything from him yet, though.
Hmm that guy look interesting. He has NKT275's for 14 bucks. That's not too bad for a matched set of 2N404's.
those are newmarket transistors. the reports are that they do not sound anything like the originals. can't tell if they sound good or bad, just different. I think those are the transistors in the reissue ff's that dunlop put out.
I think analogman uses nkt's in his sunface FF clones. They can't be that bad.
he uses nos nkt's. which of some he's completely out. thay ar not the same. they are much more expensive and rare. I didn't say the new production ones were bad. they are just different and shouldn't be confused with original nkt's. I would be dissappointed if I thought I bought the real deal and got modern repros.
Quote from: night-B on May 18, 2011, 03:04:05 PM
If you wanna know my favorite retailer : minifux1
Here's the deal, I'm the best bidder actually :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/100-of-2N404-germanium-transistors-/380340274397?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item588e0c04dd
Thank a million times over for the source!
Quote from: night-B on May 18, 2011, 03:04:05 PM
If you wanna know my favorite retailer : minifux1
Here's the deal, I'm the best bidder actually :
http://cgi.ebay.fr/100-of-2N404-germanium-transistors-/380340274397?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item588e0c04dd
Sweet, thanks! No wonder I didn't come across his store earlier, meine deutsch ist nicht so gut!
Not to burst your bubble, I bought a 100 Tungsram AC128 off of that seller you're mentioning and they're mostly low hfe and a lot of leakage.
Quote from: FredGarvin on May 18, 2011, 05:38:10 PM
Not to burst your bubble, I bought a 100 Tungsram AC128 off of that seller you're mentioning and they're mostly low hfe and a lot of leakage.
I'm not a pro but I heard that Tungsram is a poor quality brand. As much as I can, I'll try to buy Mullard or others high quality brands.
I'll test the hfe and leakage and I'll never sell or use the bad ones.
Quote from: FredGarvin on May 17, 2011, 06:13:55 PM
I just purchased a quantity of 100, GT308B for $38.00 bones plus shipping. I'm hoping these will fair better because of their age, 1990. And, if they don't, no sweat. I've spent more on beer an pretzels! :D
http://cgi.ebay.com/Germanium-PNP-Transistors-GT308B-USSR-1990-QTY-100-/310319330642?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4840793552
I thought about ordering some of these. Let me know how they turn out once you receive them.
I received them the other day and started to go through them. Unfortunately, they all seem to have low hfe 45-80, the odd one near 90, but, strangely they have little to no leakage. My Peak DCA55 reads zero leakage. I've breadboarded a fuzz face and I'm in the process of biasing them to see if they sound good. I'll be back with the results soon.
I just got my dca in the mail yesterday. those things are amazing. no more math, or checking datasheets for pinouts. I spent 45 minutes sorting ge transistors last night. makes working with unfamiliar devices so much easier. money well spent.
Well said, brother. I hear ya. If and when your battery dies, maybe you already know this, the best place to get replacement batteries is at Walmart. They have a 2 pack for $13.00 bucks. The batteries aren't cheap. :D
I just received mine today woohoooo ! ;D
I've got a huuuuge stock of NOS ac128, ac127, 2n404, get872, oc139, oc602, and nkt275 to test
Edit : like Fred said, the ac128 bags from minifux1 have high leakage (0.1 to 0.8mA), but all the others are at 0mA or almost nothing.
I've ordered some Fuzz Face boards from MBP, does anybody know if transistors like oc602 (with hfe of 20 and 30) can offer a very light fuzz/boost? I'd like to build a high gain, a mid gain and a low gain fuzz in 3 different boxes. I've seen on youtube that some builders adjust the bias on sun faces to get a light boost and I'd like to get that type of sound on one of my pedals ::)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJbM9kZrPVU
Thanks !
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Did anyone find any of those russian transistors (the one's on ebay that you can get 100 of) of any value for fuzz's?
yep sure are, I've got another hundred on order. I got a batch of the gt308b's and out of a hundred I got about 20-25 between 75-110hfe with next to 0 leakage most were 60 to 65hfe I got some otheres that werent so hot. but have gotten ore than enough to justify buying them there instead of from small bear. the 308's sound nice in a ff circuit. dark and smooth with a nice even decay. I've got a mkIII/ff hybrid I'm gonna try them out in soon. should have build reports to follow soon. I got 100 of the 308's for $35+ shipping. they should last me quite a long while. I'm gonna stock up before the prices skyrocket.
Quote from: cjkbug on July 31, 2011, 08:57:40 PM
yep sure are, I've got another hundred on order. I got a batch of the gt308b's and out of a hundred I got about 20-25 between 75-110hfe with next to 0 leakage most were 60 to 65hfe I got some otheres that werent so hot. but have gotten ore than enough to justify buying them there instead of from small bear. the 308's sound nice in a ff circuit. dark and smooth with a nice even decay. I've got a mkIII/ff hybrid I'm gonna try them out in soon. should have build reports to follow soon. I got 100 of the 308's for $35+ shipping. they should last me quite a long while. I'm gonna stock up before the prices skyrocket.
Awesome. Which seller did you use? Are you getting the same ones?
