Sovtek Mig 50

Not sure of the exact year, but I think this is a mid-late model. I got this on craigslist after searching for a good deal on one for a couple months.

This is a very minimalistic, bare-bones amp, and I love it for that. The mig 50 pushes 50w using 3 12ax7 preamp tubes and 2 6L6 tubes in the power amp. It is a pretty loud 50w, I have played small-medium size gigs with it without having to turn it has 4. Amp has two channels (rhythm and lead), volumes for each, TMB stack and presence knob.

I got this amp because I have been looking for a nice raw plexi/bassman type tone, and after a lot of research I decided this amp would fit my needs perfectly.

I use this amp with a '72 Fender Telecaster Deluxe reissue (mainly), but have also played it with my '83 Gibson Sonex 180 Deluxe and a '64 Kent Videocaster. I play punk/indie/classic rock and get distortion using 2 homemade pedals. One is a modded germanium fuzz face, and the other is a modded MXR distortion +. I also use a crybaby wah. I plug into both channels using the Y-cable setup (sounds best this way). I'm running it into a 2x12 Avatar cab (vert. style) with 1 Eminence GB128 and 1 Eminence V12.

When I first bought the amp, the mid control pot was busted, the rest were scratchy, and only a few seemed to actually do anything to the EQ. I replaced all of them with off-board alpha pots (stock values) and high quality wire. The EQ is now much more responsive. Typically I set the bass to 3-4, roll back on the mids 2, treble at 7, presence at 8ish (though it is very hard to hear the presence impact the tone.

This amp needs to be played pretty loud to sound good, but sounds awesome! At band practice I usually run channel 1 at 3.5 and channel 2 a little higher at 4. This is a bassy amp, and I like a lot of bass, but I still find it necessary to roll back on it. The first channel is much bassier, and the 2nd channel is has more treble and breaks up a little sooner. They both seem to break up even sooner with the y cable.

The amp stays very clean until you turn it to 1 or 2 oclock where you get that natural tube breakup/distortion/compression. Depending on your action, you can get it to start breaking up around 10-11 o'clock. Many people compare this to a Marshall JCM800, but it is definitely very clean, moreso than a plexi, too. The 6L6's give it a Fender feel, much closer to a hot rodded bassman, but still very unique. Cleans can get fenderish and chimey, and when it starts to break up it gets very gritty and raw. It also has a hint of some sort of full, natural echoey/reverb sound that I really love. Huge depth of tone were talking about here.

Around 1pm is this amps sweet spot, but it's typically a higher volume than I need to use, but the amount of crunch and breakup you get can be easily controlled with your volume knob and pick attack. You can really go from soft strumming to hard and go from clean to dirty very smoothly, and then kick on an overdrive and it sounds very natural. Still, at the volume I play at it stays very clean until I really dig in, then I get some good transition dirt.

This amp work really well for my style of music. With my setup I get really great clean and distorted tones for indie rock. It has a really superb warm clean tone that works well as a pedal platform.
I play stuff like fugazi, joy division, sonic youth, replacements, husker du, pavement, velvet underground and I've really had a good time sculpting my own unique sound with this amp and my homemade pedals.

I really like the tones I get from it with my tele- the gibson can be a bit bassy, I usually need to adjust the EQ when changing guitars. I should mention that your guitar's tone knobs will also greatly impact the sounds you can get. Your guitar's character really shines through. Before this amp I was a believer of the "tone knob always on 10" school of thought, but no longer.

It still has the Sovtek tubes in it (they sound pretty good), and I'm not sure how many hours are on them. I'm looking forward to getting it a nice new set of tubes and a rebias. I think with some EHX or JJ's this amp will easily be able to compete with boutique style amps that are going for $1000+. Some hotter, higher gain 12ax7s will probably sound really great, too.

If you compare this amp to all other amps, regardless of price, it is probably more like a 9. But, there's really nothing better for the money so it gets a 10.

I am the 3rd owner of the amp, and the guy I got it from has had it for the past 10 years. It has never given him any issues outside of those cheap broken pots.

I never gig with a backup probably because I am stupid, but I think this amp is built like a tank, and I feel comfortable relying on it.

Bring it to a good amp tech, or DIY. Those are about your only options

For $275 I couldn't ask for anything more. These amps are going for a lot more than that all the time, and for good reason. This amp delivers a killer unique tone that works for lots of different kinds of music (indie, punk, classic rock, blues, pop). It takes pedals really well, and stays quiet at high volumes. It's got the basic features you need to get a straight up clear, crisp tone.

If it were stolen or lost, I would probably try to find another one for a good deal like this, but I doubt I would be able to. I would maybe try to track down a cheap silverface bassman head. I was choosing between this amp, a fender bandmaster, silvertone 1484, and this amp's cousin the mig 60. I was on a budget and I needed power and some clean headroom, so this one was the best match for me. I'll be hanging onto this guy for a while.

I also own a Epiphone valve jr head that I play through an Orange PPC112 cab for practicing in my apartment (the Mig 50 is really loud and sounds sort of bland at low volumes, but is beautiful for live/band situations). These are both great affordable amps, but are pretty different.

I can't exactly remember what year my MIG 50 was built, but I believe it was the late 80's.
I felt compelled to comment on the amp now because there seems to be so much interest in tube amps, and even the values of the Sovteks are going up.
When I bought mine I was told it was designed to be directly comparable a JTM 45. Baloney! What it sounds like to me is a silverface era Super Reverb, of course without the benefit of reverb. It is very harsh. Someone said in an earlier review than anyone that compares this amp to a JCM 800 obviously never played a JCM 800. I totally agree. This amp has its own character and it would be up to the individual to decide if they like it. I decided I did not.
Plenty powerful, but the tube sockets are fragile and mine even arced.

Harsh. That is the only way I can think to describe it. Even my DS-1 and Tube Screamer pedals didn't hit it off with this amp. Like I said before......think post CBS silverface Fender amp with 45-50 watts output. I gave up on the amp within about three months and bought something else.

Tube sockets arced almost immediately, then eventually the rest of the guts started to shake loose. Add to that the ultra compact chassis tends to cook the innards like an oven. The only company I know of that ever managed to get that much stuff in a tiny cabinet was Mesa, and that is a major difference in component quality right there. A fan would have been a good idea.

A local tech fixed mine twice, the first time as a favor to the dealer, resoldering the loose caps was mine to pay for. I really don't know if Sovtek was in the loop or not.

This is year 46 for me on-stage. I'm a cover tune lead guitarist (primarily all sorts of loud music) and have been through a lot of gear. My reviews are an attempt to share what I have learned by way of my many mistakes, and conversely, by lucky strikes too. The MIG was a pointless exercise.
Again, if a sterile, harsh tube sound (which actually sounds like old-school solid state to me) is your cup-o-tea, or if you are a tube snob (someone who thinks tubes always produce a superior sound to solid state) then this amp may be for you, but find one cheap so you can unload it without losing your shirt, because the value of these is riding on the coattails of the new wave of popularity of better quality tube amps. I promise you, if you want the JCM 800 or 900 sound, or the Plexi vibe, or any of the other classic, warm tube sounds you dream of, save your allowance and go buy something you really deserve. I eventually ended up with a Mesa I played through for about seven years and I think I really got my money's worth, but it was pricey! It pays to be patient.
I got what I paid for when I bought my MIG for $250. My Line 6 Flextone III plus sounds much better.

Pretty much as basic as it gets. 50 watts, TMB stack with a volume for each input and a presence control. Everything you need to get a classic British sound, though.

Basically I bought this amp as I heard it was the poor man's Plexi. Does a pretty good job of the tone I anticipated; the bass is a bit much sometimes though. I play it mostly with a Les Paul Classic, though the Telecaster will be used on it for clean recordings.

This is an amp that begs to be played loud. Mine had the master volume mod installed before I bought it. I'm probably going to have it removed. It sounds classic and gritty; if you want a smooth sound, avoid this amp or throw a smoother sounding OD in front. You won't get a smooth sound plugging straight in, though. There are definitely some sweet spots on both volume controls. The EQ is next to useless; only the mid and bass controls seem to do anything.

There are several tricks you can do with this amp. One I favor is running an overdrive in front of an ABY. Then you can have one input mixed lower, one higher, and be able to overdrive them both or flat out run both inputs jumped together. Very sensitive to picking attack. There is a sweet spot where you can pick lightly for your cleans and strum hard for your dirty sounds. Its not even necessary to roll off on the volume. Just digging in affects your tone greatly with this amp.

