Please educate me on Sovtek amps...

[outtahear]

. appeared to be point to point inside, but i never had to lift the board, and it looked like a pain in the ass in that small of a chassis.

 

Point-to-point doesn't have a circuit board.

Sovteks do.

Why, here's a MIG-50!

 

[Electric Catfish]

Point-to-point doesn't have a circuit board. Sovteks do. Why, here's a MIG-50!

 

Point to Point can have a circuit board, just not a printed circuit board.

 

Unless, of course, you're the kind of strict purist that refuses to call tagboard construction "point to point." IOW, tagboard construction isn't technically point to point, but it's generally referred to as such.

 

I honestly can't tell enough about that circuit board in the pic to tell if it's a pcb, or not. The other side of it would tell the story, I guess, but I'm thinking it is a pcb.

[Procreatur]

Point-to-point doesn't have a circuit board. Sovteks do. Why, here's a MIG-50!

 

like i said, i never picked the board up to check, hence the appeared to be...

 

[outtahear]

Point to Point can have a circuit board, just not a printed circuit board. Unless, of course, you're the kind of strict purist that refuses to call tagboard construction "point to point." IOW, tagboard construction isn't technically point to point, but it's generally referred to as such.

 

Uh, no NOT purist

Either point-to-point, or it isn't.

 

This IS point to point:

Calling (any) boards w/flying boards w/leads point to point is incorrect.

Saying it isn't perpetuates (yet, more) incorrect info that, unfortunately has become hallmark on this site.

Please stop it.

[Electric Catfish]

Uh, no NOT purist Either point-to-point, or it isn't. This IS point to point: Calling (any) boards w/flying boards w/leads point to point is incorrect. Saying it isn't perpetuates (yet, more) incorrect info that, unfortunately has become hallmark on this site. Please stop it.

 

Actually, that is the purist view. That's fine, btw, but tagboard construction is still generally called "point to point".

 

But, yes, I'm aware of what true PTP construction is. Thanks, though.

[Brian Krashpad]

There was a version of the mig50 that was high gain, the mig50h. I dont recall there ever being a mig60h, but that doesnt mean it doesnt exist. Like the mig30, it might have been one of the rare ones?

 

Fwiw, I have a Mig 50H. It's a totally different amp than the 50, except for the watt rating. As others have noted, the 50 is loosely in Bassman territory, and is a non-mastered amp. The Mig 50H (also called the "Tube Midget") is a compact-sized amp with a master volume and more like a mastered Marshall. The Tube Midget has a low-gain and a high-gain channel, but is not switchable.

 

Here's a stock model shot of the Mig 50H:

 

 

I haven't experienced any transformer probs. One potentially recurring problem is that on some Sovtek models they use plastic input jack rings that sometimes crack (one on mine did) and sometimes the toggles for the on/off and standby switches are plastic (not on mine) and can break if you're too rough.

 

That said, I once knocked my Tube Midget off a 3-foot high Kustom cab onto a hard linoleum tile floor, and the bastard still worked perfectly. Only damage was a screw that popped out of a corner protector.

[benzem]

I have a 50h midget like above. Great little amp. sounds like bassman on clean input, and jcm in high input. Small tank. Unfotunately, you can't switch amp OR, OR toggle betweenthe two inputs without mods. I bring mine as a backup as it's perfect for this, loud small all tube but it would be a fine main amp with a box or two or a multi fx. Loudest 50 watter you have ever heard as it's bone simple style and no loops to rob volume. It does have a line out so you could run it to another amp with fx.

[uninterested]

everything has been covered really well here.

 

i love my sovtek and would highly recommend these amps to anybody interested in them. the only recommendation i can add is that if you buy one with the plastic input jacks have them replaced ASAP with higher quality ones, otherwise it's good to go for years of abuse.

[lowbrow]

I have a MIG 50. More-or-less copy of a `59 Bassman (which also makes it a copy of the nonmaster JTM45 Marshall).

 

It runs two 5581s in the power section, and runs them hot.

