Nostradoomus
Well-known member
jesus christ
Why aren't folks using better US made vintage germanium diodes?
- Thread starter hifitown
- Start date
I don't care for the character attack.
I am not at your door selling something. I am not on here selling anything.
I am suggesting to anyone who has interest, that they might want to try something old and forgotten.
I am biased.. and bored with the offerings I see on diodes, and I think it's a shame that so many builds have the same parts under the hood.
I apologize I can't afford to reclaim, store, test, pack and ship a diode for 0.34 cents. I am not amazon.
Oh, and BTW, I agree with that! Would love to make a video...would love to commision a pedal... all that...
I do that for some stuff. When I can afford the time.
I really am spending too much time here. I just don't want to leave people on a sour note.
Peace in the valley would be good.
PedalBuilder
Well-known member
Not to be pedantic, but you do know that 1N34 begins with a number 1, not the letter I, right?
Come on, be honest. We know that you are not remotely close to ok with that.
pricklyrobot
Member
I was just thinking you need to get some clamping diodes on any potential e-coli traces, to avoid that sputtery low-end…
OK I will.
Mentaltossflycoon
Well-known member
Sorry, yes I do.. my mind was moving faster than my fingers could think (and I am not always perfect with model#'s.. you guys knew what I meant, I hope) ...on that one. 1N34 it is.
And for the record as it's been said.. these differ substantially from those.. I just think it's a plausible drop in. There is a possibility, I guess that these won't work for pedals... I was after having someone tell me that if so, If 3 people can give me ideas, that's great.
I am OK with that. You guys already buy stuff on Amazon. I buy stuff on there too. It's OK.
I was hoping to touch base with the 1 out of 100 that wants to play with something "old and crusty" " overbuilt and old" and I have.
Sending a few out for free to see what people think. Like I said. Most people who come calling want the $300 stepped 500K Daven Pot, because it's "same as original".. I have very few of those. So I tell them the $15 AB sounds actually better... but they usually don't care. Opposite end of the spectrum from you guys.
That said.. for a POT, this is human interface. You are also paying for a massive knob and feel. Like you said, situation varies.
Diodes may well be an extreme example of this.
But, you can't deny these are: thick phenolic, nickle silver inserts, etc, etc. They were expensive. Nothing mythical about that. And your signal does pass through it, one way or another.
I know you guys think I'm delusional. But I am not. I am not expecting to have a some sales flood from writing on a forum.. believe me.. I sell old stuff, I am working class. It sells really, really slowly to only people who have made up their minds..and whom see value in it. I was honestly just wondering why people did not stuff boards with an actual Sylvania 1N34 (sometimes) ... when they A: are old and cool and B: might in someone's fantasy sound better. In my experience... old audio parts make people happy, and they often get good results in sound.. hows that for crazy talk?
BTW, since you probably have a bench going... if you ever get a chance to get a 2225 Tek analog scope.. do so. It's got insane magnification. You can zoom all the way to the chop in a digital signal. At that level (if you get a stable signal, you can see some interesting vary smooth / roughness in a sine wave) It's possible we can hear that, as human hearing works differently compared to instruments. Textures can come out. Not trying to talk crazy talk here.. if you can see something on a scope,, that is somewhat empirical.. wouldn't you agree?
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Big Monk
Well-known member
@hifitown Do you now, or have you ever, built guitar pedals?
Specifically ones that use diodes in clipping situations?
If not, then this is the most hypocritical statement of the year:
Funny anecdote that maybe informs your “nostalgia is warping my brain” mentality.
There used to be an old electronics shop in Troy, NY while I was at RPI.
I used to go there and pester the old man that ran it for any old “moldy oldies” or “crusty caps” he may have had. North Adams, MA was a skip and a jump in relative terms and Sprague had a huge presence in the capital region shops for a long time.
One day I pop in and he had finally found a few bins of old bumblebees and Black Beauties.
When I asked him why he had saved them all these years, he looked befuddled. Eventually, he said:
“Save them? Why would I save these? There was just another box in front of them and I forgot I had them.”
Sometimes there is no good reason for saving old junk.
Specifically ones that use diodes in clipping situations?
If not, then this is the most hypocritical statement of the year:
Funny anecdote that maybe informs your “nostalgia is warping my brain” mentality.
There used to be an old electronics shop in Troy, NY while I was at RPI.
I used to go there and pester the old man that ran it for any old “moldy oldies” or “crusty caps” he may have had. North Adams, MA was a skip and a jump in relative terms and Sprague had a huge presence in the capital region shops for a long time.
One day I pop in and he had finally found a few bins of old bumblebees and Black Beauties.
When I asked him why he had saved them all these years, he looked befuddled. Eventually, he said:
“Save them? Why would I save these? There was just another box in front of them and I forgot I had them.”
Sometimes there is no good reason for saving old junk.
ICTRock
Well-known member
holy shit ... 6 pages
for $5 diodes?
I get it ... federal holiday midweek has everyone a little off but 6 pages?
look who's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
OP ... this is exactly as stupid as slamming $30 discreet op amps into tube screamers because the tin ears around here can't tell the difference between a schottky 1n60 and a germanium 1n60 and they're certainly not going to hear $5 per diode differences. just stahp ... like don't even reply stahp. only then can the healing begin.
for $5 diodes?
