Transistor hfe Datasheet

[Schappy]

When we say for are looking for a transistor with a certain gain, lets say for a fuzz face, do I look at the DC current gain or small signal gain?

[anchovie]

Small-signal (hfe), as you're working with an audio waveform. hFE is relevant to DC only.

[PRR]

Well, just to give all sides of the coin.... I'd say that small-signal gain has slight effect on the audio, but in many older designs the large-signal gain makes it work or NOT-work (slams the bias point to one extreme or the other or a magic somewhere in-between).

But if a design is very fussy, the datasheet is not much use because it typically cites a 2:1 spread.