The best replacement for germanium is silicon.

The best alternatives to germanium are rated as following:
★★★★★  silicon
★★★★  silicon fuzz
★★★  silicon diodes
★★  silicon transistor
★★  silicon transistors
★★  silicon fuzz pedal
★  schottky
★  geranium
★  distressor
★  silicon fuzz face
  silicon diode
  little devil
  zener diode
  silicon transistors fuzz

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Speaking about germanium, one probably shouldn't forget about silicon.

Other search terms related to germanium and their ratings are:
★★★★★ silicon
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Google Trends

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silicon
silicon fuzz