I get it ... federal holiday midweek has everyone a little off but 6 pages?
look who's milkshake brings all the boys to the yard
OP ... this is exactly as stupid as slamming $30 discreet op amps into tube screamers because the tin ears around here can't tell the difference between a schottky 1n60 and a germanium 1n60 and they're certainly not going to hear $5 per diode differences. just stahp ... like don't even reply stahp. only then can the healing begin.
Hey man, thumbs up on the second part of your comment. I don't disagree. But people do like the sound, feel, or quirky operation of some of these parts, I hope you can agree with that.
Fun fact: Bumblebees... some are oil filled and fail often. Some are metal film and last forever.. you can tell by looking at the ends...
First comment, is harsh, but will answer.. Pedals.. no. I have built and participated in building analog compressers that use both tube and germanium designs. Building analog compression and clipping circuits is highly relevant background for discussion on here.. hypocritical or hyperbolic maybe? Dumbass? no. .. even if I am ignorant of some facets and you guys may know 100x me on the subject... trying not to have an ego here.. Tell me to google if you want, and I will.
I don't mean to challenge anyones build decisions.. but I would like to better understand why there would be closed minds.
I know it's not just money.
Harry Klippton
Well-known member
Cabintech didn't call anyone's component choice boring either though
andrewsrea
Member
My motto is, 'If it sounds good - it is good.'
Sometimes cheap sounds better, depending on what you are trying to accomplish with components. IMHO, diodes for clipping have pretty much two variables to consider in design: forward voltage and forward voltage amperage curve, and I feel sometimes people suffer the placebo effect with these very simple circuits.
I bought a bunch of 0A2 Russian germanium diodes for about 20 cents each, and they have resulted is some fantastic tones. If the expensive diodes really make a difference for you, then that is awesome. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
Sometimes cheap sounds better, depending on what you are trying to accomplish with components. IMHO, diodes for clipping have pretty much two variables to consider in design: forward voltage and forward voltage amperage curve, and I feel sometimes people suffer the placebo effect with these very simple circuits.
I bought a bunch of 0A2 Russian germanium diodes for about 20 cents each, and they have resulted is some fantastic tones. If the expensive diodes really make a difference for you, then that is awesome. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
PedalBuilder
Well-known member
Yeah, there's a big difference between what Cabintech did and this goat rodeo. Cabintech offered a cheap and easily obtained product as a replacement for an expensive and difficult to obtain product. This guy showed up offered a much more expensive product as a replacement for a cheap and easily obtained product. One had a solution to a problem, the other had a solution in search of a problem.
Cabintech's outreach was framed in the context of wanting to address their "customers’ frustration at the ridiculously high price and short supply of MN3011 BBD chips." This guy's outreach was in the form of insulting everyone here for not using his "better" diodes (even though he doesn't understand what they do and can't explain why they're better for a pedal), and baselessly asserting that we're using fake germanium diodes from Amazon.
Cabintech engaged at a technical level about their offering. This guy resorted to snake oil salesman stuff like "this diode was made for aerospace" and "you have to admit that nickel silver is expensive, so therefore it's a more better diode."
Unsurprisingly, Cabintech received an enthusiastic welcome, and this guy was treated the way that a magic diode salesman deserves to be treated.
Aentons
Well-known member
Hmm, I'm not really sure why that would matter since they all kinda do look similar. I get the bedside manner thing.
And to that end. Mission accomplished. I did meet a couple of nice hobbyists on here that want to try these. That's all I was really after. ...like you said originally. And, thank you. I will say the attacks on character and snake oil talk have been upsetting.. but I guess that goes with the territory.
I responded with the boring comment when people laid the $5 diode thing on me. I apologized for the offense.
I say you guys are hiding behind the security of what works, and might be afraid to try something new / funky / better, what-have-you. this is human nature and maybe you have 8000 1N34 already in your closet. Again.. that's fine by me.. you guys have been very consistent in saying those work great. Maybe these do too.
Do we know if we don't try?
It's not fine to denigrate a device you've never tried. No matter how many Pedals you have built.
If somebody wants to question the specs.. or the leakage.. In fact I am before sending some out.
I am TOTALLY willing to check things..
If someone choses the same diode as the next 1000th person, because that is what is sold on ebay... and that is what a pedal build used... . I don't think that qualifies as breaking new ground, hence the "boring comment" does that like, make any sense?
I am happy to talk techincal stuff on here. I would not have dared to comment without the spec sheet to prove these were possibly usable in pedals (which so far no one has said, whew!! ).
These will obviously have different behavior in circuit... or maybe they won't.. sounds like either will be an OK outcome.
Frankly, my biggest concern is that they may not work at all. If so, that's life.
C'mon guys, does this sound like Snake Oil?
That seems like very loose use of that label.
Do you want to see the car I drive? I bet it's older and more worn out than most on here.
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owlexifry
Well-known member
golly gosh 6 or 7? alright
with that many i might even be able to try them in a suhr riot build i’ve just started