Well I finally broke down and bought a big ol batch of these. I bought 50 IT308B (GT308V) and 10 GT309D and G from gordelux. Hopefully they live up. Some people are saying they sound better than OC140's ::) that would be interesting. I am excited. I also picked up a pair of NOS Sony AC128's from BYOC, so lots of stuff to report when it all comes in. I went with the IT308B because the JB Fuzz Face has one as Q2 and the GT309's because I read that these had really consistent specs.
awesome, very interested in seeing what your opinion of these are. I have been on the fence about spending the money for some of these.
You know what? If i find a combination that I like and I have a few extra Ill just send you a pair so you can try them out. Hopefully I will have a bunch of good ones! Wish I had a camera so I could record how they sound.
Quote from: JakeFuzz on September 30, 2011, 06:21:18 PM
You know what? If i find a combination that I like and I have a few extra Ill just send you a pair so you can try them out. Hopefully I will have a bunch of good ones! Wish I had a camera so I could record how they sound.
Wow, that would be awesome if you can. I appreciate you doing that, let me know how much to send you.
I got a pair of the ac128's from byoc and they sounded pretty good. For 12 bucks, definitely worth a shot. I also ordered 150 ac125's from ebay. I bought ten first and they were low leakages in useable gain ranges, so i went for a crap ton. Theyre great sounding transistors for fuzz faces and particularly tonebenders as they were created as a replacement for the mythical oc81d. I have been tempted to buy some of those 308's and 309's, but have yet to pull the trigger. Let me know how they turn out. If you have any extra pairs, i'll swap you for some of mine. (if you're interested)
Quote from: dwstanford on September 30, 2011, 08:49:55 PM
I got a pair of the ac128's from byoc and they sounded pretty good. For 12 bucks, definitely worth a shot. I also ordered 150 ac125's from ebay. I bought ten first and they were low leakages in useable gain ranges, so i went for a crap ton. Theyre great sounding transistors for fuzz faces and particularly tonebenders as they were created as a replacement for the mythical oc81d. I have been tempted to buy some of those 308's and 309's, but have yet to pull the trigger. Let me know how they turn out. If you have any extra pairs, i'll swap you for some of mine. (if you're interested)
Definitely. I would love to try some ac125's. I cant wait to try these ac128' too, I hear good things but have never seen Sony brand. Ill let you know how the batch turns out.
Quote from: jimmybjj on September 30, 2011, 07:31:42 PM
Quote from: JakeFuzz on September 30, 2011, 06:21:18 PM
You know what? If i find a combination that I like and I have a few extra Ill just send you a pair so you can try them out. Hopefully I will have a bunch of good ones! Wish I had a camera so I could record how they sound.
Wow, that would be awesome if you can. I appreciate you doing that, let me know how much to send you.
Dont worry about it, I know how it is wanting to try a few trannies without having to buy bulk quantities.
I also got some AC125s on eBay to try out in a treble booster. Gains are all over the map from under 125 to well over 300. The usable ones are decent, but to my ear not as musical as an OC75. Probably better suited to a Fuzz than a Treble Booster
Well, thats mighty fine of ya Jake! I certainly appreciated it :)
Yeah, an oc75, 76, 71, or 44 would be a better choice for a treble booster. The ac125 sounds pretty decent in a rangemaster, for instance, but you wont get quite as much harmonic distortion as one of the others i mentioned.
For what it's worth I've got a Monsterpiece Ge with Rus gt320b's in it and it sounds pretty terrific.
Well the Russian germaniums haven't come yet but I just tested the BYOC AC128's and they sound decent. They sound very similar to the 2N404's Julien sold me. They are very trebley and don't have as much sustain as my other FF's, this could be because byoc sent me gains of 77 and 103 which is a little low for Q2. They have slightly more bottom end than the 2n404's. They do sound good but I may hybridize these as well. I am hoping to get a really dark transistor one of these days so I can combine them and see what happens. I am hoping the Russians are a little darker; more on this in a few days.
You guys got me really into this, i think i'll also buy some of these Russians! 8)
Quote from: brainbender on October 05, 2011, 02:27:34 PM
You guys got me really into this, i think i'll also buy some of these Russians! 8)
Ill let you know how mine turn out. I've heard mixed reviews about the IT308B but I paid like 11 bucks for 50 so I think ill get something useable out of it. I've only heard good things about the gt309's. I really want to buy a batch of the GT402's those get really good reviews too, higher gain ranges than most everything else it seems.
On a different note I submitted a query for more info to NXP for the CV7112. I really doubt they'll give me things like litho mask layouts and process details or if they still even have the files for them. Here is how things evolved with these, Philips-signetics made these for a company called Valve Technology. Philips semiconductor was split and formed NXP semiconductor well after the CV line was discontinued. So it is pretty wishful thinking that the data on these has survived all this history or that NXP would just give me something like that (I said it was for research purposes :D) but I figured it was worth a shot.
A little more info: Valve Electronic was just a brand front for certain British military parts. These were made by Mullard (whom Philips completely owned at the time). The CV7112 was classified as a high switching speed, high current device and was used in military avionics "computers". The destination for end use was stated as "MOA" or Ministry of Aviation. CV stands for Communication Valve. The CV line (and all other military parts) were usually existing product designs with a greater degree of quality control. A footnote does state that while equivalencies are listed (eg, the CV7112 and the OC140) they are not necessarily the same parts. My guess is that Valve used the topology of the OC140 but altered some of the materials (and consequently the fabrication process). Unfortunately information on this specific device is tough to come by. Where does all this information go to die? Sitting in the back store-room in one of Mullards old fab facilities perhaps... ???