I bought it for a few reasons. 1) As a tube backup. For the price, its hard to beat. 2) As a good doom/stoner rock sound. It fulfills both duties very well.

Not too worried about it; its worked fine as long as I've had it and it'll primarily be a backup anyway. I've had problems with the two fuse system before in British sounding amps so I'll always carry the fuses just in case. It'd be stupid not to anyway.

Good luck. Its so old I'll just take it to my local tech if there are problems.

Of the amps of this style that I've owned (Laney AOR, JCM800) this one holds up just fine. Very classic sound. Just plug in and go. You don't really need to use any of the tricks I do if you have the opportunity to play loud. That being said, I truly believe that the MV mod is not the way to get a better sound out of this. I think you'd be better off using an OD instead.

I compared it to the Laney AOR 50. I like the Mig better because it doesn't have all the push pull boosts. Its a little more straight forward.

For the money its a great find. Definitely try it before you buy it though. Some people will find the grit annoying. I like to turn it up to where its gritty, then back off a bit. Overall, worth the money. If stolen I'd look for a new one. It all comes down to bang for the buck.

Mine is circa 1994, as is the 2 x 12 Sovtek Speaker cab with Eminence Speakers (16 ohm). Two inputs (Russian words ala Low & High), Bass, Middle, Tone, Presence.
This is a follow-up review after owning it for about 3 months.

OK...after the Honeymoon was over...I learned that, with a good set of tubes with a rebias, and some elbow grease...this amp will have many guitar players stumped because its got it's own unique killer tone.
Yes...Tone is subjective...but do yourself a favor; If you find one for under $500 bucks, hand over the cash, walk away, and try not to bust out laughing, because the dude that sold it to you doesn't know how collectable or valuable this 50 Watt Beast is, due to it's unique...and very cool tone.
It's clean...it's dirty...it loves pedals (Zendrive,Fulltone). And that's all you can ask for in an amp. My Fender tech....a tone snob...finally admitted, that when this amp is set up right "it rocks". This from a guy who builds amps, is regarded as one of the top Fender BF repair guys in Nor-Cal, and techs for pro's!
I have a Dr.Z, '65 BF (original), Mesa Boogies, and this amp is in the same class.

Don't know when the amp was built, but it looks like cira late 1980's, early 1990's, from the research I've done. Very "Plain Jane": 2 Inputs (in Russian) that I believe translate to Rhythm and Lead, 2 Volume controls, 1 Treble, 1 Mid, 1 Bass and 1 Presence, Stand-by and Power. A single 4, 8, & 16 ohm speaker output.

50 LOUD watts, 5881 tubes with 12ax7 pre's, black tolex. The guy I bought this from was using for a Bass, and through a 2x10 cab. His band said the amp was too loud!!!

I use custom strat, tele and LP style guitars (MJ engineeering), as well as the real deals, with a Gretch 6120,a nd a Music Man Super Sport with MM-90's, for a full sound arsenal. The amp is surprisingly quiet using either channel on it's own, but together (in the recommended y-cable set-up), it's a little noisy at high gain settings

I'll tell you right now, while this amp is not the "cat's meow" but it's THE most under-rated amp on the market. For a few hunder bucks, it smokes amps in the $1000-$1500 price range. The clean is damn near Dr. Z-ish, and with y-cable set-up, you can gnarl ala Marshall, or clean up Fendery, with just the roll of your volume control. Also, you'll actually find the use of your guitars tone knob plays a huge role in the variations of sounds you can achieve.

Only owned for a month now, but the previous owners have taken great care of this thing. My amp tech, a Fender guru, was a little snobbish about this amp at first. But he stated, and I quote; "when the amp is set up right, it ROCKS"

Uhhhh...anyone speak Russian? Better have a good amp tech, and buy a case for her!

I'm an old gear hag, player and appreciator of music for the past 35 years. I set this amp up in my home studio, and tracked a great tone, with a Heil PR40, and it kicked butt! No..it doesn't have a reverb, but even through a Boss DD, it sounded really good.

If you find one of these for under $500, buy it. I found that they are increasing in value (even though I bought it for the unique sound), at more than double what I paid. If you can, get the Head, so you can match it up to speakers you like. I'm, using Mesa EVM's & EV SRO's, and the guy I bought it from is having remorse!

I live within 20 minutes of both Mesa and K & M, so I'm a bit spoiled amp wise...not that that matters.

It's pretty limited. There is no gain channel and no master volume.

Whoever compares this to a jcm 800 has probably never played a marshall in their entire life. It has a very bassy dirty growl but when played at low volumes it has a beautiful clean. The downside of this head is that it's stuck in one type of tone, dirty. Changing the settings really does little for it. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing. My favorite thing about this amp is that it is LOUD, like a good quality head should be. Playing a medium venue i'll usually have this cranked at 2 and it will over power the PA.

The thing is built like a tank. The knobs and switches are pretty crappy though because they are made out of plastic. You can trust that this amp will give you little problems though.

There is none haha.

Great amp if you know what kind of sound you are going for. It is pretty much is a very over driven amp, it's hard to avoid that. So it's great for sludgy rock, punk and just over all loud in your face music. If your trying to do something technical it's probably not the head for you.

Two inputs (high and low). Bass, mid treble, presence controls. No master volume. Simple controls aren't for everybody, but the Sovtek covers what I need, so it's good with me. Oh, and all tube - hooray!

Tubes are a wonderful thing, and this amp sounds really nice. I mostly use a Brian Moore guitar with dual humbuckers that coil tap, and use almost all the different options (neck, bridge, both, single coil, humbucker). It's a warm but not mushy sound, with decent headroom for cleans, and it takes pedals nice. I play alt rock / hard rock (Coheed & Cambria, Hum, King's X) and it works well for me. It has a plexi vibe to it, and it's a great little head!

Never had a problem, built like a tank!

No support.

OK, this amp is a really nice - it's well built and sounds excellent. Is it not as full featured as other amps, but it's a great little amp, especially for the money!

who needs knobs

radrad amp. easy too use. warm, bright, great jcm ish distortion. Paired with an orange 2 X 12 cab it sounds great (especially with a tele). At low volumes it can be hard to tune in great tone and distortion since it is a master volume amp and all...but theres an easy fix...THD hotplate or a good distortion pedal...pro co rat or jekyll and hyde are neato.

broke once....but i dropped it on some stairs so i'll chalk that up as my fault.

great...cheap

everyone else has outlined the features so i wont go into that - i DID get a morley a/b/y box to split / jump the channels and it does produce a better tone I ALSO noticed that if EVEN one of the two jacks was no signal I could slightly affect the tone especially at lower vol levels in a good way by tweeking it.

others here have said think JTM 45 / BASSMAN yea thats right FOR SURE i also managed to get a "super reverb" sound BUT that involved - a tube screamer followed by a ibanez compressor followed by a dan electro "reel tape" echo pedal and it took a while - also if you get one of these and are not happy with the tone - think about a speaker swap before you dismiss it. this thing loves my strat and also sounds very very very very good with my paf equipped tele.

dont know

local tech how good / cheap is he?

amps are like gems you have to polish it out - might need speaker swap / tubes? / totally recommend tube screamer in front - a compressor behind the tube screamer allows for more vol control lower levels for soundmen and the reel echo a big sweetener for me -
- i got this because of the reviews here - it was big fat warm and round right out of the box but lacked a little sweetness to my taste - i wasn't sure the tone was gonna be a sweet as i had hoped for - but after redoing my pedal board / speakers eminence texas heats 4x12 (i was chasing a more of the fender sound & took a few hours to break in the speakers)- it is NOW... ALL THAT ! bottom line EXCELLENT PLATFORM TO FIND YOUR SOUND WITH - fantastic value - this amp is worth more like $800 i paid $400 i wonder how long that will last - remember when you could get a SF FENDER TWIN for $400

3x12AX7, 2x5881, blendable normal/bright inputs, no preamp gain, no master volume, no reverb, no effects loop, no problem, no sh*t

For best results, use a Y-cable into both outputs with NO pedals (except a tuner if you must), into an 8 ohm 2 x 12 cab. It doesn't seem to like 4x12 cabs so much. Both volumes must be beyond the halfway mark.
Sadly, real world conditions, noise-level laws etc will rarely make it possible to use as above, but trust me it's worth holding onto for those rare, happy occasions when you can.

