My bike was the other way around. Classic "dragster" frame ala Schwinn, 20" rear wheel and a 26" front wheel. Made it out of parts over a few months and rode it everywhere. Sprayed it matt black, it had a low rise sissy bar and handlebars - never cared for ape-hangers.
Now all these years later I have a Triumph Bonneville in matt black and M-bars. Some things never change!
And for what it's worth I've used BC550Cs and BC549Cs as subs for each other and never really noticed any difference. Same with 2N5088s and 2N5089s. I bought stacks of the BCs from Mouser - they may still have them.
BC550 & 549 are both selected for low-noise, so you won't notice a difference, especially with a guitar pedal. Where you are more likely to notice a difference is between A/B/C hFE (gain) classification, and it would only affect circuits that rely on that particular gain range.
In general, BC546/547/548/549/550 are all interchangeable as long as the A/B/C gain bin is the same. The exceptions would be:
- High voltage (>30V Collector to Emitter) - BC546 up to 65V, or BC547/550 up to 45V
- Need lowest noise - BC550 is lowest noise, BC549 second lowest (all others higher)
This kind of question gets easier to answer once you know what to look for. The
datasheet is the place to go, and looks a bit intimidating, but actually isn't that bad. I usually look for the differences between different part numbers or A/B/C ratings.
The max voltage rating can be found in the Absolute Maximum Ratings table (Vceo = voltage between Collector & Emitter pins):
Info on in-circuit voltages, noise performance, gain bandwidth and hFE (gain) is in the Electrical Characteristics table (hFE is directly below this):
Usually if BJT transistors are on the same datasheet (same series), they are "binned" components, meaning they are the same components that have been tested after manufacturing to select the best performing parts. Binned BJTs are often sorted for things like hFE, voltage ratings, & noise performance.
