Most overlooked Transistor or Opamp

[Guitar Toad]

For stompbox use...what is the Rodney Dangerfield of chips for powering boost/OD/Distortions pedals? Or if you prefer what do you think is the latest greatest power chips for such use?

[aron]

I just use the same ones over and over TL072 and 4558. I have tried some others, but I am used to the sound of these.

[burnt fingers]

I think the 741 gets a bad rap.  I think it's just right for the Distortion+, DOD250 type circuits it was first used in.  I can deal with a little noise.  No one said Rock and Roll was quiet.

Scott.

[brett]

Hi.
The TL074/2/1 is a great workhorse.  Super-high input impedance and fairly quiet.
But in high-gain circuits, the NE5532 is even quieter, and in blind tests I prefered it in my tubescreamer.

Most overlooked transistor: BD139.  Get some now!  hFE mostly from 140 to 160 makes it a perfect replacement for hard-to-get vintage transistors (BC107 etc) in a range of circuits (Si Fuzzface, RM Axis Fuzz, LBP-1, etc).  And it is NPN, so it lets you build stuff negative to earth.  Sweet!
cheers

[MartyMart]

All the above comments are correct, one that's also great ( and low power consumption ) is the TLC2262
"Rail to Rail" and as good a performance as the NE5532, but super low power usage.

MM

[amz-fx]

PN2369 and PN2484 are good transistors to try.  Mouser carries both.

-Jack

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

The most (potentially useful) chip is the LM3900. OK, it isn't a 'normal' op amp, but it IS designed to run with a single supply & you can do all manner of cool shit with it. BUT, the pinouts are so weird, nobody ever bothered
Big plus for the 3900: bcause you have to think in terms of currents rather than voltages, you are forced to think like a 'real' engineer.
(often to be found when demolishing cheap industrila ontrol electronics from the 70s).
Thanks to the Stompbox Forum, I doubt there is an 'overlooked' transistor anywhere in the world!

[zjokka]

Hi all,

as kind of newbie moving on to my first fuzz box, these are golden threads. This transistor hunt can become a real obsesion. Will soon be able to put my hands on the BD139...

Most overlooked transistor: BD139.  Get some now!  hFE mostly from 140 to 160 makes it a perfect replacement for hard-to-get vintage transistors (BC107 etc) in a range of circuits (Si Fuzzface, RM Axis Fuzz, LBP-1, etc).  And it is NPN, so it lets you build stuff negative to earth.  Sweet!
cheers

Brett, is BC107 vintage? Anyway there are 5 of them in my futurlec value pack. Checked maybe two of them, they had more than 300hFE..

thanks still for the hints! but keep this thread going, I'd say..
j

[redeffect]

...as the humble 741 cries, "I don't get no respect!"

[TELEFUNKON]

µA709 metalcans!

[Sir H C]

The most (potentially useful) chip is the LM3900. OK, it isn't a 'normal' op amp, but it IS designed to run with a single supply & you can do all manner of cool shit with it. BUT, the pinouts are so weird, nobody ever bothered
Big plus for the 3900: bcause you have to think in terms of currents rather than voltages, you are forced to think like a 'real' engineer.
(often to be found when demolishing cheap industrila ontrol electronics from the 70s).
Thanks to the Stompbox Forum, I doubt there is an 'overlooked' transistor anywhere in the world!

Well you can use external diff pairs with them.  I love the concept of the chip, I just haven't the time to play with them as they should be played with.

[Sir H C]

2N414s, 2N218s, 2N217s, and some mystery can transistors I got in bulk.

[ErikMiller]

Transistor: AC187. Not too many projects call for an NPN germanium with huge Hfe.

Opamp: 1458. Overshadowed by its brother 4558.

Also, I'll go along with the 741 being needlessly derided. 20 years ago, you could really improve the signal to noise ratio in studio or hifi equipment by popping out any 741's you found and replacing them with TL071's, but for stompboxes, that noise is meaningless. But now everyone "knows" that 741's are bad. That's one of the ways to show that you're "in the know:" deride the 741.

[markm]

...as the humble 741 cries, "I don't get no respect!"

I personally like the sound of the 741 but, I'm a country player and we like most stuff that's simple!
   MarkM

[tcobretti]

I second the PN2369 as a great one.  I recently plugged some into my tone bender II (it had 2n3904s) and it made all the difference.  I stuck some in my Si FF and A/B'd it with me Ge FF and was pretty impressed.  Obviously they don't exactly nail the Ge sound (probly because they aren't germanium), but they come closer than any Si tranny I've heard.

[trevize]

Transistor: AC187. Not too many projects call for an NPN germanium with huge Hfe.

the best bazz fuss i've built are ac183 based (sometimes their hfe is around 800!)
no gating, endless sustain and brassy character in the bazz fuss!

[brett]

Hi

Brett, is BC107 vintage?

107s have been around for a long time.  The ones I used in my 1975 playmaster amplifier would now be considered vintage.  They were considered quiet and high gain (hFE about 250?) in the mid seventies.  So were the 741s used in the phono preamp of the same hi-fi amp.
cheers

[Toney]

 I have really liked 2n4401s in a few fuzzes HFE slightly higher than the 3904s I have.
and for op-amps the 4560 similar to the 4558 but higher frequency range. May not be an issue with guitar but I have a bunch of them and they sound great.

[petemoore]

  Mesa Transistors
 I'm not even sure if what I have are certainly Mesa;s, but that's what the number came up as, also a history of IC production pages, truly fascinating.
  Apparently Mesa involved soldering, soon after, Planar technology transistors took over, and these types were part of military research...they wanted something besides tubes for disposable guidance systems.
  So I found these Ge lookin devices in a pile, when glancing the boards that came oout of the reciever I built the tube amp into, I discovered them, googled the number and checked out the article, whether or not they are the actual evermore illusive mesa's is uncertain, a few made great gain stage devices, a couple more made it to BMP status, but there is a batch of 'seconds', scattered with various caps, in a sheet plastic tray.
  Perhaps there is a way to drive low hfe Ge's into some kind of cool effect.

[nightingale]

2369 tranny, and 741.