Ne'er a problem, gigged, recorded etc. I'm reasonably careful. Runs VERY hot. Give it time to cool down before transporting and don't chuck it about. Should be ok.

Funhouse. Powerage. Overkill. If any of those album titles mean anything to you, you will love this amp.
Saw two of them finish on Ebay recently for $269 & $370, respectively.
Still a bargain after all these years.

Easy to dial in.
I Y cord the 2 channels for some great tone.

First the bad. The pots suck & should all be replaced
on every Mig 50. Maybe the input jacks.
That's the only problem with these amps.
I've owned the Mig 50H & Mig 60.
I loved the Mig 50H & didn't like the Mig 60 as much.
The Mig 50 is a different animal. This Head is awesome
when you split the channels. Very much like a Plexi,
the Treble channel is too bright & the normal channel is too dark.
Together they rule!
There's also some killer harmonics that no other amp has.
I owned one of these a couple years ago & never split the channels.
My mistake!

My other Sovteks had some issues.
Like cutting out during shows & other fun
crap that used to happen.
I'd take them to my amp tech & they'd fire right
like nothing was wrong.
I'll deal with the problems because I dig the tone.

NONE!

I'm down to an SG Jr. & Les Paul Special w/P90's.
A Dr'Z 6545 & this Mig 50. My tone is second to none no matter
which amp I plug into. The Mig 50 isn't the clearest / transparent
amp on the planet, but it delivers a very unique killer tone.
I bought it to use as my backup amp. There's something about these
Sovtek heads that makes it happen for me. I recorded 2 CD's with my Mig 60 & Mig 50H (10 years ago). The tone wasn't "to die for", but it sat in the mix like no other. Sometimes I think it really doesn't matter what the hell I plug into as long as I believe in the Amp. These Russian Amps are great sounding.

Prices are going up!! They really do sound like a Plexi / Bassman.
There's a little Bandmaster in there also (a little).
They do have their own tone.

Buy a Y cable & let it happen

Mine is an early model with the misspelled "presense" control. You've already read multiple descriptions of the "features" of this amp. It has everything I could want...except reverb.

This amp sounds great at any volume but starts to be a lot more fun when you crank it up to anywhere past 1 o'clock. I've used it with all of my guitars and haven't had a bad experience. Finding the right speaker set-up (for me) was a bit of a challenge and after trying a few I settled on an open back 2x10 with Fender blue alnicos. I like it.

I don't use this amp as much anymore because of the Volume Police but I've been inside and even though its a combination of PC board and some wiring, the construction is good and repairs if necessary could be done by any good tech. I would and have taken it out many times without a backup.

I've had this amp for a long time. Some years back I had some problems with a couple of pots. At that time New Sensor was still servicing them. They went through the amp, fixed the problems and re-tubed it for $50.00 plus shipping. Too bad they're not still doing that.

I've been playing longer than I care to admit (I should be a lot better than I am). I own eight guitars and six amps. It is not likely that I will buy any more. The MIG50 is a great players amp. If you are a guitar, cord, amp, no pedals kinda person you can't go wrong with this amp and they can be had for a fraction of what you'll pay for a JTM or Bassman.

I bought the amp because I was looking for a new amp and saw this at a pretty good price. I had owned a Mig 60 before and it sounded great, just not my style, so I went with this. I like the sovteks because they're simple- volume treble mid bass and presence. The 4/8/16 ohm outputs were also a nice touch.

I play a telecaster through it and I use an open back Avatar cab with 1 vintage 30 and 1 g12h30. I used to have a 4x10 Marshall but being a fairly bassy amp, the cab farted out a lot. I play a lot of rock influenced music, like post rock, math rock, ect. It suits all my styles perectly. If I need more distortion, I just crank the amp. It is capable of clean sounds. It breaks up around 6 or 7 which is fairly loud. When the sound is down, it's just like a Bassman. People have said this is super loud, but I think it's about average for a 50 watt. It was definitly louder than my 50 watt Bassman though.
The first channel is darker and deep, with nice bass. The second channel is brighter, with much less bass.
I have not used any guitar besides my telecaster with van zandts. It get's pretty noisy with the bright channel, but I think that is more of a pickup thing.

I've owned it for about 6 months and haven't had a problem yet.

I mostly bought this because I was looking for a new amp and saw the sovtek at a great price. I am really impressed with it, it's a fantastic amp, and I'd have a hard time parting with it. If it were lost or stolen I might look into a bandmaster reverb or twin, I'd like the reverb and vibrato, but I am very content as it is.

Just a correction to my post(the last one). Amp is NOT PTP wired...it does use a cuircut board design....good workmanship!

Others have covered features! I like the simple layout of non-master vol amps...they got it right way back then. I find that the amps with all the bells and whistles just complicate things and often muck the sound up!
Sooo...this amp has what it needs to deliver! Old school players should love it. I give it a 10 (minus the versatile part) based on the fact that it's plug in and go...instant tone that no one could bugger up!

I am a power amp distortion guy and play faily loud to get that...I found that both channels break up fairly fast(a bit past half way).Channel one is voiced darker and smooth, more fender like...it will break up nicely much like a BF Fender...I roll the mid and bass off and it becomes bright and punchy.Channel two is a lovely grinder with more of a Marshall voice and gain stucture. It really depends on what guitar I use when picking the channel.
One test for me on any amp..is...the plug in and go thing! When I plug in with guitar only ...it either has it or it does not! This one has it big time.
I coaxed some nice blues stuff with a (1969 and a 1961)stock strat and found great sounds for SRV, Chris Duarte or Jimi stuff. Les paul sounds on the second channel yielded good classic hard rock styles(black Crows,Ac/DC etc)Chords ring with chimmy high end and a tight focussed botton end.
Loud? Many reviewers say "very loud" Not really..it's a typical 50 watts...very usable volume...it's enough with out excess!
Some also have mentioned "headroom"...not a whole lot if you play at louder volumes...it stays together up to about 5 or 6 on channel one.

I do really like the touch sensitivity with this one...big factor for me!

As one guy(studio engineer) mentions...it is hard to make the amp sould bad. I agree...totally idiot proof regardless of the players level!This amp sings!

I am an Ampaholic....Thirty plus years of performing .... I own (and have owned)a bunch of nice 60's and 70's amps(fenders,hiwatt,sound city,vox,carlsbro...on and on...)this one is right up there with the best!

PTP wiring and an easy circuit to understand...always easy to fix if need! Build quality looks solid!

Gone...if you own older tube amps you need to learn to work on them!

Well...58 reviewers give it an overall high rating... and 9.6 on sound...it deserves it too!

I like the small box it is in...compact little tone machine...well suited for blues, modern country and classic rock.

Prices are climbing some on these amps...around $350.00 - $400.00. Still dirt cheep! Any kick ass tube head for under 5 frog skins is a deal!

This one is a keeper for sure and won't return to the sea of the bay(ebay).

No pre gain . Just simple volume, treble, mid, bass and presense.
wish it has a pre gain. but who cares. Just use some pedals.

Fender humbucker strat with Seymore duncan Invader Humbucker in the bridge > Boss MT-2 metal zone > DOD Death metal > Boss BF-2 Flanger(Japanese) > Boss PH-3 phase shifter > Danelectro Cool Cat chorus > BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay into the Sovtek mig 50

I used to use a Peavey Triple XXX Head. Now, im trying to get rid of the thing after I got the Mig 50.
To my ears, a Metal Zone with a Mig 50 beats the crap out of any tone the Triple XXX could make.
The triple XXX has cleaner highs , but its not worth the trade of the Brutallity and absolute versatility (especially if you like to use pedals) of the Mig-50...

And I CAN get a warm blusey tone out of the Metal zone. I just roll back on the volume knob, the tone knob and use the single-coil neck pickup.

Or I can just crank up the Volume to get that natural old fashined overdrive. For this purpose I wish it had a pre-gain. but it is a small imperfection.

Its old and russian, they don't build em like they used to

Does the soviet union even exist anymore??

I have been playing for 10 years , have tried all kinds of amps, all kinds of pedals ect....
the Sovtek is a SIMPLE and elegant design.
Get yourself one of these, a few pedals for drive.
OR, just crank up the volume knob (if your neghbors don't mind) and screw pedals.

the only reason im giving it a 9 is the lack of pre-gain

already covered. Straight forward with little to go wrong.

