Fuzzrite

The Germanium Fuzzrite is the fuzz that comes to mind when I envision Italian soundtracks or funky soul solos. It is also the In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida fuzz. It's brash and tight at one end of its tonal spectrum. At the other end it is almost not fuzzy at all but bassy and muddy.

My Germanium Fuzzrite Build

The top left control blends between output from the first transistor (dark and less distorted) and the output section through a tiny capacitor (bright buzzsaw). Somewhere in between is great for single note lines. It's perfect for nailing those "I'm pretending to be a brass instrument" tones of the sixties.

I socketed the transistors and capacitors for experimentation and left out the external power input and LED for a true vintage experience. 

The second control is output volume. There is no gain control. It does clean up when the guitar volume is rolled back. However, the resulting tones are very bright and low fi. Here is a down and dirty demo with a LP Jr Special through a modded Valve Junior.

To sum up, this pedal lacks versatility but it nails some great, bright 60s tones.  Here it is in action at Club Congress in Tucson standing in for a sax solo in a Nina Simone cover (1:32).