Members Walters9515 Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 The Germanium Fuzz face using Germanium transistors giving it a fuzzy distortion sound , VS the silicon fuzz face using Silicon transitors gives a Harsher , nasel distortion sound why is that? the resistor/capacitor values are the same design just the transistor materials are different and the power supply polarity also Why do they sound different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bt2513 Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 the transistor materials are different Seriously... the two materials have different electro magnetic characteristics. According to Wikipedia, the junction forward voltage at 25C is much higher in Silicon while the electron mobility and hole mobility is much lower. Not sure what that means or how you could apply that... It seems like asking, why do tube amps distort differently when the output voltages are the same blah blah blah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Seth Bean Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 dude....why do durcell batteries sound different in a big muff then energizer....it just has something to do with compents.....which has nothing to do with you question lol....but....ge and si are totally diferent materials.used to build the same componetn.....like how they make some boxes out of cardboard and some from plastic....t he plastic ones are much stronger...diferences in material used on electrical components is the same way lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Walters9515 Posted September 26, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 ya i know they are different but WHY are they different u know what i meanlets break it down to know WHY What do u mean by this electro magnetic characteristics? what is that in the transistor? What makes the so different ? and why do they distort different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Joe Klink Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 What makes the so different ? and why do they distort different? It has to do with the transference of the deep Herbert theorem. 1 X Herbert/uniscrotum into a 6% anal panzer. Once the doping sequence is excreted, the gain of the interdick causes extended frequency contortion. This results in a better sounding fuzz. Come on Walter, you knew that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bt2513 Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 You would have to be an electrical engineer and chemist to determine the real reason. I would believe that its related to the fact that pure silicon has superior characteristics for electrical circuits silicon transistors can be used for higher gain circuits. Germanium is not as pure sonically. Basically, transistors can be used to amplify a circuit to the point of distortion. We call it fuzz because that's what it sounds like. "Distortion" effects use JFET's and MOSFET's (transistors) and tend to be used to emulate tube amps being pushed into distortion and are voiced to sound that way. So again, this is like asking why different tube amps distort differently. The answer is, of course, in the question. They are made of different materials that have different electro magnetic characteristics. I'm not an EE and couldn't tell you which quark in a germanium atom causes it to sound differently but I can tell you that when electrical current passes through it, it reacts differently than silicon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lukeswall Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 why do durcell batteries sound different in a big muff then energizer.... wait... what??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Walters9515 Posted September 26, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 thanks bt2513 for the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shepherdspy Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 Why didn't you thank Joe Klink? He was the most helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bt2513 Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 No problem. I know what you are trying to figure out and there probably is a VERY good answer... again, according to Wiki, high grade silicon wasn't available in any quantity until the seventies so up until then engineers didn't have a choice. Truth is, there really isn't too much of a point to pondering it other than personal gain of knowledge. All transistors are going to have slightly different sonic qualities based on sheer margin of error. No two are going to be exactly alike. This is why effect builders and parts suppliers "pair" the transistors so that two that test marginally close can be used together with pleasing results. I would say most of the time, the differences aren't audible to an untrained ear. However, its not like you could order a certain type of germanium or silicon transistor to achieve a sonic goal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Walters9515 Posted September 26, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 yes it is a sonic thing The germanium fuzz face seem to my ears Fuzz alot creating a fuzzy sonic tone The Silicon fuzz face to my ears creates a BUZZ not a Fuzz What do u guys hear between the two , put it in your own words Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EerieDreamZ Posted September 26, 2007 Members Share Posted September 26, 2007 It has to do with the transference of the deep Herbert theorem. 