Had it for a year now. Just Awesome!

It will do old Fender (think bassman) and Marshall (think JTM) sounds, as you like them. T

his one is my favorites heads. It loves pedals and stays articulate at all levels. Cuts through ANY mix!

I retubed mine with EH in the pre section and Sovtek KT66's for power. What a difference. Tons of headroom, quiet, with a sound that is just overall pleasing (clean and when pushed to the max with a good all tube rack preamp & pedals).

It is the main amp for soft rock, hard rock, and metal . Versitle for most any type of sound (when using pedals) for playing and is great when the cab is miked for recording.

Still kicking butt. Some may worry about the switches, but heck their still working fine as well. Someday they will go, but not too worried.

If you have multiple amps, this is one that you will want to add. If you are looking for an amp that performs and will hold it's own against amp cost many times more, this is it!

my mig was made in the late 80s or early 90s it was made in an x-soviet military factory in St.petersberg ,russia

the plastic switches need to be replaced with steel ones
and i would also like to replace the knobs with steel telecaster type knobs

the sound i get out of this amp are really good

i use a boss ds-1 and a ibanez pt-9 phaser
i have a strat and a gregg bennet lp copy

this amp i can defintly rely on i have bought spare fuses (wich cost next to nothing) after i blew a fuse but apart from that nothing major has happend, original tubes still

new sensor handles sovteks tube distribution
but that is all, i have not found any site that has an official sovtek amp link or anything, perhaps it would be easier to find technical support for the sputnik.

i want a marshall 1960 lead 4x12 cab, i played the sovi with a freinds and it sounded incredible

4 eq knobs (including Presence), 3 speaker ouputs (4, 8, 16 ohms), 2 inputs, 1 great sounding amp

I usually use a Fender Jaguar, or a '72 Deluxe tele through this thing. I really love the tones I get from the jag when I'm just picking around. A very clean rock 'n' roll machine. I also use tons of pedals and the tone is still great. I'm usually running this through a Univox 6x10 cab which has an amazing clean sound, but sometimes I borrow my friends Marshall 1960 4x12 to get some real heavy tones. A great amp for just about any style music I play through it. I'm in a 90's alternative/noise band (pixies, sonic youth type stuff), a funk band, and a jazz/noise band (mars volta meets radiohead) and this amp is the only one I need.

Ever since my friend Mark fixed it up I have yet top have a problem in the past 8 months. At least 3 practices a week, and 4-5 shows a month and not one problem.

I've got the best amp guy there is. Who needs tech support when you can say that!!!

I've had my fair share of amps, but this is my favourite. I really like the simplicity of it, and the headroom is superb. I once recorded with my amp in the bathroom turned all the way up and had no distortion at all unless I hit an open E chord. I usually use this amp paired with a Fender Prosonic to make a nice stereo rig. Of course this thing is so loud that I usually get yelled at by sound guys at smaller clubs.

Very simple amp. 2 inputs, 2 volumes, treble, mid, bass, presence. 4, 8, 16 ohm speaker outs. Why would you need anything else?

I just had mine switched over to run on Electro Harmonix El34s so my review will be a little different from the previous ones. This amp is very responsive to your guitar. For straight ahead rock this thing rules. The El34s add a big meaty feel to the bass tones. The highs are shimering and clear. This amp does not get muddy at all. If you are looking to play heavy metal or anything with a very high gain the EL34s are not the way to go. For classic rock to chunky alternative, this is a great way to acheive those tones.

I bought this amp broken so I never got to test it with the usual 6L6s. The diode in the bias supply had blown out or was not functioning, so it would burn up any tube you put in it. I believe that they come with plastic inputs and switches but somewhere down the line mine were switched out to metal ones except for the standby switch. When I had it fixed I had it switched over to a metal one. If you would like to tour or take this amp anywhere I strongly suggest getting that done. Other than than those things this amp is a heavy beast. I doubt any natural thing could break it. Defenetly built like a tank.

Unless you speak Russian and get a hold of someone who used to work for New Sensor you are absolutly on your own.

I payed 150 for it. I payed 20 for the new tubes, and another 85 to get the work done. so in total I spent 255 dollars just getting it running and how I wanted it. Once you get this thing going I don't think you'll ever look towards any other amp for that price. If you have the chance to pick one of these up defenetly go for it.

Volume I (Input I -- Normal), Volume II (input II -- Bright), Presence, Bass, Mid, Treble. Interactive volume knobs, passive eq. 4, 8, 16 ohm speaker outs. Lots of headroom. I don't use the bright channel at all. I've used this amp live many times and in sessions. Plenty of power for any professional situation.

I like that it has a good clean tone with lots of headroom. Great for running your favorite pre-amp/processor into.

I've used all types of guitars with it... stays really clean with a strat. This amp is well suited for all styles because of its amazing low end output. The low end can be easily dialed off, contrary to some ignorant review earlier -- try the bright channel??? Duh! Or stay on the normal channel and turn Volume II to 12 o'clock (interactive volume controls as previously mentioned).

EQ-wise, these amps are great for people who don't know what a good sound is -- I'm a session engineer and I hear bad tone from good equipment all the time... Hard to get a bad sound out of this amp because the tone controls are very restrictive -- like on an old Marshall.

A very quiet amp that is great for sessions. Really, no internal gain, at least not on mine. Very loud, clean, punchy sound! Very easy to modify with fx or preamps... and this amp works well with every stomp-box or pre-amp that I've run into it.

If you are planning to use this amp live, either be very careful when transporting or replace the plastic on-off switches. Also, power amp tubes will last 3 to 6 months of moderate to heavy gigging.

The amp did a thermal shut on me once at a gig... had it too close to a wall without any air circulation... moved it forward a bit and it worked fine. Hasn't done that ever since. A small fan would probably be a good idea :).

n/a

I've been playing a long, long time. I currently own many tube amps and have owned or extensively used many Marshall, Mesa, Fender, H&K, Peavey, Randall, Trace Elliot, Laney and some others that I can't think of at the moment.

If lost or stolen, I would probably get another. I have several amps to choose from that are all great, top-notch amps, so I wouldn't be in dire straights. I do love it's small size and big sound, so, I think for sure I would get another in time.

I love its simplicity. I love that it hasn't a bad sound in it. Again, I love that it is compact. I love its sound and low end.

I hate the plastic on-off switches -- you really must be carefull when transporting it.

Compared to other products: Most of my other amps have an onboard gain circuit. This one does not, but I like it most if I want to use a distortion pedal like an Ibanez SM-9.

Overall, for what it is, it is great. The tone is awesome and very accepting of things put in line before it. Great for beginners or novices in that its passive tone knobs will not let you dial in a bad sound... yet top-notch sound quality for any pro musician as well. These used to be cheap. Now they're getting expensive! That MUST mean something -- not to mention a near 10 over all sound rating here at HC.

Just enough features. who needs more. bass mids trebs, I can't think of any more sounds than that............

BIG rock n roll sound! I'm running it out of greenback and it sounds amazing. Not a good amp for someone looking to use all kinds of effect pedals. I plug straight into it and it sounds amazing. You'll never get thins sound out of an effects pedal. Throw them away.

Never had a problem........ you need a quality amp guy in your repertoire.

No idea....... probably impossible to find.

The best amp I've ever owned. I'll never sell it. Even for $1000. I've got a good amp guy, Dan Russel in Detroit, it's gonna last forever. It might not be for everyone though. It's BIG Rock sound. I have EL34's in it. It blows everyone away. If you find a good deal on one, buy it.

features schmeatures,,input,,speaker out in several ohm loads simple eq section thats it baby,,its only rock and roll but i like it.solid wood no tolex very cool.

i use a dearmond m-75(another out of production unappreciated instrument)with set neck harp tailpiece and big old humbuckers with gibson vr-10 strings.4X12 marshall cab.a touch muddy but nothing annoying..good clean sound especially with tremolo.extremely versatile overdrive,,if you want a little dirty ala the stones to nice thick overdrive it does it.not to metallica fans...buy a pedal.
to all marshall fans HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

has never given me problems yet.even after a marathon jam session of about 5 hours playng full bore.

none,nada.zero. oh well.my other favorite amp is an old music man so im used to it

ive been playing for about ten years.ive had an assortment of different amps,,peavey delta blues,music man 100RD,and played thru variuos marshalls,fenders,crates etc..this amp has the most honest sound of them all.no pretentions just great sound.if i can afford another i will buy it.cant improve on it.if you want fender clean buy a fender.if you want super overdriven distortin buy a marshall or crate.if you want boutique tube amp sound for cheap,,BUY THIS.

