It seems there are tons of threads of people wanting geranium this and that. Ive read all about it. And I agree w this and that. But, it seems to me that one should base an effect off of the sound it produces and the sound thier looking for rather than the "all mighty" reputation ( though possibly deserved in certain cases) geranium. If i thought i could get a fart to sound good w my rig i would-though theres no reputation for it. Hey, if silicon can pull the almighty sound than so be it--Isnt the sound what were after, after all--that never ending search for that " just right/perfect" sound.
jim
I've had very good luck with 2N4401 for Q1, and 2N5809 for Q2 in my fuzzfaces. No oscillation and plenty of volume and decent cleanup!
Try it!
RDV(the hypemyster)
So very true. I always socket the crucial parts and then swap until I'm
satisfied. But to achieve a sound like SRV or Hendrix etc. you'd have to
have quite a collection of amps and guitars not to mention the most important - how you play the guitar.
Yeah, I couldn't believe all the geranium hype I found at this site:
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2822/
Kerry M
bwana: can`t access that site, but let me tell jimbob, that we (home)-grow geraniums on the balcony...
(P.S.: edit: the page was offline for a little while; have seen it now...)
Puretube..Ive seen those fancy pancy tube pedals of yours--creme de la crop.. I bet they do grow there--now thats the candy factory if i ever saw one..where dreams come true!! All props to ya! One day bro, and those pretty tube be growing in my garden!! :)
Hm... the geocities site got me thinking... since "geranium" and "germanium" are so close (one m difference), I wonder if it would be possible to set up a business where we somehow take geraniums, chop off a tiny piece, dope it to create a p-n junction, stick two wires from it, and market it on ebay under ORIGINAL VINTAGE GERANIUM TRANSISTORS! 8) Or "new bio-transistors!"
Or, even better, "want that organic sound? then there's no substitute for our geranium transistors! Grown and created from real living flowers, they provide that sought-after sound that Silicon and other mere elements could never hope to provide!"
OK, sorry, I've gone without sleep for a little while :P. I of course realize the idea is preposterous. Now, a capacitor made partially of flower pulp, on the other hand... :D
Seriously, I don't have enough experience with Ge vs Si trannys to be able to tell a real difference; I've actually never A/Bed them. I'm sure there is some difference, but that difference is only good for you if you want the tone Ge provides. I know that in my rig, my limiting factor is probably not my choice of components. Truth be told, it's probably my skills as a guitarist at this point :shock:
That said, if you can get even a little bit of better tone out of Germanium, enough that it makes you happy and justifies the cost/time involved, then go for it. It would probably be a good idea, however, to A/B parts yourself rather than believe in the hype machine.
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2822/index.html
works for me, if any1 is missing the joke.
I used to boil down geraniums & make my own "litmus' paper as a kid.
And yes, I agree whatever SOUNDS good IS good :D