Where can I buy good PNP Germanium transistors?

[zenpeace69]

Unfortunately, my impatience is getting to me.  I put in an order with Smallbear 5 days ago and have heard nothing back.  I am jonesing to get to work on some projects.  Where can I buy these kinds of transistors?  What ones are toneful? Which PNP germaniums work well in a pedal? What is a good price for them?

Any links to vendors would be appreciated.  I also need a place to get some decent pots, too.

thanks

[john1056]

Don't know on the germaniums but my understanding is that when you buy them you have to test for leakage, so you have to get a bunch and just use the good ones.  I could be wrong though,  never used one myself.  I think Small Bear tests them, so they may be worth the wait...

You can get the pots on Small Bear from Mouser, but they aren't any cheaper.

[john1056]

It just occured to me that I had trouble with my first Small Bear order.  You have to have POP mail setup so that your browser can send the email, or you have to paste the order into an email manually.  I like the second option personally.

[zenpeace69]

Thanks for the response.  I emailed him directly from my home email and never got a response.  

Would anyone happen to know a part number or maybe a vendor I can find these at?

I found out Mouser has an NTE 1N34A.  Are these any good?  Can they be used in a Tonebender MKII Clone?  

Where does everyone buy their Germanium transistors?  Ebay?

[phillip]

I found out Mouser has an NTE 1N34A.  Are these any good?

The 1N34A is a Germanium diode, which isn't the same as a Germanium transistor.  Mouser does sell some NTE Germanium transistors, but if I remember correctly, they're about $5 a pop...and then you're not guaranteed one that isn't leaky or too low of a gain.  

I usually get all my Germanium transistors from eBay.  The last kind I bought were 2N404, which are PNP Ge.  Those work great for Fuzz Faces, ToneBenders, and just about any other pedal that uses PNP Ge. transistors.  The only catch is that you still have to test them for gain and leakage.

Steve Daniels (Small Bear Electronics) uses a lot of 2N404 transistors for his Fuzz Face matched sets.  If you're not familiar with Ge. transistor leakage and gain testing, then the best and easiest way is to get them from Steve, because then you know that you're going to get a good pair.

For NPN Germanium transistors, I always look for 2N388 and 2N388A...excellent trannies.

Hope this helps a little!
Phillip

[u1061810]

Here's some info that Steve Daniels of Smallbear put out , hope it's helpful.http://www.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/FuzzFaceFAQ/FFFAQ.htm

[R.G.]

Where can I buy these kinds of transistors?

Try piggybacking silicon.

Do a search on the archives here.

And while you wait, read the info on germanium transistors at GEO.

[leonhendrix]

i thought i just say that because i from the uk i got my ac128 from pete roberts.
but i just looked at his site and hes out of stock, but he sells ac125 for £2.30 a matched pair which i think is a good price.

[AL]

Steve had a recent post on his site that stated he was in the process of finishing up a few things at his day job so he could give some more time to Small Bear. Sometimes he gets backed up but I have never had any problems with him. I've always gotten my orders - be patient - it will get to you.

1N34A diodes are available from Circuit Specialists at a great price.

http://www.web-tronics.com/

AL

[Mark Hammer]

Unless something has recently changed, SBE *is* his day job now.  I will confirm on the basis of several phone calls and a bunch of notes  from Steve that business at Small Bear is going great....and some days a little TOO great.  He gets to everything...eventually, but for the time being SBE is at the stage where it's not the sort of business that permits Steve to hire a team of service desk people to fill orders and field the numerous e-mails he (gratefully) receives from the many hobbyists who need just a smidgen of hand-holding.  It's pretty much 4 hands (Mr. and Mrs. Daniels) handling everything, and you realize that SOMEONE has to be out there scoring you all those hard-to-get parts and yelling "What?  WHAT!? I can't hear you!  Does...anyone...there...speak...ENGLISH?" on the phone with one finger plugging the other ear.

SBE has commercial clients, and while commitments to serve them can sometimes require diverting big chunks of time away from the hobby folks, Steve has conveyed to me his commitment to serving hobby folks over the long haul.  Those folks are basically why he does it, and if it turned into just commercial clients, I think he would go back to what used to be his day job.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it is the commercial clients that subsidize his ability to provide the hard to find things for the "little guy" - i.e., if he wasn't swinging deals for a few thousand knobs with client X, he wouldn't have the operating capital to get those delicious little pad-per-hole boards made to his specs, or any of the other stuff Mouser will never provide us with.

I realize you weren't slagging Steve, merely expressing a natural desire to get to a project sooner rather than later.  Patience my friend, patience.  I've seen plenty of notes from people who've waited a little longer to get stuff from Steve, but I've never seen anyone who wasn't thoroughly satisfied when the transaction was completed, and I've usually seen more notes raving about the speedy service than lambasting slow service.  I realize that doesn't help a lot when you're the one who makes it all the way up to the front of the line when the usher pulls the rope across and says "Theatre's full.  Next showing in 2hrs".  Sometimes, though, it helps to know a little about what goes on behind the scenes.

[zenpeace69]

Thanks for the responses, guys.  I know he is busy and that is a good thing.  I like to see small companies survive among the big boys.

I think I should learn how to test transistors.  Like buying tubes, I know that ebay can be an excellent source for great deals if you know what you are looking for.  I need to become more educated on transistors.  I will check out those links and see if I can learn a thing or two more.

I hate to say it, but I have another question. Does anyone know what kind of transistors are typically used in rangemasters and trebleboosters?

[brett]

Hi.  RE: rangemasters and trebleboosters - a lot of PNP Ge transistors substitute for one another.  There are is a fair chance that you'll get a result with many different devices.

i thought i just say that because i from the uk i got my ac128 from pete roberts.
but i just looked at his site and hes out of stock, but he sells ac125 for £2.30 a matched pair which i think is a good price.

The price is quite good, but I bought a "magic pair" off Pete the other day, and was disappointed with the result.  They had hFE=110 and 130 on my meter, and didn't sound very good in a FuzzFace.  (But I suppose they might make two good Q2s).

On the other hand, Pete has AC188s for 50pence (about US$1).  Bargain!  The 10 I got had 2 excellent and 3 good devices.

cheers

[RedHouse]

Pete Roberts is a great guy to deal with. I bought a bunch of AC128 and AC125 NOS transistors from him, if he knows you want them for Fuzzface's he sorts them and gives you low/high sets, and they are in fact 30 year old transistors so expect leakage but they work WELL in Fuzzface and other circuits.

I recommend him, he's a stand-up guy.

(note that AC125 is equivalent/replacement for NKT275)

[RedHouse]

Ooops, guess I should have included the link:

http://hometown.aol.co.uk/oldradioparts/front.htm

and note also he takes Paypal.