Great amp. I have been playing it for about 7 years. Two channels (low and high). I used to wish that there was a way to switch between them ( there isn't ) until I realized that I never use the clean channel (low) anyway . So who cares .

I was lucky enough to get the original 4x10 sovtek slant cabinet with it . I play telecasters and I was always happy the way this amp sounded with them . I play in an original rock band that varies in styles (Cheap Trick ~ Social D). As you know teles can be a bit noisey due to the single coils and don't get me wrong I love em but I just wanted a bit more out of them so I put duncan little 59s in the bridges recently. LOUD, LOUD, LOUD, BIG AND LOUD !!! As I said before I never use the clean channel and You can set the gain anywhere from classic rock to shred .

This is a beefy little amp . My only issue was the plastic jacks . I broke one right before a gig and had to borrow an amp from a buddy . I have since replaced them andhave had no other issues. I've done plenty of gigs with it as my only amp and will do plenty more.

NOPE !! From what I understand there is none available . But hey, what guitar player doesn't have "that guy" that fixes all his stuff ?

To be honest I started as a lead singer and you know how that goes , next thing you know you're a guitar player . I have been playing off and on for 15 years , 7 years steady . I wanted an amp with a great,cutting , big tone . I love that I was able to adjust the tone to get exactly what I wanted . Just the other day after we took a break and the amp was nice and warmed up I had to turn it down because it was drowning out the lead guitarist's Marshall. No lie , eating it up. I almost sold it so I could buy a Hot Rod Deville that a friend let me try out . The deal fell through and I am SO glad . If for some reason I ever NEED to have a clean channel I would rather buy a seperate amp and use an a/b pedal than get rid of this amp .

Was made in the mid 90'. This amp is a REALLY clone of the old Marshall Plexi. No master vol, No FX loop, two inputs (low, high), two vol. for each channel, low, mid, highs, Prescence, 4, 8, 16 Ohm Speaker outs, build like a tank. To use both inputs gives great flexibility. To muddy? turn the low input vol down and the high vol up, dont forget trebels and presence. Still to muddy? Check your old guitar strings or go to the doctor.

I'm using a PRS Swamp Ash guitar. Both single coil sounds and humbuker are great thru this amp. This beast gets really LOUD ! Around 6 o'clock settings you get amazing distortion. Use a booster and you are in tone heaven at lower volume. Split the guitar signal with a chorus etc. and use both inputs to get REAL 70' sounds like Led Zepplin, Clapton etc. The bass kills every mesa boogie I've been playing thru. The Sovtek rules!

Never had a problem. Build like a tank.

Out of production. So no support.

I'm playing for 25 years. I recomand this product to everyone searching for real tube tone. Use some pedals and paly every music style you're up to. This amp delivers !

All the basics.

I didn't feel this amp had enough power for my needs. It gets pretty saturated after 2:00 on both channels, (with a Y-cable), and I found it to be too mushy for my taste. It made all of my humbucker equipped guitars sound like I was using the neck pickup while I was clearly using the bridge. Still, this amp is pretty good if you're looking for a hot rodded Bassman sound. Oh, I ran it with my Marshall 1960b 4x12. I think an open back 2x12 or 4x10 and some single coils would have been a better match. I found the EQ to be relatively useless and it didn't have enough range for me.

I had it completely retubed and biased when I bought it for around $160...it was purchased on eBay known that it would be DOA. After the service it never gave me any problems at all.

Yeah right.

Overall, I think this amp would have been a keeper if it wasn't so useless when it was saturated. It really sounds great, but it just doesn't work for my style of music...AC/DC meets modern pop punk.

Mine has been mod'ed with a master volume and EL-34s. Simple amp that has it's only necessary features -- tone, great tube distortion, more tone. No channel switching, loops, etc. I can't think of anything I'd like it to have, except that I bet this amp would be kind of cool with some tremolo.

This amp has the power tube distortion I've been looking for forever! Finally. I love the voicing of this amp. Vintage Marshall sound. I have been trying amps forever now, and am now finding my tone heaven. In fact, I wish I had not spent so many years trying to get my other amps to measure up. It records so well. It plays so well. I put in some decent tubes and haven't looked back since. What an amazing, Marshally amp!! I could go on. . . . Not high gain, but who cares when you sound like your favorite vintage band whenever you want?

Built like a tank. I'm sure it will need maintenance here and there like any good amp.

I have been playing for 20 years now. I have a MusicMan amp, an Allen Class Act "Plexi" amp, a 1959 Gibson amp, and this is the keeper of all of them. The Sovtek favors my Les Paul over the Strat, which is fine by me (I tried the TopHat Emplexador, which did amazingly with the Strat, but for $1,400 I was not sold). I love that the Sovtek just sings whether recorded or live. I just couldn't justify spending the high prices for something boutique. I bought this based on reviews alone, knowing that I could sell it if I wasn't happy. Well, I wanted the vintage Marshall sound, and was surprised with the results. No more tweaking and fiddling -- I have it. If someone stole it, I'd be really upset and then get another one for a few hundred (its that simple).

see everyone else's. it does what it does...no need for extra crap. the only thing i'd prefer is to have a master volume.

in fact, if the last guy to review this reads my review, i'd like to know how you did the master volume mod. i'll include my email at the end here, so get intouch with me if you can help, or anyone else that can help.

i play a fender '72 custom reissue with an aftermarket duncan mini-jb bucker in the bridge position, and the stock fender wide-range bucker in the neck. the tone through either pickup is great, great bass response, although i have to watch the bass setting with the neck PU or it can get overwhelming. The clean sound is incredible, very much like a vintage fender, sans reverb, of course. for distortion, currently i am using a tech 21 NYC double drive, which is good, but not perfect. i am really picky about my distortion tone. my next buy is going to be a radial tonebone hot british tube pedal. one trick i discovered is that you can run into a pedal with two outputs, or an a/b/y box into both channels to get great natural tube overdrive.(it has to be very loud though , which is another reason i'd like to do a master volume mod. natural tube OD is the absolute best kind) it's not noisy except for the fact that i have some grounding issue somewhere in my signal path. with my friends SG it's perfectly clean.

once again, it does what it does as well if not better than most amps. you'll have to experiment some if you're as picky as i am abou high gain, but i have no doubt that the right combination of pedals, mods, load boxes, and/or whatnot is out there.

it's a tank. when i can afford an upgrade, i'm keeping this one for studio work and a road backup.

i haven't ever had any need of it. but the amp is not made anymore, so i don't know that i'd get help if i needed it.

the best amp i have owned so far. and you can't beat the price, even now that it's been out of preoduction for several years. i'm surprised that it's not more popular than it is. i can only work so much, being on tour the rest of the time, and touring pays someteimes and doesn't sometimes. if it were lost or stolen, i would definitely get another, being that it is so affordable...

You all know the features by now. It is not a wildly complex amp but it is good enough for my playing style, it has enough tone and character of its own without all the frills. I have a master volume mod put on so that makes it nice with being able to play at lower volumes and still being able to crank up the pre's to get a really good crunch sound. I like the low gain input for my strat with the pre-amp volume at about 8 to 9 o-clock and the master at whatever level it gives a nice clean sound and with a big muff in front of it with the sustain at 1/2 and tone at 1/2 and volume at 3/4 it give a really nice smooth distortion. With my les paul, I like the high gain input with the pre-amp volume at 7 to 8 o-clock and master at whatever level it gives a clean sound when the volume of the guitar is slightly down and then with a distortion pedal preferably the big muff, I don't like the DS-1 with this guy, it is really nice and the strums are good and recognizable and if you switch to the treble on the les paul the leads are perfect. I give it an 8 cause it doesn't have all the wonderful options but it is good for what it does, and if you want reverb and chorus go buy a reverb box or pedal and chorus pedal, they sound better than most built in stuff anyway, well other than the twin reverb oh so sweet.

Great sound. I can play anything through this from accoustic stuff up to heavy metal to punk to blues and jazz. It is loud enough for me to practice with as well. The only thing I haven't tried to get is the Nu-Metal sound but I'm sure with the right pedal it could be done but who needs that anyway, go for tone not gain.