Wow, that's a detailed report! :D ;)
I got my ac125's today and i went through and tested them. I got 150 of them for 40 bucks and i was suprised to see how many useable transistors there were in the lot. The gains averaged from about 110-160 hfe with a few strays above or below that. The leakages averaged about 400u with several in the 200-300 range. There were more than an average amount in the 140 hfe range with about 500u of leakage. Id say about half of them fall into that category. Overall, it was a good haul.
Quote from: dwstanford on October 06, 2011, 12:56:18 PM
I got my ac125's today and i went through and tested them. I got 150 of them for 40 bucks and i was suprised to see how many useable transistors there were in the lot. The gains averaged from about 110-160 hfe with a few strays above or below that. The leakages averaged about 400u with several in the 200-300 range. There were more than an average amount in the 140 hfe range with about 500u of leakage. Id say about half of them fall into that category. Overall, it was a good haul.
If you don't mind my asking where did you get them?
I got them on ebay from minifux. They are tungsrams. I ordered ten from them initially to see if id like them, and they were awesome. Im on a tonebender kick right not and these sound great for those circuits. The only trouble is, you need some lower gains for tonebenders traditionally (except for maybe the vox tonebender) The first batch were between 60 and 120 so they were perfect. Ill probably use these for fuzz face or fuzzrite style circuits.
Well, these Russians are pretty much garbage as far as DC gains go. I tested a little over half and the highest gain was about 70. The majority are in the low 50's range. Ridiculously low leakage. Maybe at DC they just test poorly. Ive heard that even though these are low gain if they are biased up correctly they sound decent. Ill give it a shot maybe this weekend and see how they sound. The 309D's are even worse at an average of 45. Sorry guys hope you weren't getting your hopes up about these.
But wait... there's more! They sound good! Not a huge wall of fuzziness but I tweaked my bias resistors until I got something and it sounds very good. Very smooth and decent sustain. There isn't a ton of gain but for a low gain bluesy fuzz it does very well. Strange ??? I really had to crank those bias resistors, I am pretty sure one of them is almost at zero ohms and the other one makes everything really boomy if I turn it up too high. I actually like them better than the AC128's (but I like really bassy wooly fuzz). I think I will try a few combination with 2n404 and ac128 next.
BTW the gains I used were both about 50. Ill measure the actual bias resistor values a little later
Okay I was wrong (my trim pot is backwards), the Q1 is at about 47k and the Q2 is looking good at about 10k. Unfortunately when I built this board I put in a 10K trimmer so I cant go any higher. The sound was getting sweeter at higher values of the Q2 collector resistor so maybe somewhere around 12 or 15k is the sweet spot for these low gainers. Didn't measure collector voltages before I threw them back in the pile. Ill do a hybrid test with a Si in Q1 this weekend too, something tells me it is going to sound really cool.
In fact they sound similar to the opening licks of this video which makes sense since this has an IT308B in Q2:
Quote from: dwstanford on October 06, 2011, 03:34:17 PM
I got them on ebay from minifux. They are tungsrams. I ordered ten from them initially to see if id like them, and they were awesome. Im on a tonebender kick right not and these sound great for those circuits. The only trouble is, you need some lower gains for tonebenders traditionally (except for maybe the vox tonebender) The first batch were between 60 and 120 so they were perfect. Ill probably use these for fuzz face or fuzzrite style circuits.
haha! You outbid me ;D
we're likely competing with each other to buy these things. They were going for a steal a couple months ago.
Got home early and did a bunch of tests with these. The higher gain ones do sound slightly better. The best sounds were with a 50-50 combo. I tried mixing with and ac128, 2N404 a 2N3906 and a GT309D. Alright sounds to be had with the combos; too harsh when paired with 2N404 or AC128 in Q2. The 2N3906 in Q1 (hybrid config) was very interesting, smooth but the texture was all wacky, boomy and over compressed. Other than the 50-50 a good combo was a 309D in Q1, this cleared things up a little. I will try and record a video for the 50-50 of 308's soon here, i think people will be very surprised at how these sound. ;)
More Germanium Fuzz Face geekiness to come when I get my OC's and 2SB's.
Quote from: gtr2 on October 13, 2011, 11:54:46 AM
Quote from: dwstanford on October 06, 2011, 03:34:17 PM
I got them on ebay from minifux. They are tungsrams. I ordered ten from them initially to see if id like them, and they were awesome. Im on a tonebender kick right not and these sound great for those circuits. The only trouble is, you need some lower gains for tonebenders traditionally (except for maybe the vox tonebender) The first batch were between 60 and 120 so they were perfect. Ill probably use these for fuzz face or fuzzrite style circuits.
haha! You outbid me ;D
Ha! Hey, pm me your address and i'll send you a few.
I ordered 3 batches of russian germs. Still waiting for them to arrive. I researched beforehand so I know not to expect much for gains on the gt308v's. I'm hoping the 10v gt108v's fair a little better for gains.
