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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Germanium Transistors In Fuzz Pedals Is Back To The Basics

By Aileen Tritle


The benefits of germanium transistors in fuzz pedals for the guitar really are quite simple. The quality of the sound is better than silicone or other materials that have been used in its place. Germanium is an element that is used as a semiconductor in the transistor for the Fuzz pedal and for other electronic devices.

It is the original and many say the best element out there for this use. It was first successfully used in the sixties for the first Fuzzface stomper. The AC-128 and the NKT-275 are the original transistors that used this element. Nearly every famous guitar player has used these stompers to play and record music.

This stomper has withstood the elements of time because of its simplistic design and its high quality sound. Many have tried but with no success to copy this original sound machine. No one can duplicate a classic design and get the exact same results.

Over the years people have tried to use other materials like silicon. The result was a change in sound quality. The sound became more harsh with aggressive clipping noise. Due to the low quality sound, a new interest has sparked in the older models.

Maybe you are wondering which is best, silicon or classic. The only negative with the classic is that it quits working when it gets too hot. Silicon stompers also have been known to produce more consistent sounds but it has been questioned how good the quality really is. Too much gain has been reported with silicon which causes horrible sound.

In the end, the benefits of germanium transistors in fuzz pedals for the guitar are clearly in the sound quality. Getting past the temperature problems will get you top quality sound. The silicon version will get you more consistent sound, whether it is good quality sound or not. It is really a personal choice to decide which one would be right for the user.




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