Very reliable, built like a tank. The transformers aren't to heavy but they are good.

N/A

This is a great overall amp, it works great with the stuff I play and the equipment I own, and I think it could work great with most other equipment as well. If it were lost or stolen I would definitly get the same thing or maybe a Mig 100 but this is sweet. I compared it to Marshall stuff from 800 to plexi and 900 and 2000 even the hybrid marshall. The sound is better for me and it is much cheaper. I also looked at the dual rec. That has many many options and I like its sound but for a fraction of the price and with just a couple pedals it can be just a good or close.

Everyone already knows everything about this amp in this department.

I was playing it with a custom fat telecaster, and it sounded amazing. Now im playing it with a double cutaway les paul with p90s. sounds amazing. I play indie/rock/blues and i dont think you can get much better when it comes to pure tone with this amp. You cant beat the distortion this thing has when you blend both channels together and turn the bass channel up higher than the high. Really crunchy, powerfull sound. But since i cant always play loud enough to wake the neighbors i use a Visual Sounds Jekyll and Hyde distortion. Sounds really good through this amp.

Never had a problem

Doesnt exist.

It sounds great, espcially at high volumes. slap a nice overdrive pedal to your setup and you cannot get better sounds. This little $300 amp sounds better than $1500 marshalls ive played.

i think this is an early '90 s head, as far as i'm aware these were only made between '92 and '95. it's a small head (i'd say slightly over half the size of a marshall), two channel amp with straightforward eq and presence control. the channels aren't switchable - it's very much "plug in and play". i use the clean channel, with a big muff supplying the fuzz. it's rated at 50 watts and is definately loud enough for any size of a gig short of stadiums! sounds very loud through a 4x12. if you want features then watch out, this is a very basic amp. if you want pure tone - this is the one for you!!! i like it simple, and have no problem getting my dream sound from this amp, therefore a 10. maybe a 1 for features nerds tho!!!

i play a gordon-smith custom sg junior through a big muff into this head. the sg has an emg81 humbucker for high gain. i play heavy rock in the vein of sabbath/ melvins/ stoner/ noise. this amp is the king - i have played through marshall, peavey, carlsbro and laney and nothing has come close to this. it has the warmest, thickest tone i have heard, and absolutely sings. the high gain channel gets a great hard rock overdriven sound (like thin lizzy/ ac/dc), but for me it's the clean channel with a big muff. there's plenty of headroom, so the presence can be used to thicken up the fuzz as required. even at the most extreme eq settings this amp sounds awesome. i have used it both for recording and live, and have been blown away by it's tone in either setting. for stoner rock it's perfect - fat, heavy chugging chords and warm, sweet solos. just incredible!!!

no problems so far. i guess the plastic jacks/ switches could be replaced, but they feel solid enough. in terms of reliably sounding great, then it's a ten no question!

overall is a ten no question. all my tone prayers were answered the moment i plugged in. for heavy rock it just cant be beaten, and sounds incredible paired up with my big muff. all those classic sabbath sounds are right there, but with a bit of fiddling then zztop through to metallica can be found here too. this amp sounds like all those old marshalls should, but don't. also, it's light enough to put on the passenger seat, but loud enough for any setting and less than half the price!! a bit of an undiscovered classic i'd say - get one before the prices go sky high!!

I'm not sure what year this amp was produced, but I purchased it in 2001 as a new old stock piece at a local music shop. It had been sitting there since at least 1998
This amp has been great for everything. I play dance-punk, hardcore, and rock. I play bass and guitar through this amp.
This amp has two independent channels, one for bass and one for guitar. The bass channel is very bassy, while the guitar channel is very brittle. I use a whirlwind a/b/y box two switch between the two channels or both while playing. I like the combination.
I like the features (or lack of) on this amp, it is raw with no frills, very punk rock. If you want real tube overdrive, you have crank this thing up.
I practice with this amp and play medium size venues with it. This amp is plenty loud enough to conquer most rooms.
This is a 45-50 watt tube amp, it has 3 12ax7's and two 6l6 tubes for power. I have heard that the amp is a rip off of the fender bassman, and I can hear that loud and clear when I play, I think it's because of the 6L6 tubes, I have heard that some EL34's will make this amp sound like a marshall. However, I like the warm clean sound of tubes, so I will stick with the 6L6's. THis amp is smooth and warm and can go to ripping in a heartbeat. Just crank that master volume!
I run this little guy through a fender 300 watt 4x12 cabinet. I give it an 8 because it doesn't have reverb or tremelo. I'm okay with it not having a pre amp gain.

I use a mid 90's Epiphone les pual standard with dimarzio super distortion humbuckers, a mid 70's epiphone coronet (humbuckers), and a squire p-bass deluxe (p/j pickups)with this amp.
This amp is so loud with humbuckers. This amp suits my style pretty well. I really have to mess with it to make it sound trashy. I like crappy sounds, and this amp is almost to "pretty" sometimes. I incorporate lots stomp boxes to muck up the sound.
Since I use lots of pedals on a powered board, there is some noise when I'm not playing.
I'm not sure how much of a variety this amp has since I do not play lots of music styles. I know that it has a wonderful clean sound, so tube and warm. The distortion is very smooth as well.
Both vahnnels can distort well, but the guitar channel makes it very shrill due to the lack of bottem end. So ad lots o' bass and roll back on the high's.
Like I said, the distortion is smooth, but it rocks so loud! I am not a fan of the high gain nu-metal mesa boogie sound, and I like this a lot. This amp is great for punk rock because it is so simple and raw. With the aid of a jekyll and hyde pedal, this thing can become a metal monster in a heartbeat. Also a big muff sounds incredible through it.

I have been using this amp for exactly 2 years, and the tubes are still as brite as when I first plugged this thing up. This amp has never given me problems.

well, its russian, so good luck contacting the parent company. oh and find a translator.

I have been playing for almost 5 years. I used to own a 100 watt marshall solid state combo, but I sold it when I found this beauty. All it needed was 2 fuses and a cord. I added an a/b/y switch and this is my dream amp now.
If I lost this amp, I would try and find another one to replace it asap. I would like to find some older smaller combo's with reverb and tremelo to add some sound.
I love the simplicity of this amp, I do wish that it had reverb.
PICK UP ONE OF THESE BEFORE THEY TURN INTO THE NEXT BIG THING! All I have heard is good things about these amps.

Not sure of the year made, but it's the 001 model w/ the misspelled "presense" knob.Two inputs that can be used seperately or combined w/ a shared EQ.I personally like the limited amount of features w/ this amp.It's power is perfect for most average size clubs as you can really start pumping the power tubes.My rating of 5 in this category is not a knock on this amp, but it's not loaded w/ a bunch of bells & whistles, just pure tube power

Here is where this amp really shines!I was actually a little disappointed when I received this amp after reading all the great reviews on this amp.It sounded,..well like shit compared to where it's at now.Do yourself a favor if you have this amp & put some high quality tubes in the pre & power sections of this little beast& rebias it.I highly recommend some jj6l6's & ecc83s.You will smile like a kid @ christmas.This little amp has a very bassman type sound to it.Glassy clean until those tubes start working hard then just pure power tube saturation.It loves stomp boxes as well. I have a couple of keeley modded ts-9's,keeley rat,marshall drivemaster,etc. point being that it sounds great w/ all of them depending on what tone your going for from bluesy grind to marshall crunch.I use a stock les paul studio & stock american strat into this amp for these types of tones.

I think these are a very dependable amp.That's the beauty of the simplicity in the features department,however I've gotten to the point where I like some sort of back up w/ anything I use if possible.The power & standby switches are plastic which is only a small problem do to the style mostly.This amp was neglected somewhat before I got it,but it never seemed to bog down & w/ some minor upkeep Like fresh tubes,biasing,cleaning,etc. it has only made a good little amp great.

I would say this category has no application for this amp, but any decent tech should be able to service or repair it if needed.

I've been playing for 25yrs.Been down alot of roads w/ gear and have some decent stuff(jcm800 2203 mkII,jcm900(good amp in my opinion w/ some good tubes& good cabs),fender blues deluxe,currently w/ alot of other stuff dumped over the years.This amp will not fall into that category after getting it to the shape it's in now!If it were stolen I'd find another one ,.hopefully before people relize what they are capable of & the prices go thru the roof.If you are looking for a no-nonsense amp without all bells & whistles of todays amps for blues & classic rock this is a great buy.With some high quality tubes ,stomps,& cabs this amp is a steal for the price.GO get one before everyone catches on .