I took a little gamble with a stateside surplus dealer on some TO-5 PNP cans with unlisted specs for cheap. 15 and 20 cents a pop. Picked up 40 from different batches. I was pleasantly surprised. About half of them had gains in the FF range (70 - 150). About a fourth of them had gains 40 to 60. A few went over 200, a few really low gain, and a couple over 300. Only a few I deemed unusable. One dead one. One common diode. One reported as a resistor shunt. A couple leaky bums. Leakage was moderate on most. from 40ua to 120ua. The higher gains tended to have higher leakages. A few had no leakage at all. These were all tested with a DCA55 so other means might give different results. I tried several combos in my FF test circuit and my pepper spray and they sound pretty good to me. I wonder what the 2N**** equivalent is. Top of the cans have SRC written on them follwed by a batch number I presume. Found out it stands for Summit Radio Corporation. Anyway I think I'll be getting a few more because they work and are dirt cheap with good yields.
If anyone is interested in these I'll gladly share the source but can't say you'll get the same results. I'll see how my second order goes.
Wow, sounds like a good source. Ill PM you for details. I just built up a FF with two GT308V's and it sounds pretty damn good. With the variable input capacitor instead of an fuzz knob and an external bias control I think I have found my favorite configuration. Even if you get low gain GT308's give them a try, I think they sound very good. They have a very narrow useable range on the 100k feedback resistor, so that might be something to check for.
I have never seen SRC trannies. They are probably a batch of unbranded normal production germaniums that have been stamped by the distributor. I have seen tons of 2N404's and the like that have had this done to them. I really want to try a few!
Threw a little clip together using the SRC's in a FF. Direct recording to pc so missing the tube amp influence. Fuzz on full all clips with guitar volume rolled back for left and right. Center I roll the volume up. Touch of reverb added. Mexi strat with ceramic singles. Give you an idea of the fuzz sound these make anyway. Mediocre playing as usual.
SRTGERMS0.mp3 - 1.92MB (http://www.zshare.net/audio/95364932a6b092ee/)
Quote from: Quip on October 30, 2011, 03:18:45 PM
Threw a little clip together using the SRC's in a FF. Direct recording to pc so missing the tube amp influence. Fuzz on full all clips with guitar volume rolled back for left and right. Center I roll the volume up. Touch of reverb added. Mexi strat with ceramic singles. Give you an idea of the fuzz sound these make anyway. Mediocre playing as usual.
SRTGERMS0.mp3 - 1.92MB (http://www.zshare.net/audio/95364932a6b092ee/)
Sounds good. Usually my FF's sound really grainy direct in.
On a different note I purchased a selection of trannies from Minifux on ebay. I bought three of the most popular kinds OC139, AC188K and 2SB324. All pretty much garbage unfortunately. The OC139 were the most disappointing with the highest gain being about 45. The AC188K's had 3 useable out of 10 and the gains were in the 80-100 range. The 2SB324 seemed the most consistent with most gains falling between 50 and 70. I can use the 324's and the few 188's for some things but I won't buy these again. Just a heads up!
My russian trannies came this week. Not too bad. the 308's had plenty of gains between 80 and 100 and many 60 to 80. The 108's are tiny with flimsy thin leads, have more leakage but still low. Haven't tested but a few so far and the gains are a bit higher overall to the 308's. The mp39b's are low gainers. Got them basically to try out a JBF3 circuit.
Those are some good gains on the 308's. I finally did a decent test on the 308's that paul sent me. I had to do a bit of tweaking, but they sound suprisingly good for such low gain. (40's-50's range). I'll have to get some in higher ranges and compare.
Quote from: dwstanford on November 05, 2011, 11:30:28 AM
Those are some good gains on the 308's. I finally did a decent test on the 308's that paul sent me. I had to do a bit of tweaking, but they sound suprisingly good for such low gain. (40's-50's range). I'll have to get some in higher ranges and compare.
Yes! I know right, I am glad someone has heard it so I don't feel crazy ;D. Ill be getting a blue snowball in the next week or so and recording some clips of the 50-50 pairs. I am also going to try and pair up the gt308 and the 2sb324, similar low gains so we'll see how they sound together.
Those are good gains Quip. Did you pick yours up from gordeluxe? Are they the IT308B or the GT308B? I only had 3 out of 50 that were above 60 which is interesting compared to your results. Maybe ill pick up another batch to compare...
Quote from: JakeFuzz on November 05, 2011, 11:53:50 AM
Quote from: dwstanford on November 05, 2011, 11:30:28 AM
Those are some good gains on the 308's. I finally did a decent test on the 308's that paul sent me. I had to do a bit of tweaking, but they sound suprisingly good for such low gain. (40's-50's range). I'll have to get some in higher ranges and compare.
Those are good gains Quip. Did you pick yours up from gordeluxe? Are they the IT308B or the GT308B? I only had 3 out of 50 that were above 60 which is interesting compared to your results. Maybe ill pick up another batch to compare...
I got them from Goredelux. The 308's were listed as GT's. They were an odd batch of 60 and have some written as 1T and some look like a TT with the first T chopped top left. Two different logos on them. Most of the higher gain ones have 1T and a logo that looks a little like the soviet sickle with a small double T on top. The rest have that sideways smashed figure 8 looking logo. It could be my DCA55 also tests gains higher than other means too. I don't really want to any math and a test circuit to calculate another way. Barely have the time to work on my projects as is.
*** There's a third logo too. A circle with arrow pointing down and the top of trannies have a diamond imprint. Most of those tested in 50's and 60's.
Hmm that might be it. The batch I got all had that smashed sideways 8. Interesting the little variations between batches. I wonder exactly what those stamps mean, date codes, packaging tool, factory codes?
