Colorsound wah Transistors

[Anonymous]

I know this is not a Guitar PCB board but just bought this on Ebay,can anyone help with what transisters to use?

[Barry]

I have no idea. I would try and Google for a schematic and see if you can find one that matches your layout.

[Billy]

The original used BC209C, BC183 or BC184 transistors

The more modern 2N5088 will do the job

[Brent]

Yep the originals are as Billy listed above.  All of them are obsolete stock now and are relatively pricy if you can find ones that are for sure not fakes.  Small Bear Electronics has all of the above mentioned transistors.  Their stock is legit and prices aren’t too bad.

But most importantly you are basically looking for a mid to highish gain silicon NPN transistor!  There are literally tons of options and all will have slightly different characters to them.  I will also note that NPN is the main characteristic of the transistor you are looking for.  Germanium NPN transistors would likely work straight away in that board and will give you a much different sonic texture.  Just be sure to use transistors that have been tested to have low leakage! (this is very important for germanium NPN, as they are notorious for being very very leaky).

My recommendation would be for the BC183 as they are pretty readily available for a reasonable cost, if you want the “vintage mojo”, but the 2N5088 is super cheap and well for sure work for you!  Also be sure you confirm the pin out of the transistor before you solder anything up lol,  most are the same unless its one of the millions of transistors that arn’t 🙁

 

[Barry]

I do sell genuine BC183 in my Shop for far less than anyone else apparently.

BC183 also have very low Gain compared to others and a unique lead orientation as well so you have to be certain that your PCB is designed to match it or vice versa. Ideally you should have a schematic for your PCB to be certain. You can also bend the leads if you know the orientation on the PCB.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help guys.

[Author]

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