This is an all tube 45 watt amp made in (I believe) 94. I play a lot of different types of style, for versatility, this amp isn't great. It pretty much does one thing, but it does it really well, and for cheap. It has 2 inputs, a low sensitivity and high. You can switch between these two (or combine them for a little more overdrive) with an ABY switch. No effects loop or headphone jack. A lot of people say that this amp is so amazingly loud but I have disagree. It's definitely loud enough for smaller-middle sized venues, but the louder it gets, the more distortion it gets (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). But even at 10, it's not so loud.

I use a Mexican Fender Deluxe Super Strat (single coils) and a Gibson LP Standard (humbuckers). It's great for punk or rock. My main problem with it is that it can't get loud without getting too distorted. Although I'm giving it an 8, know that's just for the distortion. The clean isn't great since it's only existant at low volumes. But the distortion is the classic warm overdriven tube amp deal. And also it gets points off because of the bass. This thing has some of the most punchy low end I've ever heard. And that's not a bad thing. But sometimes I'd like to take it down a notch, but it goes from full on punch, to a very thin sound (with the bass at zero). But still, it's a great tone for a great price.

I haven't had this amp for too long. I think a few months. My new band isn't gigging yet, but I'd rather not even use it at a gig since I need some loud clean tones. But that's not reflective of it's reliability. It seems very reliable except for the plastic switches ( though not a huge problem and easily replaceable) and the metal grill on the back doesn't allow for a lot of cooling off, it can get pretty hot. But besides this, it's fine. When I first got this, it would have pretty drastic volume cuts. But I was using the speaker from a combo and it was at low volumes in the first place, so it must have been one of those variables because now that I've got my 4x12 and am turning up a good amount, the problem's gone bye bye.

Long gone.

I've been playing for 8 years. This is a great amp and pretty much my only one that I could use (unless I wanted to hook up my solid state combo to my cab) anywhere with a band. Although I love it, if it were lost or stolen, I'd probably just use it as an excuse to spend outlandish amounts of money on a new amp (something with a good clean maybe...) after the proper mourning period.

No frills.
Just straight 5881 Tubes (just like old marshalls)with some 12X7 tubes on the side. The second volume nob really adds in the high end. 2 inputs and 3 (6, 8, 16 ohm) outputs.
50 watts.... hah it out performs some 100 watt amps I have used with my cabinet.

I use this to play punk music. I use a fernandez H series or a fender strat w/ humbucker in the bridge. I run to a Zoom driver 510 to Mig50 to 4x12 celestion cab.
I get very chunky low end and all the volume I can handle. I have played many small clubs and only mic the cabinet to get better house sound.

In the 6 years I have owned this amp I have only had to fix the Input #1 and the volume #1 pot. The presence pot needs to be fixed also. Other than that I have only gone through 2 sets of 5881's and only one of those times I NEEDED to. I am not easy on my amp and it takes my abuse well.

Never delt with the company but their 5881 tubes are easy to find.
Need help ...see
http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/sovtek/mig-50.pdf

Overall this amp is a great bargain. Way cheaper than an old marshall but close to the same design/sound.
Only more I want out of an amp is distortion. so if you like stopmp box's or are looking for a full clean classic tube sound on a budget.. this is the amp.

Very straight forward amp with great tone -- that's all the "features" I need. If you want chorus and reverb and so on, buy an effects unit you cheap-ass.

I've played through alot of amps and this one out-fenders a Fender, out marshalls a Marshall. With a good gain circuit before it (not a Metal Zone -- I said a GOOD gain circuit), it can keep up with the likes of Mesa -- yes... the low end is THAT punchy! If you're a die hard Mesa user, you might consider getting one of these at least for a back-up.

Plastic componants (switches, jacks) are probably the weakest thing about this amp. The good news is they are cheap to replace with metal and easy to install. These amps do burn through tubes rapidly, so if you get one to use as a main giiging amp, I'd recommend new power tubes at least every six to eight months. I've recently retubes mine with Ruby tubes and the amp has never sounded better.

All in all, you can not beat this amp for the price. It sounds as good as anything out there and you can regularly find these for under $300. Very easy to use -- the Passive eq helps prevent morons from being morons, since it is difficult to get a bad sound out of this amp. Notice, however, that the volume I & II are interactive -- if you're plugged into I, if you move II, your sound will change. At any rate, I'm sure I'll get another of these at some point, but I am really interested in collecting one of each Sovtek amp. The others do not seem to rate as high as these, but I'm sure they still sound cool!

Four band EQ, 50 watts, two channels, standard and bright. Three outputs, 4,8,16 ohms.
This is a very simple amp, no 'verb or effects loop, no channel footswitch, but enough power for most venues. I use it at church anp at home right now, but I'll be using it in band situations soon.
It's simple, but it has the nessicities.

I'm using this with a tele at the moment. Very nice jazz/blues/rock/U2/worship sounds. EQ seems a bit noisy, but is nicely voiced. To distort this thing needs to be very loud, as it has no gain control, which isn't ideal. Very nice tube sound, it sounds compressed and full. Every note you pick comes out clear and smooth. Lovely with a touch of overdrive.

It seems like a pretty chunky piece of work, good solid case.
I think any decent amp tech could fix this beast anyway.

No idea, for one thing, I don't speak russian . . .
I brought this second hand, so only a 3 month warranty from the store.

I love this thing. I wish it had a effects loop, but I might have one added. I've never had a tube amp, and even though I might replace this in a few years, I'll never go back to solid state. I've been playing gat for four year and have just finshed a one year guitar course, and this is one of the best sounding amps I've ever heard.
So happy I could get one at this price, undoutably the best deal I've ever scored. Go and buy one before they are all gone.

I have one of the black and white Sovtek Mig 50's. There are 2 clean channels that cannot be switched between without the use of an A/B. You can plug into both channels at the same time with a Y cable and get some really cool tones too. I have 2 Mig 50's. One with high headroom preamp tubes, so that I can get really clear tones straight from my distortion box, and one with low headroom tones, so that I can get really sweet OD tones from this amp. Other features would just be useless shit

NOTE: I HAVE INSTALLED A 5U4G THD REACTIVE RECTIFIER. THIS ADDS ALOT OF SAG TO THE TONE, CHANGES THE FEEL, CHANGES THE SOUND, AND GETS MORE POWERAMP DISTORTION.

I have 2 setups that I will describe in detail.

Setup 1-
Warmoth hollowed body stratocaster with 2 Adder Plus Corporation Persuaders>MXR Distortion II>Boss Digital Delay>Sovtek Mig 50 w/reactive rectifier and HIGH HEADROOM PREAMP TUBES>Avatar 2x12 w/Vintage 30's.

This is my "distortion" setup. It sounds sooooooo good both distorted and clean. I run my Guitar and boxes into the clean bright channel, or into the bright and just the tinyest bit of the darker channel. Clean, (because of the rectifier) I would liken my tone to Jimi Hendrix in "Little Wing". The cleans sparkly and chime and are beautifully harmonic with the right pickups. DO NOT USE EMG PICKUPS WITH THIS AMP FOR CLEANS DISTORTIONS OR OVERDRIVES. THEY WILL OVERDRIVE THE PREAMP TOO EARLY IN A WAY THAT SOUNDS MUDDY, BLOCK-LIKE, HARSH, AND NOT MUSICAL, AND WILL OVERPOWER ANY TONES COMING FROM AN EXTERNAL DISTORTION PEDAL. Distorted tones with my MXR distortion II are very clear and articulate (probably because of the pickups and distortion) and the amp imparts it's chime and beauty and dynamics to every note played. I can get sounds anywhere from Randy Rhodes to The Refused, to Fugazi, to Hendrix, to Page, to Santana, to Steve Jones, to.........

Setup 2
Gibson Les Paul Standard with Adder Plus Corp Persuaders>Boss Digital Delay Pedal>Sovtek w/LOW HEADROOM PREAMP TUBES and reactive rectifier>Avatar 2x12 Cab w/ vintage 30's

I plug into the Dark and Bright channels of the Sovtek, and use my volume knob for cleans. Cleans in this setup are really beautiful. Again like "Little Wing". When you turn up the guitar it gets really really loud, and it gets a really really cool and clear and nice OD. I would compare the OD to the Solo in Jimmy Eat World's, "The Middle", but again that is the rectifier. It just sings and is so dynamic and it almost makes you want to cry. You get lost in the music.