1 X Herbert/uniscrotum into a 6% anal panzer. Once the doping sequence is excreted, the gain of the interdick causes extended frequency contortion. This results in a better sounding fuzz. Come on Walter, you knew that! POST OF THE YEAR!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Liberty Belle Posted September 27, 2007 Members Share Posted September 27, 2007 its a myth that silicon is harsh, i've built tons of ff with silicon and harsh is not a word i'd use to describe the sound of them! i find germanium to be the harsher tranie to be honest,although i wouldndt use harsh to describe ge either. i'm talkin orig and RI AC128's and a few other lesser known tranies. also, forget what datasheets,guitar whiz kids and effects gurus tell ya,let your ears be the judge. AC128's would be my fav Ge tranies and 2N3904 silicon. ears i tellz ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Walters9515 Posted September 27, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 27, 2007 Why is the AC128's trans fuzz better ? is it the GAIN of them? why use 2N3904 silicon trans? is it the GAIN ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Liberty Belle Posted September 27, 2007 Members Share Posted September 27, 2007 They are just ones i prefer. I like the 2n3904 cause it seems to respond well to bass and is nice and fuzzy with just two of 'em. The AC128 i like cause it sounds a little different to the other Ge's i've used,i dont know what but it has a nice quality to it. i have the original mullard ac128's in my fuzz factory,it had some others (ask zack) but i swapped them among other things,i got a MPSA13 in there too which is a darlington tranie with a hfe above 5,000.i got some of the newer ac128's as well and they are super sweet,a little different than the mullard,warmer i think. the Ge tranies i took out of my fuzz factory are gonna go in a fuzz face maybe, nothing wrong with 'em tho.i just mod every pedal i own except chuck zwicky's woolly mammoth,that stays as he designed it..........perfect! i've actually stopped buying fuzz cause its easy to make my own to my tastes/needs. the MPSA13's a cool tranie as well but its temperamental,makes some fuzzes sound really good and others shit.i usually use one mpsa13 and a 2n3904 in my fuzz pedals, depending what i want. i just use what ever sounds good, i dont care what it is really. I'm looking forward to making a nice fuzz face with the ac128s, i'm thinking up something special. so, experiment with parts and see what ya like, i only like Germanium in certain pedals and i'm fussy with it as i much prefer silicon in most things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Walters9515 Posted September 27, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 27, 2007 The dunlop uses AC128 but what brand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Liberty Belle Posted September 27, 2007 Members Share Posted September 27, 2007 no idea, i only know mullard and the other ones i get.forget the name.check out bonzai in europe.youd want the right hfe for what your after http://www.banzaieffects.com/search.php?mode=search http://www.banzaieffects.com/Transistors-matched-selected-c-287.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Haiku Samurai Posted September 27, 2007 Members Share Posted September 27, 2007 Oh the siliconSuch a tone it does createGilmour masturbates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SG dan Posted November 2, 2007 Members Share Posted November 2, 2007 They are just ones i prefer.I like the 2n3904 cause it seems to respond well to bass and is nice and fuzzy with just two of 'em. Isn't that NPN as opposed to the usual PNP? is there a sound difference, or is it just the polarity swap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Liberty Belle Posted November 2, 2007 Members Share Posted November 2, 2007 all the fuzz pedals i have created/make are NPN i dont like PNP for one reason, polarity and motorboating problems. NPN has all the good transistors too, think BMP,silicon fuzz face,woollymammoth etc. NPN has a PNP equivalent, for example the PNP equiv of 2N3904 is 2N3906 the 2N5088, its PNP is 2N5087. as too sound, i dont know as ive never done direct comparisons for each in an identical effect.i make sure all my circuits are NPN or NPN/PNP never PNP.just my preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RelicJunky Posted November 2, 2007 Members Share Posted November 2, 2007 Oh the siliconSuch a tone it does createGilmour masturbates. You are truely Haiku. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tenoken Posted November 2, 2007 Members Share Posted November 2, 2007 What's the difference between the Herbert 6% anal theorem and the often forgotten about Sir Mondotubular Buttsnoids' "Fourth Axiom of Universal Chaffed Taint", originally presented at the Wet Sector Symposium in Sioux Falls in the summer of '63? C'mon, what's the difference! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EL KABONG Posted November 2, 2007 Members Share Posted November 2, 2007 bc 108? dbl post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EL KABONG Posted November 2, 2007 Members Share Posted November 2, 2007 bc 108? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.