Description
2SB171 and 2SB175 Germanium transistors
We have some really cool 1960s Japanese 2SB transistors that we are using for our germanium Sunfaces. These are a little brighter and fuzzier than the NKTs. They are usually made by Hitachi, Toshiba, or Matsushita. I remember buying dead Japanese Acetone organs back in the early 1990s to get 2SB175 transistors for making Fuzzfaces when a friend told me how great they sounded. The 2SB is a little darker and woolier than the TI/UK. Some of these that measure at low gain are great in our low gain germanium option, to duplicate the sound and great cleanup of the white dot NKT275. We have two models of the 2SB, the 2SB171 which is lower gain and the 2SB175 which is higher gain. Both sound great, smoother than the other germaniums, not as much edge.
These 2SB transistors were often used in the Japanese CRAZY FACE fuzz pedals sold at Sears in the early 1970s, small black round Fuzz Face clones. They usually sounded bad because they were not biased correctly. By changing a few resistor values they can be tuned to sound excellent.