What would be the cutoff year in old electronics to find Ge Tranistors?

[momo]

Ive been on the lookout for old radios and others in hope to find Ge trannys....twice I bought early seventies stuff that had silicone trannys. OK, the stuff is usually cheap in garage sales, but on the other hand, my appartment is starting to look like a electronic junkyard, and well I have to find ways to trim down the excess metal!
Cheers

[Pedal love]

You won;t really find them in the things you think. In the late 50's/ mid 60's they were in transistor radios, They were obviously in guitar pedals, They were in transistors organ circuits, and others such things. But really they didn't have that long a run, in things like stereo systems and even many guitar amps, as compnays went pretty striaght from tubes into fets and silicon bipolar and for preamp sections. There were some output transistors in Ge  but they are very different from the Ge's you are looking for. I would keep trying 50's and 60's kitchen type and portable radios.

[markm]

You won;t really find them in the things you think. In the late 50's/ mid 60's they were in transistor radios, They were obviously in guitar pedals, They were in transistors organ circuits, and others such things. But really they didn't have that long a run, in things like stereo systems and even many guitar amps, as compnays went pretty striaght from tubes into fets and silicon bipolar and for preamp sections. There were some output transistors in Ge  but they are very different from the Ge's you are looking for. I would keep trying 50's and 60's kitchen type and portable radios.

It may be fair to say they went possibly into the very early seventies as well but, not as common.
I had and old '70s tape player that was pure JUNK accept what I gutted out of it.......all the trannies were Ge. 

[Dan N]

It may be fair to say they went possibly into the very early seventies as well but, not as common.
I had and old '70s tape player that was pure JUNK accept what I gutted out of it.......all the trannies were Ge. 

Word. They seem to have been used in cheap tape recorders longer than most other electronic junk. Those early boxy mono cassette recorders often cough up 3 or 4 germaniums. My favorite was a big european stereo R2R that had a bunch of OC's with long leads.

One thing to be careful about- some of the belts in the euro tape recorders turn into the foulest black goo ever imagined!

[momo]

OK, thanks, this weekend in garage sales, I scored again! with this time, a Braun TG1000/4, which is a good contender to the Revox reel to reel tape. Its got 4 track posibilities, or 1/2 track recording....anyway, im wondering if I should keep it for work( I record cuban Jazz albums in digital), , this might bring good analog fattness before mastering.
Anyway, I also got a Lanier Edissette transcription cassette recorder, its got a cool spacelike remote that has mic and spkr + transport on it! I was wondering if there would be ge's in there...

[Meanderthal]

 The most I've ever seen in one device would be in an old organ circa 1965 or so... at least 30 of em(not exagerating), probably more. I have the boards, could count em I guess, but it's a whole bunch!

[brett]

Hi
my rule of thumb is that radios that say "6 transistor" or "7 transistor" and look like refugees from the 1960s almost always have 100% Ge.
Some have very cool little output transformers, too.
I've bought quite a few on e-bay (where they often show the back open and you can see the "cans") for about $8 plus $5 postage (US$10).
cheers

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

For commercial stuff, the start of silicon would have been around 1062 with the classic 2N2222.
Personally, I remember silicon starting to show up around 1965. By 1968 it was pretty well all over.

[momo]

So I guess im a slow learner....just bought a Planetron vx-10...has a 8 track in a retro casing...was written, 20 TRANSISTOR at the back!.....paid 20dollars, opened it, ther was 18 silicone trannys and 2  2sb324 Ge's.
So ill be testing those out for either a rangemaster or if im luky a FuzzFace.
Well at least, there are other good things to salvage...3 'longituginal' slider 20K pots,good led mounting and bevels,2 8ohms 4 inch spkrs and more...

[jakenold]

I can't see the point in paying 20 bucks for 2 Ge transistors, that you have to gut, instead of buying them on eBay. Sorry to say, even though I had the same thoughts once. 

[markm]

I never paid anything over $5 at a Tag Sale for any of my "salvages".
Most of the time you can find abandoned old transistor radios at the transfer station.............FREE! 

[Joe Kramer]

Last weekend I inherited an old Ampex cassette recorder made in Germany.  It had two Ge pairs, AC187/188, with the rest of the transistors BC107/108/109.  Don't look down on those old silicon transistors--they're likely to be much lower Hfe than new ones, and therefore good for silicon fuzzes, etc.   

[brett]

+1 about old silicon

They  suit the RM Axis Fuzz, Bosstone, Fuzzrite, Octavia and others much better than modern Si transistors.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Momo, some 8-track stuff is collectable now, maybe you can ebay & make a couplde of $$ if you put 8-track in the subject.
Apologies if I am completely wrong here.

[momo]

Paul, my place is like a chop shop.....that collectable 8 track is now in pieces!, no worries, I always do a google search on ebay to see what I have.
In this case, there was nothing, and yes I could of probably made a couple dollars, but Ive been on ebay for 2 years now, and so I had a feeling this would not sell, so I chopped it!, having known the trannys were silicone, I would of just not bought it.
Now I here you guys on the old silicines, so ill keep them.
Ive done datasheets on those thought, and I have not found much, so here are the old silicone codes for you guys old enough to know what this is....

C829/b2d
C1359/C2b

[Meanderthal]

 Try googling these part numbers:

2SC829

2SC1359

[momo]

So John, the data sheets mention that they are indeed low level, but they are made for RF amplification. Now can a transistor designed for one purpose be used in another way in effects?

In other words, do I put these in the garbage or do I use them?
Hfe is from 70 to 250...

[Meanderthal]

Now can a transistor designed for one purpose be used in another way in effects?

Absolutely!

Many of the old Ge transistors, for instance 2N404a, were primarily used as logic switches in ancient room sized computers! They sound great. I salvaged a bunch of those off a big old computer PCB.(good luck getting ahold of those, mostly landfilled long ago) Some of the best Ge trannies I've got!

Edit- come to think of it, actually, that had to be the most I've seen in one device... but you're not likely to find them, unlike an old organ!

Transistors can do more things than just audio... Just because it can work in very high frequencies dosen't mean they won't do audio...

As a side note- some digital logic ICs are great for pedals, like the Tube Sound Fuzz.

Those are Japanese part numbers, and I believe I've seen 2SC829 in particular in schematics for cool older Japanese effects like the Superfuzz.

Hfe range is fine, ideal for a Si Fuzz Face. Or, say... the Trotsky Drive.

I'd keep them. Even if you have no use for them right now, they might come in handy some day...

[Joe Kramer]

Many of the old Ge transistors, for instance 2N404a, were primarily used as logic switches in ancient room sized computers! They sound great.

Ditto on the 2N404s.  Same goes for most of the 2N130x numbers, old computer transistors that also show up in small radios, etc.  Sound great in fuzzes, boosters.  I even put some in my wah pedal.   

[Pedal love]

Your best bet is still English radios, like Bush radios from the 50's/60's. I saw one on ebay the other day in working condition, 6 quid. It has 7-9 desirable, ocxx transistors. Deal!