NPN Germanium Transistor Set – 5 pieces

Description

*In stock, ships from Berlin, Germany*

JDM Pedals brings you a KILLER selection of
NPN Germanium Transistors for your DIY Fuzz pedal build.

• Two Gold-legged 2N1304 (NPN Germanium)
  
• Two unbranded, but excellent quality (low leakage) AC130 (NPN Germanium)
  
• An additional 2N1304, AC130, or USSR MP38a, with gain selected to “round out” the choices of gain for Tonebender style builds
  

The transistors have been selected and checked with an Atlas DCA55 tester to determine gain (Hfe) and leakage (Icb) – Separately, these rare NPN Ge Transistors will cost you well over $40, and these are selected for gain and low leakage!

***Please note that the picture shows the tester and a bunch of transistors while sorting. You will receive five selected transistors – not what is pictured! (actually, I always put in six, just on the off chance one is noisy, which is rare anyway)

The transistors you order all have leakage under 200uA, generally even less than 100uA. In any case perfect for Fuzz face or Tonebender builds. Please note that we don’t supply the other parts you need for a complete build in this kit, we are supplying  tested transistors to help ensure your project has the best performance and tone possible.

So, to wax a bit poetic, the tone you get from the AC130 transistors is a bit more “hairy and full” than the 2N1304, which have a slightly “tighter” or more “crisp” fuzz one. Mixing and matching these, as well as tweaking your other components, lets you tailor your fuzz project to your liking.

You’ll receive both a “lower gain” (approx Hfe 60-70) and “higher gain” (90-120) transistor of each type, plus one more that rounds out the selection so you have enough to build two pedals (a fuzz and a tonebender, for example.)

Here’s some more info on the subject:

If you have looked up info on original Fuzzes and Tonebenders, you may know that the original pedals used “PNP” (aka. positive ground) transistors. Many boutique pedal builders tout these PNP Ge transistors such as the OC81D, OC44, OC75, and so on, as being irreplaceable if you want to get a “truly amazing fuzz sound” (or voodoo/mojo statements to that effect).

The real story: Back in the 60’s and 70’s, using NPN Ge transistors would have been asking for trouble. The state-of-the-art in transistor production simply wasn’t up to the task of producing stable and reliable NPN (negative ground) Ge transistors, so PNP (positive ground) was the way to go. By the time Silicon transistors hit the scene, Dunlop and others started creating Silicon transistor fuzz boxes, so Germanium’s notorious unreliable characteristics led manufacturers along the Silicon road, and Ge pedals fell out of vogue.

As with all things that put their mark (sonically or otherwise) on a cultural era, interest in those “old tones” was rekindled in the 90’s and continues now, as players search for both a variety of tones and something unique to add to their sonic palette. Building your own pedal is a surefire way to not only have fun, satisfaction, and learn a thing or two, but also tweak your tone to YOUR liking, instead of relying on mass-produced pedals.

Germanium transistors continued to be produced into the 1990s (and some still are today) However, the process of producing NPN Ge transistors has so far improved as to approach the quality and reliability of Silicon. So we offer this “kit” of quality NPN Ge for you to build your dream fuzz. The advantages of NPN Ge include:

PLEASE NOTE: If you order this along with any other product (PNP Transistors, JDM Pedal, guitar pedal kit, etc) shipping is free. If the site adds shipping, just complete the order and we will refund the shipping cost.