Overdrive is usually a backtoback diode clipping that is symmetrical, and is fed from the output of an opamp back to the input. Like silicon, germanium naturally reacts and forms complexes with oxygen in nature. They become essentially useless in any settings that are warmer than room temperature. Silicon transistors generate a bright, aggressive fuzz while germanium ones tend to be smoother and warmer sounding. The gain of germanium transistor will increase as the temperature goes up. Buffered output so that it can drive pedals or amps with a high current and. 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. Buy dunlop ffm2 germanium fuzz face mini distortion. The blue colored mkiv vintage fuzz drive is voiced for the player that prefers a 1960s styled tone and feel, featuring select germanium and silicon transistors in a hybrid design that is 100% hand built by scotty himself that have true bypass switching and blue water clear led. A dualgermanium transistor big muff pi pedal alongside a dualgermanium transistor overdrive pedal. This is great for overdriving tube amps or other overdrive. Im pretty sure silicon fuzzes fuzz faces are for a more modern, metalish tone, whereas germanium big muffs are uses for more.
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 is a chemical element with the symbol ge and atomic number 32. 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. But the present trend is to use silicon instead of germanium in many devices like smps etc. Download this 40minute workshop by matthew weiss, now for free. You could have two pedals with both germanium or silicon and they can sound completely different. These diodes are the foundation to creating overdriven tones.
Fuzz pedals operate in the same wheelhouse as overdrive and distortion. Practically a shottkey is 400mv and a germanium around 200350mv. Overdrive the key element of a fuzz versus, say, distortion or overdrive is the conversion of the guitars signal into square wave form. Riff raff dual silicon overdrive by tsakalisaudioworks youtube.
Difference between silicon and germanium compare the. 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. 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. The primary difference between silicon and germanium diodes is the voltage needed for the diode to turn on.
They become essentially useless in any settings that are warmer than. It is a lustrous, hardbrittle, grayishwhite metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbours silicon and tin. It is specifically aimed at users and manufacturers of substrates, epiwafers, equipment and. 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. Germanium is harder to come by than silicon, as it represents a small fraction of the semiconductor market today. Or you could possibly design pedals that sound the same difficult but one uses germanium and one silicon.
Silicon transistors overdrive distortion, technical 7. Pure germanium is a semiconductor with an appearance similar to elemental silicon. Germanium diodes vs schottky diodes for audio distortion. 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. Amplifier overdrive and distortion is usually achieved by signal clippingpushing the gain until the signal peaks are chopped off. Silicon germanium was the semiconductor of choice when transistors were first produced in the 40s and 50s. View and download keeley fuzz head features online. An ultimate guide to boost vs overdrive vs distortion vs fuzz. What is the best sounding transistor in a fuzz pedal. Fuzz pedals that use a germanium transistor shown to the right are. Hence, they have four electrons in the outer energy level. Here, we present the fabrication and operation of quantum dots in silicon and germanium, in linear and twodimensional arrays. Silicon and germanium share similar physical and chemical.
You cant just swap silicon into a germanium circuit and have it automatically sound good. Combining four classic germanium transistors, the germanium big muff pi is the result of a focused modern design dripping with eh analog heritage. The germanium side features a girth control for treble or fullrange boost. The giganteum drive was designed from the ground up to provide uncompromising versatility in a small footprint. The disadvantage of silicon as compared to germanium is that potential barrier of silicon diode 0. The willardson and beer series, as it is widely known, has succeeded in publishing numerous landmark volumes and chapters. Despite that, it still offers the best way to achieve certain, especially smooth distortion, fuzz, or overdrive characteristics. Bobs blog, overdrive distortion, product news, product research, technical, technical articles 1 7 years ago germanium vs. 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. Pnp vs npn fuzz effects and processors harmony central. Despite germanium s starring role in the transistors early history, it was soon supplanted by silicon. What are the advantages of sillicon over germanium. In todays matchup, the dunlop ffm1 fuzz face mini silicon goes foot to foot against the dunlop ffm2 fuzz face mini germanium. A germanium transistor model between 19681970 and later, from early 1971.
Depending on the shade of distortion youre looking for, youll find amps and pedals using various methods to throw your signal into dirt mode. As a singlegermaniumtransistor overdrive, cult germanium overdrive has roots in the geranium. 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. Germanium and silicon in fuzz whats the difference. 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. Opamps, while less common than either germanium or silicon. The last point is the disadvantage of the silicon diode. This pedal is a classic in the keeley lineup, and its switchable germaniumsilicon characteristics and blend of smooth overdrive and fuzz tones.
But now, remarkably, the material is poised for a comeback. Learn the difference between these two types of diodes and how they affect your fuzz pedals tone. Silicon and germanium, are both in the same group group 14 of the periodic table. 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. Lets talk about the difference between germanium and silicon transistors and what it means to guitar players and audio in general, especially fuzz. 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. Highest build quality and an innovative charging circuit make the bluebird drive germanium the perfect choice for professional and semiprofessional musicians as well as. Heres a relatively simple way to add some bite to your old guitar amplifier. 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. Everything you want to know about big muffs with sound clips. The science of distortion can seem pretty esoteric, but in simple terms we can see that the differences between overdrive, distortion and fuzz have to do with how hard you clip your signal. It is designed to produce a distorted sound referred to as fuzz, originally achieved through accident such as broken electrical components or.
Both silicon and germanium can be combined with other elements called dopants to create solidstate electronic devices, such as diodes, transistors and photoelectric cells. Ts8089 distortion is a hard clipped waveform that is usually backtoback diodes tied to ground. It is commonly used as a semiconductor material in integrated circuits ics for heterojunction bipolar transistors or as a straininducing layer for cmos transistors. 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. A history of the big muff, from the foxey lady, to the russian sovteks, to the current usa reissue. 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. Several germanium and silicon models are available. The key difference between silicon and germanium is that the germanium has d electrons, but silicon does not have any d electrons.
When its all said and done, i think i slightly prefer silicon. The overdrive controls include gain, bias, tone, and volume. What are some good, germanium, fuzz pedals to look for. 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. Test different clipping modes for diy pedals youtube. As we all know, both silicon and germanium are semiconductor devices. They can be found in many different packages including small smd packages with the. Silicon and germanium are two chemical elements called metalloids. But, i would say each pedal, whether silicon or germanium, would be different depending on how the designer wanted it to sound.
Germanium clipping is softer than that of regular rectifier silicon diodes. Germanium will sound a tad different than silicon in a given circuit, but its also worth pointing. 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 conduct at all, and you wont get any sound out unless you hit the g. Whats the difference between the bc108 and bc109c silicon transistors. Whats the difference between the bc108 and bc109c silicon transistors a. Its two independent channels offer a complete range of discrete drive tones from boost, to light grit, all the way to raging fuzz. An independent overdrive and distortion each have their own sets of two germanium transistors as well as independent controls. 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. This means that higher bias voltage is required to cause current flow in a silicon diode circuit. 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.
The bc108 is the traditional silicon transistor for the fuzz face. 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. There are several ways you can distort or overdrive your guitar. Up next dunlop fuzz face germanium vs silicon, fuzz beforeafter wah, history and more. It analyses the trends in markets, technologies and industry structure and profiles all the major players. Here are some key factors in determining the best sounding transistor for a fuzz pedal build. This drawback of silicon goes to the background in view of the other advantages of silicon mentioned. In almost every overdrive, distortion, or fuzz pedal there is a silicon or germanium diode. 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.