War Scythe transistors

rwl

Active member
So I've had a War Scythe PCB sitting in my to-build pile for a while now, taunting me, as I bang my head against the wall figuring out the transistors.

I have a few questions, details below:

1. Could I just swap the 2N1308 for MPSA13, but keep the rest of the build un-Clefted? Or does the change need to happen as part of the rest of the Cleft mod substitutions among transistors, diodes, and capacitors?
2. Any suggestions for how to approach the AC176, which is hard to source? From all the threads I've seen, it sounds like I need a "high leakage NPN GE transistor," but I haven't really used GE transistors. I can buy an AC176 from Czechia for $12 shipped, apparently with the ability to specify hFE, but not leakage. I'm also not sure what leakage would sound best, having not really used NPN GE transistors, so ideally I'd be able to experiment. I think I saw @Chuck D. Bones recommend MP38 transistors, but I think that was a substitute for 2N1308, not AC176 (I suppose as an alternative to MPSA13). I'm OK acquiring $30-$50 worth of transistors from EBay to test, which could be used on a variety of builds in the future. But I'm not familiar with all the different MP## transistors, and the prices on ebay vary a lot for different kinds... from $.50 per transistor, to $2.50 (or $12 I suppose as the price for a single AC176). For example, should I only look at MP38, or maybe also MP38A, MP11, MP10B, etc?


Thanks!
 
1. Could I just swap the 2N1308 for MPSA13, but keep the rest of the build un-Clefted?
Yes, you could.

Socket the Transistors, D1&D2, and C6 — then you can try all sorts of combinations and see what you like best.


I can buy an AC176 from Czechia for $12 shipped
That seems awfully expensive for one transistor, even if it includes shipping.

This eeKbay seller has 20 AC176 units for $5: https://www.ebay.com/p/1601786067
(No affiliation with the seller and you'd want to check the seller's ratings.)


For example, should I only look at MP38, or maybe also MP38A, MP11, MP10B, etc?
YES also look at MP38A, MP11 MP10B etc.

I'd look at some other people's build reports, (NOT just WarScythe, but) any circuits spec'ing/or with AC176 and/or 2N1308 or MSA13 for that matter and see what other people have used as substitutions. See what sort of other JAMs people are building with Ge, such as the Muffin Factory.

For example, Eh là bas ma got BC107A in his kit from MusikDing:

Experiment with whatever you've got on hand.



#13 Cybercow's updated transistor-sub cheat-sheet
 
Wow, thanks so much for the thorough reply! The transistor sub cheat sheet is great - saving that for later. I ended up ordering a few different kinds of NPN germanium transistors on Ebay (MP11, MP37B, MP38, MP38A), I'll see how they work in a few weeks...

This eeKbay seller has 20 AC176 units for $5: https://www.ebay.com/p/1601786067
There's something weird about the listing - I had actually been looking at this one. When I click for details or put it in my cart it switches from 20 transistors to 1. It's $5 with 7$ shipping, which is how I got to $12 for a single transistor.

I bought 1 AC176 transistor for $3 from another seller, and combined shipping with some lots of other transistors.
 
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