What Does Germanium Do for Guitar Pedals?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- Got a request to take a look at the EHX Germanium Big Muff pedal. Decided to go down a whole other rabbit hole and see what Germanium actually is and does for dirt boxes. Used in this video are the EHX Germanium Big Muff, Fulltone OCD, and Benson Germanium Fuzz. I know there are more, these are what I have. Spoiler alert: Germanium doesn't sound like anything until it's put into a pedal and you actually play through it.
Tim Hunkin on TH-cam: / @timhunkin1
Jeff Berner: jeffbernerrecording.com
Studio G Brooklyn: www.studiogbrooklyn.com
Bell Works (today): bell.works/new-jersey/explore/
Bell Labs (history): www.bell-labs.com/about/history/
Use my zzounds link when buying gear: www.zzounds.com/a--3981088
0:00 - Intro Jam
1:08 - What Is Germanium?
2:07 - We Love Bell Labs
3:09 - EHX Germanium Big Muff
5:44 - What's a Transistor Do?
7:22 - The Problem with Germanium
8:23 - Benson Germanium Fuzz
9:51 - Silicon Has Entered the Chat
10:22 - Germanium Diodes (Fulltone OCD)
12:08 - The Secret Life of Machines - เพลง
The algorithm should be boosting this channel. Consistently the best guitar-related content on TH-cam, bar none.
It will coz i see he quite consistent
“Secret Life of Pedals” gave me a chuckle. Your channel rules dude.
I would love a video about the Generation Loss MKII!
One of the few gear channels that aren't just marketing outlets fronted by a shill.
Great information presented in a fun way. Keep up the great job, Stompbox Breakdown.
“Tube to transistor shift was like shrink ray…” great quote.
This was so well done! Thank you.
Knocked out of the park. What a video. Funny and informative with killer tones. Well done!!
Thank you so much!
Another awesome video, thanks again.
As always, there are great tones and interesting facts, but there is also some great wisdom in your video today. Thanks for all you do!
Love your channel man, great demo and history lesson!
Awesome video!! Keep them coming!
Agree that the Germanium Big Muff really is it's own thing. I think EHX did it a little bit of a disservice naming it after the Big Muff but hey, if it keeps the prices down... ☺I do love a germanium pedal, recently had my Visual Sound Double Trouble modded with a germanium option and it is awesome!!
Another super interesting vid!!
I remember hearing somewhere that it was called that because the guy who made also made the muff but I'm too lazy to check if that's true lol
Good stuff, man
Good job, brother 🤙
Oh i sure did enjoy this one!
Thanks for making the video.
Hooray! I was just thinking this afternoon, I wonder if they saw the video. It was a great suggestion, though I may go back and do a video entirely dedicated to that Muff, it really grew on me even more while putting this together.
Pedantic scientist incoming:
On the topic of black vs. white paint on the Benson: science is understanding the root cause of temperature difference between the two colors whilst in direct sunlight; engineering is selecting the two colors to take advantage of the properties in a built-for-purpose way. This was an engineering solution. So....yay, engineering! ;)
Awesome channel, as always!
If that's the only correction I get for this video, I'll gladly take it. Thanks!
I love geraniums, I have a couple in a flower pot in my kitchen.
So awe inspiring! I currently live in NJ and never knew this stuff! Amazing video as always. Youre one of the good ones😉
The current Bell Labs site is a pretty neat place, definitely worth visiting, especially if you've got kids. There are also some very nice parks in the area!
Awesome I gotta check it out!
The man said ‘I’ve got goals’….love your stuff. Keep up the great work.
Killer stuff!
The Germanium Big Muff was my first guitar pedal. The sweet sauce is definitely in the volts knob. EHX makes good shit.
The Germ version of the OCD has to be my favorite of the variants. Sounds amazing with brighter amps but in general, its my favorite OD.
The Ehx Germanium 4 Muff is great and along with the Ehx Germanium OD out of production Sorry to be the barer of bad news Thus was great I have more Germanium than Silicon
Thanks for the great video. I'd be very interested to see any scope shots from the pedal stage using the germanium device. Of course a REAL signal would be too hard to mess with, but often a sine wave with variable amplitude can be used to show how the device reacts to overload.
I'm not too worried about Germanium personally as I have a Walrus Audio Eons with all combinations of devices in it :D Fuzz on!
There's a paper about this, with lots and lots of good information and scope shots: www.unomaha.edu/college-of-arts-and-sciences/physics/student-opportunities/barrera-mendoza-senior-project.pdf
@@StompboxBreakdown Thanks for sending this to me. I looked at it, although not being an analog expert I can't comment much. The impression I get is that germanium transistors were definitely just not a plug-in replacement. It looks the resulting fuzz circuit was not useable and the scope plots looked nothing like the original.
From my Walrus Eons at least, I don't hear as much difference between Germanium and silicon. Is it possible the author could get much different results by applying more effort to finding a suitable circuit for the Germanium devices? Thanks again for this excellent video and the extra information.
Great video - it really did need to be made. Now, what if we could use Benson's resistor trick in pedals that we already own, like that Muff?
Comment for the algorithm. Good stuff 👍
I see the tower in Holmdel every time I’m on my way to Texas Roadhouse 🤣
Nice!! Lots to do out that way
I have a pedal with germanium, silicon, & LED clipping. It's clear how different they all sound!
Oh yeah, big difference. It's like changing the end on a pressure washer.
Black Mass 1312 best Rat-circuit box out there. So fun switching between all the clipping options.
Which pedal is it? Is it a Walrus Audio Eons? I know that one has all three in it too
I see this video and it put the EHX Germanium Muff on my radar, so I look them up. And… find they are discontinuing it as of 2024. I’m only sharing this story because it’s really quite astonishing how often this exact situation repeats in my life (although, the usual case is that whatever I’m looking at was just discontinued about a year before).
I have had one since sometime around 2010, and I could not stand the sound of it! It was so unbelievably harsh, lacked body, and the tone control seemed fairly useless… I still have it because I don’t ever get rid of pedals! 😂
I've always wondered about the nature of/ possible benefits of germanium. I thought about it a lot and came to no particular conclusion before I bought my T.I Boost.
Can you do a video about the Zoom Driver/Zoom Choir? Early 2000s big plastic box pedals with "modeling" and the dirt box had a built in noise gate.
Decades later, I still like their tones.
Ooh, I suddenly remember really wanting a Choir pedal. Might have to look into that
reactive Ge transistors do something you can't get with Si diodes all sorta same... transistors and the FF and rangemasters.. ultra useful stacked
🤘👍🏿
How about an episode about mosfets?
I certainly do have a few favorites! I’ll throw it on the list
@@StompboxBreakdownThat would be awesome! I have a Marshall Mosfet head and it sounds sooo good.
FWIW the Germanium Big Muff is a great pedal, but the transistors in it are wired as clipping diodes for the op-amp based circuit. Very strange circuit, kind of a waste of the transistors, but it sounds fantastic in its own right, so.
Oh weird. This pedal really is interesting
Ah but the random release of protons and neutrons could make for some interesting effects
Deutschmanium?
Better germanium than plutonium I say
Plutonium isn't a semiconductor, so there won't be any plutonium diodes or transistors.
If you like the pedal, then get the pedal. Buying something for the germanium alone is completely absurd. The inconsistency and temperament of germanium make it more of a novelty or collectible than a serious piece of gear.
What is the point of this comment?
Did you watch the video?
Please, please, pleeeeease do a video about the EHX Flanger Hoax!
Just waiting for a good deal on one 🤞