Silicon transistors generate a bright, aggressive fuzz while germanium ones tend to be smoother and warmer sounding. Amplifier overdrive and distortion is usually achieved by signal clippingpushing the gain until the signal peaks are chopped off. In almost every overdrive, distortion, or fuzz pedal there is a silicon or germanium diode. Or you could possibly design pedals that sound the same difficult but one uses germanium and one silicon. Fuzz was released to allow for a wider range of pickup loading page 2 now, you can use a fuzz pedal to overdrive your tube amp. It analyses the trends in markets, technologies and industry structure and profiles all the major players. Opamps, while less common than either germanium or silicon. Several germanium and silicon models are available. Schottky diodes like bat54 are a special but quite common type of silicon diodes used as rectifiers with very low forward voltage 200mv, similar to that of germanium diodes, but they also show a very abrupt iv curve that generates hard clipping at a much lower voltage than regular silicon diodes. There are several ways you can distort or overdrive your guitar. A germanium transistor model between 19681970 and later, from early 1971. Op amps, while less common than either germanium or silicon.
The fuzz face is an effects pedal for electric guitar, used also by some electric bass players. Ts8089 distortion is a hard clipped waveform that is usually backtoback diodes tied to ground. But, i would say each pedal, whether silicon or germanium, would be different depending on how the designer wanted it to sound. This is great for overdriving tube amps or other overdrive. An independent overdrive and distortion each have their own sets of two germanium transistors as well as independent controls. It is specifically aimed at users and manufacturers of substrates, epiwafers, equipment and. The disadvantage of silicon as compared to germanium is that potential barrier of silicon diode 0. In todays matchup, the dunlop ffm1 fuzz face mini silicon goes foot to foot against the dunlop ffm2 fuzz face mini germanium. Features a hybrid germanium silicon design, pairing maximum tone with maximum temperature stability wide gain range provides everything from amplike overdrive to monstrous fuzz madness features a smooth, natural and harmonically rich sustain generates real clarity and distinctiveness that provides a tight and controlled signal that will surely. The bluebird drive germanium is a simple but effective overdrive that keeps the original timbre of the guitar and takes it one step further no tone knob needed. The willardson and beer series, as it is widely known, has succeeded in publishing numerous landmark volumes and chapters.
What are some good, germanium, fuzz pedals to look for. As a singlegermaniumtransistor overdrive, cult germanium overdrive has roots in the geranium. When its all said and done, i think i slightly prefer silicon. Combining four classic germanium transistors, the germanium big muff pi is the result of a focused modern design dripping with eh analog heritage. A softer clipping generates less high frequency harmonics and hence it produces a more agreeable sound to the ears, closer to that produced by valves.
This implies that silicon will have much smaller collector cut off current than germanium the variation of collector cut off current with temperature is less in silicon compared to germanium the structure of germanium crystals will be destroyed at higher temperature. Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol ge and atomic number 32. Both silicon and germanium can be combined with other elements called dopants to create solidstate electronic devices, such as diodes, transistors and photoelectric cells. Whats the difference between the bc108 and bc109c silicon transistors a. Big muff pi, electro harmonix, rams head, triangle, sovtek, green, green russian, black russian, civil war, byoc large beaver, p2, p2, pete cornish, mike matthews, little big muff, muff fuzz, axis, guild foxey lady, jimi hendrix. The key difference between silicon and germanium is that the germanium has d electrons, but silicon does not have any d electrons silicon and germanium, are both in the same group group 14 of the periodic table. Lets talk about the difference between germanium and silicon transistors and what it means to guitar players and audio in general, especially fuzz.
Like silicon, germanium naturally reacts and forms complexes with oxygen in nature. The reverse current in silicon flows in order of nano amperes compared to germanium in which the reverse current is in order of micro amperes, because of this the accuracy of nonconduction of the ge diode in rever. An ultimate guide to boost vs overdrive vs distortion vs fuzz. Practically a shottkey is 400mv and a germanium around 200350mv. But now, remarkably, the material is poised for a comeback. Overdrive the key element of a fuzz versus, say, distortion or overdrive is the conversion of the guitars signal into square wave form.
It is commonly used as a semiconductor material in integrated circuits ics for heterojunction bipolar transistors or as a straininducing layer for cmos transistors. Pure germanium is a semiconductor with an appearance similar to elemental silicon. They become essentially useless in any settings that are warmer than room temperature. It is a lustrous, hardbrittle, grayishwhite metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbours silicon and tin. You cant just swap silicon into a germanium circuit and have it automatically sound good. Most fuzz pedals are classified as being either germanium or silicon based, which refers to the type of transistor used in the effect. What is the best fuzz pedal in detail germanium vs silicon description by screamin seth w, ph.
The conduct at all, and you wont get any sound out unless you hit the g. These diodes are the foundation to creating overdriven tones. Depending on the shade of distortion youre looking for, youll find amps and pedals using various methods to throw your signal into dirt mode. Learn the difference between these two types of diodes and how they affect your fuzz pedals tone. Fuzz pedals operate in the same wheelhouse as overdrive and distortion. Riff raff dual silicon overdrive by tsakalisaudioworks youtube. As we all know, both silicon and germanium are semiconductor devices. Its grinds and has great grit without ever getting buzzy like silicon sounds to me when the silicon switch is engaged, it does square out the sin wave some, but its still got the germanium undertones that i love so much. We compare integration schemes and find that while each platform has unique aspects and opportunities, the core fabrication of overlapping gates defining the nanoelectronic devices is remarkably similar, thereby further accelerating the overall progress in group iv. The ge is is sensitive to high temperatures so if you live in a hot climate or do a lot of outdoor summer shows you might want to consider the silicon version. Download this 40minute workshop by matthew weiss, now for free.