You guys aren't going to believe what I just found :o So I am building these devices for a biomedical company here on campus and I needed an NPN transistor,. There is an obscure shop in the bottom of the chemistry building which I have always wanted to go to. The guy says to just go sift through the bins and find whatever I need... Tons of FF suitable germaniums! 2N404'a 2N1302's and lots of those old Fairchild silicons! And even better they are all like 50-80 cents a piece!
The problem is you cannot buy anything without an inter-departmental charge account. I have one but I have to get every purchase signed off and something tells me my boss isn't going to be happy when he see's 50 germanium transistors on the purchase order! Ill see what I can do!
Figure it out!! I will buy, I will even pay TWICE that amount.
That's a pretty sound investment.
Yeah ill let you guys know how it goes acquiring them. I am thinking that I find someone with a charge account that I could reimburse. The problem is the charge accounts are heavily monitored and restricted to professors. I have to write a paragraph every time I buy even insignificant things like pencils.
That sounds like a goldmine. I have hunted through so many bins of useless crap on the hunt for buried treasure and i usually come out empty handed, but occasionally i find something good. Once i found a bunch of mullard tropical fish caps for ten cents each and on the same day i found a whole bag of daka ware chicken head knobs. SCORE!
Quote from: dwstanford on November 11, 2011, 06:20:54 PM
That sounds like a goldmine. I have hunted through so many bins of useless crap on the hunt for buried treasure and i usually come out empty handed, but occasionally i find something good. Once i found a bunch of mullard tropical fish caps for ten cents each and on the same day i found a whole bag of daka ware chicken head knobs. SCORE!
Ahh those dakawares are awesome. Mine are made out of a really dense material. There is a military electronics surplus in San Diego called Murphy's that is worth the trip if you're ever there. They have buckets of old knobs; most of them i've never seen before but they are all like 25-50 cent's; I picked up a bunch of chicken heads from that place.
Also in northwest LA there is a shop called All electronics (and Apex up the way) they have quite a few tropical fish caps (most are like 12mm lead spacing though); they also have every silver mica value for 10 cents each. Apex is just a goldmine for everything, 12 foot high shelves stacked to the ceiling with brown boxes full of electronic parts in a Costco sized warehouse... Its like pedal geek heaven. 8)
Quote from: JakeFuzz on November 11, 2011, 06:56:22 PM
Quote from: dwstanford on November 11, 2011, 06:20:54 PM
That sounds like a goldmine. I have hunted through so many bins of useless crap on the hunt for buried treasure and i usually come out empty handed, but occasionally i find something good. Once i found a bunch of mullard tropical fish caps for ten cents each and on the same day i found a whole bag of daka ware chicken head knobs. SCORE!
Ahh those dakawares are awesome. Mine are made out of a really dense material. There is a military electronics surplus in San Diego called Murphy's that is worth the trip if you're ever there. They have buckets of old knobs; most of them i've never seen before but they are all like 25-50 cent's; I picked up a bunch of chicken heads from that place.
Also in northwest LA there is a shop called All electronics (and Apex up the way) they have quite a few tropical fish caps (most are like 12mm lead spacing though); they also have every silver mica value for 10 cents each. Apex is just a goldmine for everything, 12 foot high shelves stacked to the ceiling with brown boxes full of electronic parts in a Costco sized warehouse... Its like pedal geek heaven. 8)
I almost went to Apex today! I was working about 5 miles away but ended up working after they closed. I have only been one time before and loved it. Do you ever get transistors there? When I went the dude behind the counter said I needed a certain type of cross reference number to see what they had in stock. And what he said rang no familiar bells. That place is sick, though....
Yeah they told me the same thing. I also emailed them once and they said they have a germaniums in the 2N series. I think they stash all that stuff in the back. I would really like to sift through those bins. I was in there once and a local was asking for specific tube types (definitely for amps from the numbers I heard) and the guy behind the counter said that if he wasn't the only one behind the desk he could take him to the warehouse to check out the better stock. So that huge wall of tubes you see on the right as you walk in isn't their only stock; I have a feeling it is the same way with trannies. That place is amazing, according to some of the folks at apex and all there were lots of electronics surplusers just like apex in LA but I guess over time they just died out. :'(
Still working on getting this big old stock of trannies from my school. I thought I would let everyone know that I mentioned buying OC139's from Minufux last week and they were all seemingly useless. Surprisingly I went back and measured all of them backwards tonight and found 3 that actually had very high gain (well one was 90) but the other two were almost 200 with zero leakage! The others were mostly 20-45. I just thought that batch was a total bust but I actually got a few good ones. If you do end up with these test the red dot as the emitter as well.
Sorry for the resurrection. Just thought I would let everyone know I found the best use yet for the lower gain GT308v's I have. Use the 50-60 range as Q1 in a fuzz face with the input cap blender. Put a 2SA1015 with gain about 160 in Q2. :o Holy smokes this thing sounds good! You may need to fiddle with the Q2 bias a little as it gets crackly at lower voltages. In fact I am doing a little production run of these they sound so good. Sound clips to follow this weekend.
are you selling any extra GT308's? huh huh? ;)
I wish. I have used up all the good values from my last batch. I've actually been thinking about buying another but I haven't seen the same ones in batches of 50. ???
