Are you guys telepathic?

[Bunkey]

I'm not the most active member on here but every time I'm pondering something an entirely relevant thread seems to pop up out of nowhere. One of the perks of this great forum I suppose..

Whilst I have your attention - hfe values for two transistor Ge fuzz circuits; if one is to use lower gain transistors than the generally accepted 80/120, how scalable is that Q1:Q2 ratio?

ie. Would a 57-86 combination yield the same sweet spot albeit a lower gain fuzz effect?

[Mark Hammer]

Gotta read the "Technology of the Fuzz Face" document at GEOFEX first.

Two things stand out about the classic FF: the relative intensity of the fuzz sound produced, and the extent to which it magically cleans up when the guitar volume is turned down a bit.  Choice of transistors, and their respective biasing, can affect the one, the other, or both.  That is, you can probably get a pleasingly fuzzy sound with a wide variety of transistor types and hfe, but may not be able to get the magic cleanup.  The received wisdom of an 80/120 pair of low leakage Ge transistors is intended to get the two outcomes.

[ElectricDruid]

Are we telepathic?

I *knew* you were going to ask that...

[bluebunny]

Thanks Tom.  I've been waiting ages for that punchline.   

[ElectricDruid]

It had to be done...

[digi2t]

And yes..... mustard and mayo will be fine on that sandwich.

[mozz]

 I don't go by the 80/120 gains or even ratios. You need a breadboard or sockets and swap them around. Sometimes it's the leakage swaps that sounds good and sometimes it's the AC gain. But i'm from the camp of leaving the 8.2k alone and biasing from q1c adjustment.