Silicon and germanium, are both in the same group group 14 of the periodic table. Fuzz pedals that use a germanium transistor shown to the right are. They become essentially useless in any settings that are warmer than. The overdrive controls include gain, bias, tone, and volume. One of the true masters of fuzz abuse was the late, great jimi hendrix and a big part of his genius was, imho, his incredible ability to appear in total control of the seeming uncontrollability of said pedal. Germanium diodes vs schottky diodes for audio distortion. Germanium is harder to come by than silicon, as it represents a small fraction of the semiconductor market today.
Pnp vs npn fuzz effects and processors harmony central. Despite that, it still offers the best way to achieve certain, especially smooth distortion, fuzz, or overdrive characteristics. Difference between silicon and germanium compare the. Silicon germanium was the semiconductor of choice when transistors were first produced in the 40s and 50s. Silicon transistors overdrive distortion, technical 7. In the launch video per final thoughts below josh mentioned that there would likely be 10 pedals in this new series with the above 4 being the first available. You could have two pedals with both germanium or silicon and they can sound completely different. The same lower vf on a germanium transistor means a germanium transistor can be biased differently than a silicon which typically requires a full 700mv dc bias just to conduct. A history of the big muff, from the foxey lady, to the russian sovteks, to the current usa reissue. Im pretty sure silicon fuzzes fuzz faces are for a more modern, metalish tone, whereas germanium big muffs are uses for more. Buy dunlop ffm2 germanium fuzz face mini distortion.
Overdrive is usually a backtoback diode clipping that is symmetrical, and is fed from the output of an opamp back to the input. The last point is the disadvantage of the silicon diode. The key difference between silicon and germanium is that the germanium has d electrons, but silicon does not have any d electrons. Highest build quality and an innovative charging circuit make the bluebird drive germanium the perfect choice for professional and semiprofessional musicians as well as. This pedal is a classic in the keeley lineup, and its switchable germaniumsilicon characteristics and blend of smooth overdrive and fuzz tones. The giganteum drive was designed from the ground up to provide uncompromising versatility in a small footprint.
The ffm2 germanium fuzz face mini is based on 6668 era pre silicon fuzz faces famous for warm vintage fuzz tones provided by slightly mismatched germanium. Here, we present the fabrication and operation of quantum dots in silicon and germanium, in linear and twodimensional arrays. View and download keeley fuzz head features online. Everything you want to know about big muffs with sound clips. Bobs blog, overdrive distortion, product news, product research, technical, technical articles 1 7 years ago germanium vs. But the present trend is to use silicon instead of germanium in many devices like smps etc. Silicon and germanium share similar physical and chemical. At room temperature, silicon crystal has fewer free electrons than germanium crystal. Test different clipping modes for diy pedals youtube. This means that higher bias voltage is required to cause current flow in a silicon diode circuit.
The fuzz pedal is surrounded in mystique and legend, from specially selected pedals for hendrix to expensive, no longer stocked transistors originally made in the 60s. Germanium clipping is softer than that of regular rectifier silicon diodes. Since its inception in 1966, the series of numbered volumes known as semiconductors and semimetals has distinguished itself through the careful selection of wellknown authors, editors, and contributors. What are the advantages of sillicon over germanium.
The minifuzz ge has a warm, almost overdrive like fuzz tone, it cleans up well to a beautiful, bright glassy clean tone. The bc108 is the traditional silicon transistor for the fuzz face. Whats the difference between the bc108 and bc109c silicon transistors. This drawback of silicon goes to the background in view of the other advantages of silicon mentioned. It is designed to produce a distorted sound referred to as fuzz, originally achieved through accident such as broken electrical components or. Buffered output so that it can drive pedals or amps with a high current and. What is the best sounding transistor in a fuzz pedal. Here are some key factors in determining the best sounding transistor for a fuzz pedal build. The primary difference between silicon and germanium diodes is the voltage needed for the diode to turn on.
Up next dunlop fuzz face germanium vs silicon, fuzz beforeafter wah, history and more. Silicon and germanium are two chemical elements called metalloids. The gain of germanium transistor will increase as the temperature goes up. Hence, they have four electrons in the outer energy level. They can be found in many different packages including small smd packages with the. Despite germanium s starring role in the transistors early history, it was soon supplanted by silicon. But i really think that the biggest part of the difference between what people think of as a silicon sound vs a germanium sound has more to do with the gain of the transistors and how they are biased than it does what theyre made of. The germanium side features a girth control for treble or fullrange boost. Germanium will sound a tad different than silicon in a given circuit, but its also worth pointing. Its two independent channels offer a complete range of discrete drive tones from boost, to light grit, all the way to raging fuzz. A dualgermanium transistor big muff pi pedal alongside a dualgermanium transistor overdrive pedal. Germanium and silicon in fuzz whats the difference.