Guys,
I have a few of these things right here in my basement. A few AC125/127/128/188 and some more.
Got them with the house.
I always was too lazy to build the microcircuit to test them but could do it if anyone think i should.
The reason i'm lazy is because of this guy i buy all my stuff from:
http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c215_AC128---PNP.html
It's a bit costy but they are tested for gain & leakage. I'm up to two fuzz faces & have a fuzz factory on the way and in this pedal with a very few parts, the trannies do not make that much difference in the end.
Scott I have a pair of GT309E's that I'll part with. That's what's in the new Bonamassa fuzz face I believe. If your interested pm me with preferred gains.
Josh
I fancied making some "mojo" fuzz for a laugh and to sell hopefully.
Just ordered a shipment of russian germanium for a hoot, so when I get them ill test and if anyone wants a pair im sure I can help you out.
Is gt308v the same as IT308b? Ebay sellers seem to be selling them as such now.
Quote from: Haberdasher on January 06, 2012, 04:30:25 AM
Is gt308v the same as IT308b? Ebay sellers seem to be selling them as such now.
It may be that the russian writing looks like IT but other than that I cant say
I often wonder about this too. I have the datasheet that came with mine (IT308B) but it is all in Russian, Ill try and get my Russian friend over here and see if he cant decipher it.
From what I understand the IT308 is the military version of the GT308, supposedly with tighter tolerances than the GT's. ::) According to a few of the things I have read the IT308B is equivalent to the GT308V which is the highest gain version of the GT308, mine all tested in the 50's range. I think these might test low at DC because the lower gain ones sound much better than any other brand transistor at hfe = 50. They also have an interesting frequency response. They have massive amount of mid-range which really pops out when you reduce the bass going into the circuit. It sounds like a half cocked wah or something, ill record some clips this weekend.
Hey guys, I am thinking about some of these:
GT108v
GT308's I know there has been talk of these
MP38
MP39
Anybody know any horror stories with this seller or these trannys?
gordeluxe04
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GT108V-Germanium-PNP-Transistors-USSR-1990S-QTY-50-/160588085065?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2563cbb749
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Germanium-PNP-Transistors-GT308A-USSR-1980s-QTY-50-/310319299641?_trksid=p4340.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26its%3DI%252BC%26itu%3DUA%26otn%3D5%26pmod%3D310319330642%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6036787773783322824
Yeah i've purchased transistors from that seller. Bought 50 IT308B's, they came as described in an unopened box with datasheets and all. Gains could have been higher but I am finding uses for them all over the place, honestly these are the trannies that sound oddly good for having gains in the 50's range (see my Russian germanium fuzz soundclip in the demo section).
As for the seller, if you search through the big germanium transistor thread over at FSB they talk about him. Some people have problems communicating with him. The majority of the transistors apparently never fall within the quoted range on the data sheets and the seller denies that it is possible. I've actually heard this story from more than one person. He says something like "you think you are smarter than Russian military scientist?" and then proceeds to call our dc gain testers "kindergarten" or something to that regard. If you ignore the datasheets and just go off of the gains people have been reporting, you should be fine. I bought 50 IT308B's (GT308V) and they all had DC gains in the 50's with the exception of maybe 3 in the 60's and 70's. I may buy another batch from him in the near future. They are pretty much my favorite PNP transistor for Q1 FF, they sound very midrangey.
Cool, thanks Paul, that was what I was looking for.
Would you recommend any other items from this seller?
I am looking at the gt108v, I think this should be similiar to the 308's you got right?
I've heard the best stories about the GT308, GT108 and the GT402's. I can't say for sure because I've only ever bought the GT308s and a small batch of GT309s (which were horrible BTW). You can find the models with the highest gain for each series but the real question is what percentage of them have useable gains? ??? Let me know how many good 108's you get out of the batch if you decide to go that way. I would be very interested in finding out.
The IT309E's I have sound pretty dang good. With gains just right for FF's.
THe bonamassa fuzz uses the gt309's
Josh
Guess what I got today......
Beautiful! That is going to be super fun testing all of those! Let me know how the gains are.
Nice! Let us know what kinda gains you are getting.
Okay so here is what I got for my GT402E.
The third number is the Hfe
1. 0.16, 1.01, 85
2. 0.28, 1.27, 99
3. 0.30, 1.82, 152
4. 0.20, 1.23, 103
5. 0.10, 0.89, 79
6. 0.30, 1.52, 122
7. 0.23, 1.04, 81
8. 0.32, 1.81, 149
9. 0.20, 1.15, 95
10. 0.68, 1.71, 103
11. 0.25, 1.15, 90
12. 0.49, 1.86, 137
13. 0.21, 0.98, 77
14. 0.28, 1.61, 133
15. 0.24, 1.05, 81
16. 0.40, 1.60, 120
17. 0.26, 1.43, 117
18. 0.48, 1.53, 105
19. 0.29, 1.27, 98
20. 2.14, 3.78, bad bad bad
What!?!?!? :o Those are awesome gains. I need to pick me up a batch of those. Think I could buy a few from you to see how they sound in a FF circuit?
Wow those are great numbers. 19 out of 20 is awesome.Might have to pick some up.
Here is a spreadsheet of what I got.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiuJFraWqwPxdDdUNE5fdmRuSE95S28tc2p0ZlJ0VWc
Bloody hell, couldn't get much more perfect than that!
