Real interesting Joe.
I think some people are scratching their heads because most everyone adjusts only Q2's collector when biasing a fuzz. Last nite I put a few different gain combos in my fuzz jig and gave your calculator a try. Battery voltage was 9.10v, and 1k was used for the gain pot/value.
TI 182505 (Ge): gain/leakage: Q1- 79/7, Q2- 133/35
calculated values:
R1- 47k
R2- 8.2k
R3- 470
Tested voltages:
Q1:
E- 0.0
B- .124
C- .519
Q2:
E- .413
B- .513
C- 5.55
OC44 (Ge metal can):gain/leakage: Q1- 64/13, Q2- 88/17
calculated values:
R1- 60k
R2- 8.2k
R3- 470
tested voltages:
Q1:
E- 0.0
B- .107
C- .530
Q2:
E- .40
B- .52
C- 5.5
TI 2N404 (Ge):gain/leakage: Q1- 172/23, Q2- 202/26
calculated values:
R1- 21k
R2- 8.2k
R3- 470
tested voltages:
Q1:
E- 0.0
B- .12
C- .544
Q2:
E- .43
B- .55
C- 5.55
I played them quickly last nite, and all sounded good. Good sustain, and cleaned up well with the guitar volume. These were pairs I had previously tested and were known to sound good.
As you can see, the voltages were pretty uniform. Especially considering that one pair was lower gain than normal, and one pair higher gain than normal. I usually bias by adjusting both Q1 and Q2's collector, getting identical voltages to the above, but I like to run about .5v less on Q2's collector. That usually gets a great sound. With some pairs, I've found they will bias up real nice by all three methods: adjusting only Q2, adjusting only Q1, or adjusting both. I didn't try any silicons, but if it works with Ge's, silicons will be a breeze.
Seems like when most people try to buy their own supplies of untested Ge's (picked thru leftovers), they usually get gains much lower or higher than the "magic range" of 70-130. Maybe later, I'll test more batches of low and high gain sets, and post them. Personally, I've found the higher than normal gains (Ge) to still sound great if they have low leakage.
ps- forgot the obvious dislcaimer: your ears are always the final judge.
