the Filthy 9 fuzz

[Cortexturizer]

I am from Serbia [Europe] and I got those in a local store. I don't really think that it matters that much, what I do think is that with this particular build [not with the circuit in general because I have used 2n5089s and BC550c which are 4 times the hfe than 192s] those transistors worked the best. They were in the 220-250 kinda gain range. Everything past that was too much and fizzy even with pre-gain on zero.
If you can get bc184s I would try those as well.
What would be very cool to try, is 4 NPN Ge trannies with this. I have 5-6 or six of them, selected ones, they range from 82 to 350 hfe, so I guess with a little bit of hassle it is possible to find a quad with 200ish hfe. If I ever build a circuit like this again that's what I'm gonna try.

[pryde]

I think 2n3904's are in the ~200 hfe range. they are readily available and might be a good option to try. I still plan to build up a pharaoh soon when I get a chance.

[Cortexturizer]

Yeah those are probably in the ballpark. It's strange, the original Black Arts pedal uses MPSA18 as Q1 and all the others are 2n5089, MPSA18 has a gain to a 1000, and those 2n5089 are in 700-800 range.
One would think that using 4 times less hfe would produce a wimpy and weak fuzz [I know that hfe does not equal gain but still] but you have heard the sound sample, it has tons of gain on tap.

It's not just the Q2,3,4 that I substituted for lower gain trannies, it's the Q1 as well. Actually, the biggest change for the better with this particular build of mine, came when I ditched that MPSA and put a nice, behaving, 192 in there