Inherited a bunch of Toshiba 2SB54's...what to build with them?

[mordechai]

Any suggestions?  Haven't tested them yet but how have you used them and in which circuits have you found success with them?

[garcho]

EDIT: sorry, i didn't read your post closely

[mac]

If you're familiar with the deacy amp schematic they were used in old japanese radios before the power amp. The amp section used 2SB56.

I have a lot of them, hfe around 100 and leakage 100-150ua or less.

The internal capacitance make them perfect for all kind of fuzzes, FF, TB, etc.

mac

[GibsonGM]

If you're familiar with the deacy amp schematic they were used in old japanese radios before the power amp. The amp section used 2SB56.

I have a lot of them, hfe around 100 and leakage 100-150ua or less.

The internal capacitance make them perfect for all kind of fuzzes, FF, TB, etc.

mac

+1      I recently 'found' a couple of them from an old Japanese radio, as mac said. I had tossed them in the bin years ago, thinking "low gain, and leakage"....then I rediscovered the venerable Fuzz Face.    Just for curiosity's sake, I boarded one up, leakage or no....WOW.

Amazing fuzz, lots of Jimi going on over here.   Ice cold practice room, warm - same tone so far w/little bias adjustment needed as temp changes.

I had passed them over due to 'conventional wisdom', and it turns out they're IDEAL for this.  Not that all of them would be, but hey, simple build, worth a try!   I got a more reliable meter for hfe, and found one to be 70, the other 130  

Roger Mayer 'Hendrix Fuzz' version, bias on Q2 emitter is 3.2k with a 2k fuzz pot + 20u cap in PARALLEL with it, just for comparison, and 500k vol. pot (what I had around).   2.2u on the input cap sounds wooly to me, so will be putting a smaller one in...

[Kipper4]

I'll have to look at that one Gibson.
I have some nice germs.
What are you going to try on the input ?
470nf ? 220nf ?
Just being nosey I know I'm gonna learn to love building fuzzes. I'm just not feeling it yet.
I've built one or two. One of which I love but haven't got round to boxing yet that is Macs Tres Hombre.
It's in his gallery some where here.
I love my decay too. It's too dark and woolly without a treble booster for my taste. I Probably should get some better transformers......


Call it research for future projects.
Thanks

[GibsonGM]

Same here, Kipper (have built Si FF's, not a big fan, too much the Big Muff....)...I'm going to pop a 220n in there, yes! 

The Ge have made a very big difference, to me.   If it's going to be a fuzz, I really want it to be "live Hendrix" rather than Smashing Pumpkins - who I love, but just don't play like    There is something more 'shredding' sounding to the SB's, in my opinion (compared to Si)...

[Kipper4]

I'm sure Macs is Ge.
I like an Axis face Ge/Si but it needs a boost after.
Thanks I find a 220nf is much less woolly on the bottom end than a 2u2 too. Still plenty of bottom with single coils.
Bout time I got my Aria custom shop 70's to try some buckkys.

[GibsonGM]

I'll be looking at the Tres Hombres 

[Kipper4]

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/mac/my+circuits/Tres+Hombres.GIF.html

[mac]

I'm sure Macs is Ge.

I have lots of Matsushita 2sa101/102, TI 2n388, Toshibas 2sa49/52/53, etc., that have low hfe, <50, for some old fuzzes. I wanted to give them some use.
Tres Hombres is the result
Mine has 3 x 2sa102, hfe<40.

mac

[Plexi]

Yesterday I found when I went to buy cable and tin several 2SB54 in a local electronic shop.
I'm seeing where I can use them; some PNP sunface, or maybe Fulltone 69'.

[PEPPER!]

If they have lower gains (20-60) and some leakage they may sound good as Q1 in a Harmonic Percolator or Percolator-inspired circuit.  I had some leaky, low-gain 2SB49s that sounded better than the correct part (2N404) in my opinion.  Also search for Jimi Photon's designs on this forum - especially the Juergulator - as he's come up with some great sounding fuzzes and ODs that make use of random Ge transistors.

[Plexi]

I've measured a pair of them.
They're 110 and 120 hfe.. a bit high for a ge transistor I guess..

[JebemMajke]

Fuzz factory

[Plexi]

Exactly there where I used the pair I mentioned.
I used sockets and 2n3906 provisionally.