Barnes and Mullin Fuzz Unit - BC184c equivalent/alternatives?

[Snufkinoob]

The original Fuzz Unit used 3x ZTX382B's

Q1 & Q2: Hfe ~600
Q3: Hfe _150

The more common equivalent is meant to be the BC184, and I built one ages ago, and sold it, but I'm sure I used 2N5088's since I had some spare, and the Fuzz Unit circuit is like a slimmed down Big Muff, and the 2N508/9 is common in BM's. IIRC I couldn't quite get matches for the Hfe values shown above, but reasonably close. I'm guessing those 'ideal' gain ranges are more important than the exact type of Transistor? Has anyone built this fuzz before and tried alternatives?

And are all BC184's created equal or are some brands better than others? I'm guessing not, but you never know. Or what other alternatives could I try out?

[digi2t]

I read somewhere (tagboard, I think) that MPSA18, or BC550C for Q1/Q2, and a 2N2222A worked fine.

[Snufkinoob]

Might look those up, Ta.

I have managed to get hold of some BC184C's for the high gain Q's and BC184L's which apparently have a lower range.

[duck_arse]

the "L" suffix means check the datasheet, very carefully.