BC173b transistor and biasing

[MmmPedals]

I'm cloning an old fuzz circuit that has BC173B transistors in it. I dont know much about electronics but i just copied the exact circuit and values (exept i used 1/4 watt resistors instead of 1/2 watt) just replaced with 2n5088 (yes i reversed the pinout). The sound i get is best described as my amp passing gas when i hit the strings really hard. Could it be misbiased (im not really sure what that means)due to the tranie change?
PS the data sheets are all over the net
PPS anyone know a good place to start reading on biasing?