Review: Chandler Germanium Mic Preamp/DI

Most electric guitarists know that the warm, classic fuzz tone of early stomp boxes – á la the Fuzz Face or the Maestro Fuzz-Tone – came from the germanium transistors that were used in their circuit designs. Chandler Audio, already well known for its retro EMI/TG series – inspired recreations from the classic Beatles’ Abbey Rd era – has now built a Class A, transformer-coupled microphone preamp/DI using germanium transistors. Designed by Wade Goeke, the Chandler Germanium is not a reissue but a new design that takes full advantage of the properties of this fabled semiconductor device… one wonders if Sir George and the ‘Fab Four’ would have liked this box.

Germanium is a semiconductor that in its pure state is crystalline and brittle (unlike its sound) and was used extensively for transistor manufacture in the early ’50s due to its cost effective, lower purity requirements. Germanium transistor circuit designs were at the heart of the EMI/TG12345MK1, Neve 1053, 1055, 1057 modules and were used in Fairchild and Telefunken devices also. The shift towards silicon (which has better electrical characteristics but requires a higher purity level) was made possible by improved and cheaper purification processing, and by the start of the ’60s, silicon became the semiconductor of choice. Due to their small energy band gap, germanium semiconductors are very sensitive to infrared light and are still commonly used today in spectroscopes, specialist optical equipment, and of course, the Chandler preamps.

The Chandler Germanium is not an optical device, although it does have an interesting appearance! With blue and yellow livery, EMI/TG-style knobs and an LED meter, the unit looks more contemporary than its grey-skinned TG reissue brethren. Straight out of the box, the unit feels substantial and looks well made. A separate power supply (that will power two Chandler devices), complete with a signal earth link point, underpins the unit’s pro studio credentials. The front panel instrument input is a 100kΩ ¼-inch socket, selectable via a toggle switch. Grouped together are the gain control (which is used in conjunction with the feedback control), a +48V phantom power switch, a pad, a ‘Thick’ switch, a phase (polarity inversion) switch and the aforementioned Feedback control. Lastly, there’s a Range switch for the discrete LED meter, which has an effective range of –12 to +20dB. On the rear of the unit are XLR I/O connectors and the four-pin XLR power connector. Interestingly, none of these connectors are labelled, but I suppose it’s pretty obvious what’s what!

GERMANIUM WARFARE

I tested the preamp/DI with a variety of microphones and guitars, beginning with a bass guitar. In this capacity the Chandler is excellent, with a round, fat bass tone more like that of a valve unit than a solid state one. By experimenting with combinations of the gain and feedback controls and the ‘Thick’ switch, I heard a variety of bass tones that might have made Sir Paul smile. I found that by padding down the signal and cranking up the gain and feedback controls you can get plenty of harmonic distortion at a usable output level. This is a key point to the operation of the device as there is no output control as such, and juggling these controls to get the desired tone and output level combination is the way to go. When I tried my Les Paul I was less enthusiastic. There was still ‘warmth’ in the lower tones and the cleaner settings were usable, but a decent distorted or fuzz tone was nowhere to be heard. But the unit is not, in all fairness, a guitar preamp as such, and could not be expected to behave like one.

As a microphone preamp, the Chandler has plenty of character and, depending on your expectations, this is either a good or bad thing. I can best describe the overall character as a slightly compressed, thick sound. Again, depending on the combination of the pad, gain and feedback controls you’re using, the sounds range from clean to distorted, but are always imbued with a bottom end thickness that can be exaggerated using the… yes, you guessed it, ‘Thick’ switch. ‘Pristine’, ‘accurate’ and ‘low noise’, are not descriptions that spring to mind. ‘Unique character’, ‘warmth’, ‘depth of bass’ and ‘usable distortion’ are better descriptors of what this unit is all about. On a particularly curious note – and I don’t know if this is a design feature or fault – but on the review unit, operation of the phase switch altered the sound output in a perceptable manner – most unusual!

WHILE YOUR GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

As I asked at the outset – would the lads from Liverpool have liked the Chandler? I think Sir Paul would have definitely said yes; Saints John and George would not have likely DI’ed their guitars anyway, but would probably have liked the distorted vocal potential; Mr. Starr may have enjoyed his characteristic singing style through a ‘characterful’ preamp; and Sir George may already have one – we can but muse.

If you’re looking for a device that is a great bass DI, has a unique character as a microphone preamplifier and can afford the asking price, then I’m sure you will like the Chandler Germanium too.