Awesome! Just ordered up a box of 100 GT108V's. With a lower voltage bias on Q2 I am getting that incredible sustain, violin type fuzz sound. That yield rate is too good to pass up, exciting! Ill report my values when they get here as well.
Wow, those are all pretty much right on the money! I should try and get myself a box as well...
Hello,
i could comment, these germanium transistors have letter, and it is a grade just like described in datasheet. For early types very often grade is for combination of U cb max and h21e, but not limited to.
so if you want to get best transisitors you need to choose right letters, they are often same price, because seller doesn't care. Letters are cyrillic, so do not confuse cyr. Б (latin B) and cyr. В (latin V)
Datasheet can be found here. http://www.volt-220.com/images/book/transistors.djvu
GT308V (ГТ308В) are maybe better of classical HF germanium (П403А and П416Б are almost as good), and ГТ402/404Б,Г(B,G) are maybe better of classical AF germanium (МП11A,15A,38A,41A are good too). But these GT402/404 not only have twice higher dissipation power (comparing to all P/MP), but have very good h21e linearity (against varying current).
But again letters are important, for example one letter might have h21e 100-200, next letter with h21e 50-100, next 25-50. There is absolutely no rules in letters, just consult the datasheet.
Industry/Military grades are marked as 1Т instead of ГТ, and special grades for aerospace have OC in the end. Not all items have its special grade twin. Those special grades are mainly for wider temperature range, they do not show better h21e (but can show less reverse current at room temperature, and of course tremendous reliabilty).
Yes, and these GT 108, 109, 309, 310 have small cases and small power (109 and 310 are tiny and 20 milliWatt), so if you think you need this, you can use it too.
I've been playing around with some of the little ufo russians chromospere sent me. I build a fuzzface.. Pretty good. I used some in a harmonic percolator and sounded really good. The gain was only like 56, but I liked it. I just find the pin out a lil aggravating.
thanks for the info, alexbe. Unfortunately I don't have a .djvu reader. I ordered some GT108s, will report here after the wait...
Mine just came in. I got 10 GT308Bs...odd bc I'm 99% sure I ordered GT108s. Shipping was faster than I thought it'd be, hearing from other members. re: pinout I've had to swap the base and collector. There's rumors that these tests are inaccurate for russian transistors--a test in a circuit will be the only way to tell. I just rigged up a germanium tester...here's what I'm getting.
-30 hfe .006 ma
-43 hfe .013 ma
8 of 10 were between 30-40 hfe
I tried one at random in Q3 of my fuzz factory and it sounds ok but is too low gain for much fuzz there...
...
the best two I've gotten so far were
51 hfe ~.011 ma
49 hfe ~.008 ma
(http://i.imgur.com/3frzVl.jpg)
hello jtn191,
well, GT308B should be like this, when measured at 1 mA. It's better to order GT308V then. Only i can question, Ikbr looks way too high, it typically not exceeds several microAmperes. At what voltage did you measure and can you show schematic?
Windjview http://sourceforge.net/projects/windjview/ (http://sourceforge.net/projects/windjview/) is worth use, in my opinion. Datasheet is in russian, but there is a way to pull information you need - transistor list at the end with page numbers, you go to that page, and when you see anything like range "50 – 100" - it's h21e (at measuring current specified somewhere near).
Apologies for the thread resurrection, but I bought a load of GT308V from ebay, and the results are looking promising.
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Snapbucket/DDECAD0C-4EBB-4077-9D36-C5E379A4885B-1887-000005CE90A3C569_zps32ad901f.jpg)
I've been using my Peak Atlas DCA55 for testing. Leakage on all the transistors, bar one, has been well under 100uA.
They have all fallen into pretty good gain ranges (see below pic). Only 1 with a hfe lower than 60.
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Snapbucket/cb9c6bfd-07ee-4c65-aacf-e7864d085b2a_zps9cae7afd.jpg)
Now its time to see what they actually sound good in!
Quote from: raulduke on February 25, 2013, 06:34:19 AM
Apologies for the thread resurrection, but I bought a load of GT308V from ebay, and the results are looking promising.
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Snapbucket/DDECAD0C-4EBB-4077-9D36-C5E379A4885B-1887-000005CE90A3C569_zps32ad901f.jpg)
I've been using my Peak Atlas DCA55 for testing. Leakage on all the transistors, bar one, has been well under 100uA.
They have all fallen into pretty good gain ranges (see below pic). Only 1 with a hfe lower than 60.
(http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa381/stevo83/Snapbucket/cb9c6bfd-07ee-4c65-aacf-e7864d085b2a_zps9cae7afd.jpg)
Now its time to see what they actually sound good in!
I grabbed some from eBay and had the opposite results:(
Got a name for the seller you purchased these from, maybe he has more for sale?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Hey dude, the guy was called valtek_2005.
Although he states the items are boxed, with datasheet, they aren't (well mine didn't arrive like that anyway).
Mine arrived in a baggy with no further info.
However, for the cost It's worth a punt eh!
Please also note I haven't tested these in a circuit yet so the jury is still out!
Thanks. I'll give those a look
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Yeah the GT308's I get all consistently fall around 50. What do the markings on yours say? I haven't seen that label before. Mine all say GT308V (with the V being this really weird inverted L sort of thing).
Well bollocks... that first picture is actually of another lot of transistors I bought (MP16B's) :P
I'll get back to you on the markings for the GT108's.