 

To get crunch, even with both channels jumpered, takes a insane amount of volume...but it sounds fabulous when you do.

 

I modded mine with a PPIMV and really love it.

[Wyatt]

Well, Sovtek is a New Sensor company. When Mike Matthews folded up Electro Harmonic in the '80's, he got into vacuum tubes. Many here may not have been playing enough to know in the early '90's, vacuum tubes were getting scarce. There were no 6L6GC's being made...period. There were no 6V6GT's being made...period. The *only EL34 being made was Tesla (would become JJ went privatized) which was under embargo because of the Yugoslovian civil war (and then the factory was bombed), so it was unattainable. The Chinese were offering a weak 6L6G/GB and some preamp tubes. Now, at this time NOS tubes were a dime a dozen, but manufacturers couldn't rely on that, so Mike Matthews found a Russian military tube that matched the old 5881 on paper (but not tone) and began marketing that. Ever wonder why almost every Marshall, Fender or other company's amps form the early '90's only used 5881's? It was the only game in town.

 

Now, Matthew built a whole empire around this, first releasing Sovtek versions of his Big muff Pi and Small Stone and then a series of Russian-made amps.

 

The original Sovtek Mig 50 is a Tony Bruno (of Bruno Amps) designed amp. It's mostly a clone of the Fender Tweed Bassman/Marshall JTM-45 with Tone Stack values that fall almost exactly half way between the two amps; and it has a SS rectifier (instead of the vintage amps tube rectifier). These are the amps that had the output transformer issues. The OT was undersized. Now, this may have been by design (undersized OT have a more dynamic overdrive) or cost-cutting, I don't know, but they had to move up to a larger OT after lots of warranty repairs. This amp is PCB with flying leads so the pots and switches were chassis-mounted, not PCB mounted.

 

The rest of the amps weren't designed by Bruno.

 

The Mig-60 is a mid-gain master volume amp with a more Marshall Tone Stack.

 

The rest were the 100H, 50H and Midget 50H high gain amps. Not popular and considered buzzy when originally sold, these have found a cult following (but still aren't to my tastes). The pots and switches on these were PCB mounted on most models and proven problematic and damage prone.

 

Many of these amps were very unreliable. Many went in and out of shops and as soon as one problem was fixed, something else would act up. This seems to be more a problem with quality control than design, some worked great, some never ran right. These days, I can only assume most of the problem ones are in landfills.

[elsupermanny14]

 

I think the fact that it's a head is enough for most people to discern that it's a head.

 

 

That's a really funny way to put it!

 

So what kind of speaker cabs do you guys run your Sovtek heads out off? If they are very JCM800ish would they sound amazing through some Greenbacks? If they're so good why are they so cheap? They go for a lot less then a used JCM900 and from what I've read on here it seems to be a better head then a JCM900.

[JoJo68]

I thought the same thing too... That's a really funny way to put it! So what kind of speaker cabs do you guys run your Sovtek heads out off? If they are very JCM800ish would they sound amazing through some Greenbacks? If they're so good why are they so cheap? They go for a lot less then a used JCM900 and from what I've read on here it seems to be a better head then a JCM900.

I've run mine through my peavy 2 x 12's ( which has celestion gk85's in it) and my Orange 4 x 12 with V30's sounds great in both. I had a JCM 900, doesn't sound anything like the high gain/900. As some have mentioned it's more of a fuzzy gain than a marshall. It's closer ( but still different ) to a JCM 800. I don't know why they are so cheap. I bought mine on CL for $250 a few months back, but I've seen them going for upwards of $700 lately on ebay. Very popular in the stoner/doom rock genre.

