Rangemaster Biasing... Can't get down to -7.2V

[Scott674]

Hey all.  I've got a 2 germanium transistors here and I was planning on getting a rangemaster together.  Following R.G.'s biasing instructions, I can't seem to get down to -7.2 collector voltage on either of them.  The closest I can get is -8.22 with one (OC71), and -7.5 with the other(OC44).  Both readings taking with Rb1 Full on (100K) and Re off (0K).  They sound pretty good, but R.G.'s guide says it has either the wrong gain or they are too leaky.  I'd keep them and build everything but there's no volume boost at all.  Unity gain at best...  Do I bother Steve (got em from small bear) and try to get different ones?  I find it hard to believe that he'd send out 2 that were bad, which makes me thing I'm building it wrong.  I took it all apart off the breadboard and built it again, completely differently, and I'm getting the same results. 

Should there be a big volume boost?

Would building them with 100K at Rb1 and 0K at Re damage anything?

Any recommendations?

[newfish]

Hmm,  Is this with a fresh battery (or known 'good' wall wart)?

Not wishing to be insulting here, but have you checked the readings of the other resistors with a meter?  It's incredibly easy to get 'em wrong sometimes.

FWIW, once the RM is up and running - it's a great sounding build.  Hang in there!

[Scott674]

I've triple checked everything!  I used my DMM to pick out the the closest resistor I had to 470K.  Then I isolated my trimpots to set them to the smallbear biasing.  I've checked everything thoroughly.  Except.....  MY TRANSISTOR!  I came across another thread here:
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=79299.0

I came to realize that I had my transistor in backwards.  This is incredibly perplexing though, as it was working.  I was getting a trebely boosted sound out of it.  But, I switched it around anyways, and it still works, and I still get a trebely boosted sound out of it, but now I'm hitting -7V on the nose. 

What gives?  I thought that if the transistor was in backwards that it woudn't work?  How come mine was working?  How come it didn't explode? 

[makaze808]

I have had some in backwards and they worked, I think it was due to it being leaky but I'm not sure, sounded good though

[Scott674]

Yeah, definately weird.  Anyways... All is well (all is fantastic, my dirty channel sounds amazing), and sorry to question SmallBear's parts...