Quote from: JakeFuzz on February 25, 2013, 07:56:37 AM
Yeah the GT308's I get all consistently fall around 50. What do the markings on yours say? I haven't seen that label before. Mine all say GT308V (with the V being this really weird inverted L sort of thing).
mine, also
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
All are marked rt308b 8801
Checked the hfe for a few again as well just to be sure.
Most fall within 70-90.
The r is actually a Russian letter that resembles an r.
I've built mine with russian mp39's.It is very hard to get a perfect match, but once you do, it sounds amazing.
I got mine on a visit to Ukraine, I got two there and believe it or not, it was an almost perfect pair.I believeI had one rading 80hfe and the other around 150.After that I asked an ukranan friend to send me some more to Portugal and I was very disappointed.All of them were horrible in terms of leackage and it was almost impossible to find more than a pair that would have an appropriate hfe for the fuzz.But these ones sound very good though.
Quote from: raulduke on February 25, 2013, 09:55:41 AM
The r is actually a Russian letter that resembles an r.
It's a G.
Thought it might be ;)
Goes without saying that my Cyrillic is not the best!
Hello folks, I'm new to the forum. I was looking for info on the Russian germanium transistors available on eBay and found this thread. I hope it is not against forum etiquette to revive this thread again but the topic is obviously still relevant.
I am thinking about buying a box of 100 of the GT308V from Gordeluxe. I have several questions:
1. Has anyone bought any of these transistors recently?
2. How did they sound in a fuzz face?
3. How many good ones were there in a hundred?
4. Anyone ever have any troubles buying anything from Russia?
5. Ebay info says that buyers maybe subject to additional fees for customs clearance. Anyone ever have them charge you any fees like this?
6. Does anyone have any suggestions for any other sources for quantities (like 100-150) of germanium transistors useable for fuzz faces currently available?
Thanks for any info you all can provide .
Hey dude,
Welcome to the forum.
In response to your questions.
1. I bought some a couple of months ago. I haven't got around to using them yet though :-X
2. Haven't trief them in any circuit yet (had other things going on). However, please note you can use a wide gain range of transistor in a FF.
3. Depends what you define as 'good'. I got a pretty good stash overall (not many below hfe of 60). However, some have bought batches where many fall into the 40-50 hfe gain range, some have had batches where some are in the 20's. This does not mean that they are useless.
4. My experience was good, but other people have varying experiences.
5. I did not have to pay any customs. I'm in the UK so I don't know if that makes any difference. You might have to pay customs if you are in the US. Customs charges are always random in my experience.
The general consensus is, I think, that it's 'worth a punt' (to use the English phrase). They are so cheap its not really a big risk. Take the plunge and see what you get.
Hello folks, I'm new to the forum. I was looking for info on the Russian germanium transistors available on eBay and found this thread. I hope it is not against forum etiquette to revive this thread again but the topic is obviously still relevant.
I am thinking about buying a box of 100 of the GT308V from Gordeluxe. I have several questions:
1. Has anyone bought any of these transistors recently?
2. How did they sound in a fuzz face?
3. How many good ones were there in a hundred?
4. Anyone ever have any troubles buying anything from Russia?
5. Ebay info says that buyers maybe subject to additional fees for customs clearance. Anyone ever have them charge you any fees like this?
6. Does anyone have any suggestions for any other sources for quantities (like 100-150) of germanium transistors useable for fuzz faces currently available?
Thanks for any info you all can provide .
rick989: You have to pay close attention to the letters following the numbers. There are different gain ranges -- for instance, MP38A is 40-120 hfe. MP38B almost never gets above 40. Don't go by what the ad tells you -- there is a datasheet on the internet that has all Russian germanium transistors and their US/UK/Continental equivalents. Go by that.
I think the common rules for gain ranges in fuzz faces are bunk; I think it has more to do with the ratio of gain ranges and other factors.
If you get stuff that's low, build a Harmonic Percolator. Use them in Q1 in a fuzz face or Q2 in a Buzzaround or Tone Bender. If you get stuff that's leaky, use them for Q3 in a Buzzaround or Tone Bender. There are very few useless transistors, and Russian germaniums are better than most.
Thanks for thge replies. I found a very negative review of the GT308V on you tube so I opted against those. I went with a bag of 150 AC125z VI. Let's see what happens ....
please keep us posted. we can never have too much info about this stuff.
Had a play with my russian ge tr's over the weekend, and just as an update, with a few tweaks my GT308V's sound great in a fuzz face.
I had to add a small (100pf) cap between base and collector of Q1 to cut down on some 'fizz' and hiss I was getting. This made a big improvement to the tone (to my ears anyhow).
I changed the traditional 330R/470R resistor to 820R (higher output volume).
I also added a 50K pot (wired as variable resistor) on the input (fulltone 69 mod), and an output filter copied directly from the Fuzzmite.
The rest was stock fuzzface.
The circuit sounds fantastic like this. It's still on the breadboard at the moment, and I can upload a schematic if anyone is interested.
I'd like to see the schematic if you dont mind :)
Quote from: rick989 on April 25, 2013, 09:53:23 AM
Thanks for the replies. I found a very negative review of the GT308V on youtube so I opted against those. I went with a bag of 150 AC125z VI. Let's see what happens ....
Would love to hear how this turned out!