 

[elsupermanny14]

 

Well, Sovtek is a New Sensor company. When Mike Matthews folded up Electro Harmonic in the '80's, he got into vacuum tubes. Many here may not have been playing enough to know in the early '90's, vacuum tubes were getting scarce. There were no 6L6GC's being made...period. There were no 6V6GT's being made...period. The *only EL34 being made was Tesla (would become JJ went privatized) which was under embargo because of the Yugoslovian civil war (and then the factory was bombed), so it was unattainable. The Chinese were offering a weak 6L6G/GB and some preamp tubes. Now, at this time NOS tubes were a dime a dozen, but manufacturers couldn't rely on that, so Mike Matthews found a Russian military tube that matched the old 5881 on paper (but not tone) and began marketing that. Ever wonder why almost every Marshall, Fender or other company's amps form the early '90's only used 5881's? It was the only game in town. Now, Matthew built a whole empire around this, first releasing Sovtek versions of his Big muff Pi and Small Stone and then a series of Russian-made amps. The original Sovtek Mig 50 is a Tony Bruno (of Bruno Amps) designed amp. It's mostly a clone of the Fender Tweed Bassman/Marshall JTM-45 with Tone Stack values that fall almost exactly half way between the two amps; and it has a SS rectifier (instead of the vintage amps tube rectifier). These are the amps that had the output transformer issues. The OT was undersized. Now, this may have been by design (undersized OT have a more dynamic overdrive) or cost-cutting, I don't know, but they had to move up to a larger OT after lots of warranty repairs. This amp is PCB with flying leads so the pots and switches were chassis-mounted, not PCB mounted. The rest of the amps weren't designed by Bruno. The Mig-60 is a mid-gain master volume amp with a more Marshall Tone Stack. The rest were the 100H, 50H and Midget 50H high gain amps. Not popular and considered buzzy when originally sold, these have found a cult following (but still aren't to my tastes). The pots and switches on these were PCB mounted on most models and proven problematic and damage prone. Many of these amps were very unreliable. Many went in and out of shops and as soon as one problem was fixed, something else would act up. This seems to be more a problem with quality control than design, some worked great, some never ran right. These days, I can only assume most of the problem ones are in landfills.

 

 

Wow you definitely know your Sovtek history well. Thanks for all the insight!

[Fatcat]

Also FYI, New Sensor in Brooklyn had all the NOS parts for these amps. Right before I sold my Mig 50, I had it repotted and retubed. They charged me hardly nothing for the job and it sounded great when it was done. I didnt even have to ship it! I drove it out there and picked it up when it was done. Keep that in mind if you pick one up.

[Brian Krashpad]

So what kind of speaker cabs do you guys run your Sovtek heads out off? If they are very JCM800ish would they sound amazing through some Greenbacks? If they're so good why are they so cheap? They go for a lot less then a used JCM900 and from what I've read on here it seems to be a better head then a JCM900.

 

I've used my Sovtek Mig 50H with a couple different cabs. Most often a Risson 4x12 (from a US company out of Cali in the 80's, with a couple of stock Celestion-made 12's and a couple replacement speakers) (see stage left, our right):

 

 

I've also used it with great results with my 1960's Kustom 100 1x15 cab:

 

[matterday]

Contrary to popular belief, there does exist a Mig30. I've seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. It was the only one I've ever seen anywhere.

[Wyatt]

 

Wow you definitely know your Sovtek history well. Thanks for all the insight!

 

 

Yeah, but I don't know how to proof read.

[Wyatt]

 

Contrary to popular belief, there does exist a Mig30. I've seen it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. It was the only one I've ever seen anywhere.

 

 

There was also at least one Bass amp.

[book_of_lies777]

 

I think the fact that it's a head is enough for most people to discern that it's a head.

 

 

 

eat a dick, smartass

[lowbrow]

eat a dick, smartass

 

[Procreatur]

 

There was also at least one Bass amp.

 

 

there were two, at 50 and 100 watts.

[Electric Catfish]

eat a dick, smartass

 

Beats being the other kind.

[eyeball987]

 

http://www.astring.com/sovamps.html

 

 

That is the guy that I bought mine from and that Mig 60 is actually the amp that I had. He was a dealer for Sovtek and EH along with being a very talented tech and violin maker. He was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and is out of the business, from what I know anyway.

 

He had all kinds of cool natural wood finish EH cabs that sounded sweet and other assorted goodies. I also bought the 50H natural finish wood combo from him. Great guy with solid talent. I wish him the best.