Marshall BC184 Transistors

[Barnsley Boy]

Hi All,

I need to get hold of some BC184's for my Bass 12. The schematic just says BC184, the components are also labelled the same. Can anyone tell me what the difference is between a straight 184, 184B, 184C, 184LC .... and any other letter?

Thanks.

[Tassieviking]

BC184, 184B, 184C are nearly the same but their Hfe values are different.
Hfe is basically the gain factor of the transistor, you want to put in what you take out.

BC184LC has the legs in a different configuration so if you put one in the same as a BC184 is in there it will not work.
BC184 has the legs CBE and the BC184LC has the legs ECB.

You should really get the closest matching BC184 you can get for TR1 and TR2,
I used some 2N3094 transistors when I made some Marshall 12w amps.

You can still get the BC184 if you shop around, but I would stay away from Ebay and any Chinese sellers just because there are a lot of fakes around.

If you are in the USA you can try Tubes and More.
https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/transistor-bc184-general-purpose-92-case-npn

I have one original schematic, but there are several versions made so numbers might not match.

[Barnsley Boy]

Cheers Mick,

I'll continue the hunt for some genuine 184's. (I'll use your squared paper idea off the Marshall Forum!! Yep it's that damn Bass 12 again!)

Paul.

[Tassieviking]

These might have them,

https://www.esr.co.uk/components/transistors.htm

I think the BC337 would be ok as well