Germanium overdrives/fuzz

[Elvis2]

Ok, heres the thing, my friend built a germanium overdrive and it just sounds magic, its like, um, The Velvet Underground in a box.
There are some germanium fuzz/overdrives on the market, which ones are good and which ones should be avoided at all cost? The MI Audio one looks good to me but im not too keen on ordering things off the internet, any advice would be really helpful and much appreciated.

[shadyady69]

The EHX Germanium OD is a cool little number. You can vary the amount of dc you give it to emulate that dying battery sound. I really want one, but it's £95 I just don't have right now. Pro guitar shop does a demo on you tube.

[Sir Axeman]

The only ickle fing that i've got that is geranium is a Rangemaster treble booster clone...it sounds great boosting a valve amp. If you just plug it into a clean channel it sorta just makes it go louder and changes the tone a little....but into a overdriving amp it makes it scream.

As for fuzz...well, I dont think i'll ever own a fuzz pedal. Hmmm, well not if that Carpenters guitarist is your typical fuzz sound! That is one nasty sound there...maybe its a bad example?

[Sporky_McGuffin]

You could just pop some germanium diodes into a tubescreamer type pedal. Probably want 4 in there to keep the level up.

[Elvis2]

Originally Posted by shadyady69

The EHX Germanium OD is a cool little number. You can vary the amount of dc you give it to emulate that dying battery sound. I really want one, but it's £95 I just don't have right now. Pro guitar shop does a demo on you tube.

Im going to try out the EHX pedal, unlike a lot of these pedals its actually available here in iceland.

I tried a really old Vox tone bender a few years ago, the owner told me it had germanium diodes/transistors in it, that was the most beautifully brutal sounding fuzzbox ive ever heard, im guessing those things go for a huge amount of money on ebay these days, also a friend of mine has one of those japanese fuzzes (shin-ei) that is supposed to be quite good, im going to see if he needs money..

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by Sir Axeman

Hmmm, well not if that Carpenters guitarist is your typical fuzz sound! That is one nasty sound there...maybe its a bad example?

*sigh*

I shake my head at your utter cluelessness.

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by Elvis2

one of those japanese fuzzes (shin-ei) that is supposed to be quite good, im going to see if he needs money..

They use silicon transistors, by the way.

My upcoming Garage Fuzz (mostly being made for me, but I decided to make a few) is based on the Shin-ei Fuzzmaster circuit. It's a fierce and wonderful fuzz, but my one is very quiet - even with the volume up full it still drops from unity level.

[Professor SourTone]

For me the silicon fuzzes are a bit too "wall of fuzz". Its kind of ok, but really there's just the one sound. I like the germaniums better - they're a bit more messy, and your volume knob/pick attack actually does something. They can be nice all the way round the dial.

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by Professor SourTone

For me the silicon fuzzes are a bit too "wall of fuzz". Its kind of ok, but really there's just the one sound. I like the germaniums better - they're a bit more messy, and your volume knob/pick attack actually does something. They can be nice all the way round the dial.

I don't like the smoothness and politeness of germanium fuzz.

Sure, some circuits can sound aggressive (the Tone Bender Pro II springs to mind) but I want the "wall of fuzz" from a fuzz pedal. I greatly prefer silicon, but understand why germanium fuzzes are popular...I do like to voice my germanium circuits slightly hot though, otherwise I don't get the point!

Building Fuzz Face clones though has constantly made me wonder why the germanium ones are revered and the silicon ones disparaged. To my ears the silicon circuit sounds much better. I think listening to Hendrix bears this out too. His best fuzz sounds were on the later recordings.

I like a fuzz to sound like the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse traded in their horses for very big motorbikes...and they are accompanied by a million swarms of angry Hell-bees.

[Sporky_McGuffin]

...with kazoos