I tried it out before I put the rectifier in, and the OD was very reminiscent of AC/DC, Led Zepplin, or The Living End, while the clean was very reminiscent of (enter desired tone here).

This amp is so sweet sounding. If you roll back on the treble knob on the guitar and plug into the dark imput using the rhythm pickup, you have the finest jazz tone I have ever heard. I was playing at church and my electric guitars were at my Drummer's house, so I had to borrow a guitar with EMG 81's in both positions. EMG's have terrible clean sounds, especially the 81, so I was very suprised at the number of people who came up to me after the performance and told me that my it sounded great. Even a guitar teacher was commenting on how we was going to buy the same amp off of ebay because of how good it sounded. I would not, however, suggest using EMG's with this amp. They are mismatched pieces of gear. I used to have an EMG equipped axe, so I know what I am talking about.

Basses are really incredible through this. It imparts it's warmth to them as I never thought it could. I would not rectify it for use with a bass, because it drives too early. It is not for really modern rap or slap, or metal bass, but for really warm smooth, not too articulate bass sounds it is good. It will truly rattle the floor.

DO NOT PLUG A BASS IN WHILE USING GUITAR SPEAKERS!

I was EXTREMELY stupid once, (i mean, so stupid I can't believe it) but that's it. I took it apart, and the construction seemed really solid. There are springs and sleeves, and everthing holding the tubes on, and the PC board is very clean, sturdy, and good. I gaurantee you, GUARANTEE, (is that spelled right?) that nobody could tell the difference between this and an amp with point to point wiring. It is a heavy duty amp that kicks ass on the road for reliability. I changed the plastic swithches for metal ones, but this is unecessary, and very cheap if you just go to Home Depot. I am touring europe this summer (Wahoo! Swedish Chicks!), and I have no reservations about the reliability of these amps.

There are only a couple of bottles in it, so getting it retubed is cheap. Think about this. Its like buying a cheap car with good gas mileage that drives and looks like a Mercedes.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

I have been playing for 6 years and I am currently in a band that plays a very melodic and smooth mixture of punk, new wave, emo, folk (think nick drake), noise, jazz, reggae, and classic rock. (OK, we're a punk band...shut up). I am looking for a great cleans, OD's, and distortions that will cut through, sing, and be VERY articulate. This gives me just that. I would reccomend the THD REACTIVE RECTIFIER to anyone interested in truly making this sound like a JTM45 or a Fender Bassman. The Reactive Rectifier can also have an option to be switched on or off.

I prefer this rig over my old rig that got ebayed.

Old Rig
Strat and Gibson w/ EMG's>Mesa Boogie Triaxis>VHT 2/90/2 Poweramp>Sonic Maximizer>Avatar 2x12.

It costs thousands less, and because of its simplicity, it sounds SO DAMNED GOOD! It dosen't have that squashed, muddy, no-dynamics, feel and tone of my old rig. It's just incredible.

I have two. That proves my loyalty. My name on Harmony Central is SovtekAmpsRule. uh huh.

Straight up 2 channel Vol / Vol / Treble / Mid / Bass / Presence.
All tube '59 Bassman / JTM 45 Russian made clone.
Nice feature is the multiple impedance taps on the output trannie, it has outputs for 4, 8, and 16 ohm cabs.
50 Watts output from 2 5881 output tubes.
3 12AX7A preamp tubes.
I give it a 7. It's got what you need for great tone, no extras.

Mine's driving a Marshall 1960A 4x10 cab. It likes my Gibson Flying V with Seymour Duncan JB and '59 pickups. I've got a Vintage Rat distorto pedal that I plug a 'Y' cord into, running into inputs 1 and 2 of the Mig 50. Then you can set the volumes for each input separately. Since one is a normal input and one is bright, you can get a wide variety of sounds.
Sounds great. It's quiet when you're not playing. It's pretty clean up until about 12:00 on the volumes then it starts to thicken up and get ballsy. 1:30 on the volumes and you are rocking the house. Add the Rat and now I'm in Rock 'n Roll heaven. This combination is magical. It's the best rock sound I've had in 33 years of playing. Like I said, Sovtek pretty much cloned the Marshall (who pretty much cloned Fender, who used Western Electric's original circuits for the Bassman) soooo, if you like the old Marshall JTM45 sound, you'll like the Sovtek too. And for a whole lot less money...I give it a 10 because it does sound great.

I've been inside it and it's pretty well made. It does have plastic switches and jacks, but on the other hand it's in a heavy metal chassis and the tube sockets are mounted to the chassis. It's never given me any trouble yet. I would take fuses and tubes to a gig, same as any other tube amp. It gets a 7 for the plastic.

Nyet. They don't make em anymore.

I've been playing 33 years. I'm a Fender guy usually and I've got a 59 Bassman RI, a '69 Super Reverb, a Pro Junior, and a few Champs. I would look for another one if this one went missing, because it's better than any Marshall I've ever played, and the price is right. It's kind of funky looking with the great big SOVTEK logo, but that's part of the charm I guess. This amp ROCKS. It's LOUD. It's got BALLS. I have to tell you that this is a fabulous amp for the bucks. I got mine used but in like new condition for $225 and in my opinion if you could find one for that kind of money, you'd be crazy not to jump on it. No kidding folks, it's that good.

Not many features, just what you need. It would be nice though to have a channel switch, but a simple A/B pedal takes care of that.

I use a Godin SD guitar, sounds fine clean. It's a bit noisy but as someone said, just turn up the volume until you don't hear it anymore ;)
Choosing a distortion pedal can be a pain, I have a dod bluessomething with slight distortion, but with the amp crunch combined, it makes very nice distortion. I also use bigmuff for more distortion which makes very unique sound.
But an equalizer is probably a good idea :)

Never had any troubles.

Is there any?

If my amp was stolen.. I'd go get it back, I don't think there is another one in Iceland :)

vol, bass, mid, treb, pres. You know the deal. The simplicity is the beauty of it. Purchased used... serial #000769. This thing is in fantastic condition.

Using a tele and a les paul, playing classic rock and funk. Running it into a 2x12 cab with 50W weber speakers. Guitar straight into amp is an incredible sound. I used to use a Marshall 401 tube combo and there is no comparison.

I usually plug in to the bright channel or run a Y cord into both. It seems to overdrive earlier with both channels going. With the les paul humbuckers, it starts overdriving good about midway on the volume dial. With the tele single coils, I have to go to about 1 or 2 o'clock. It is very loud at those levels and can be a very loud amp in general. No problem with small to medium gigs.

At practice or in small rooms, I have to step on my fireball overdrive to get what I need. I just turn the volume until the power tubes start to kick in a bit then hit the overdrive pedal... and it is sweet. This a most perfect arrangement for me because I still have just enough clean headroom when needed. Sometimes I have to roll off the guitar volume a bit to get there. It's not crystal clear clean... just a tad of breakup.

Oh my god, this thing sounds GREAT!

Bought it used and had to replace the preamp tubes. One was making a fizzing noise when cranked. I just replaced all three with groove tubes and it's marvelous. Took it to am amp tech for a tune up and when I picked it up, all three guys working there were gushing about how great the thing sounds.

Playing for 6 years. I have a 40W Marshall combo (which sucks), a 15W fender blues jr (great for band practice and sounds terrific), and this guy, which sounds far better than anything I've ever owned.

The only questionable thing about it is the knobs and power switches don't inspire alot of confidence. THis is the only reason it doesn't get a 10 across the board. But this thing doesn't live in the back of a tour van or anything, so I don't expect to have problems.

I paid more than the average going rate, but again, it's in great shape. For 300 bucks, I would do it again in a heartbeat. The best value I've seen in an amp.

Made in Russia in the mid 90s-discontinued now. As others have stated, this amp is a copy of the '59 bassman/marshall JTM circuit. It has two channels, normal and bright. You can use a Y cable or an A/B box to blend the channels together. I like to get most of the volume from the regular channel, and bring the bright channel up slowly to a desirable level. The bright channel by itself is too bright.

Amp has treble, bass, middle, and presence controls which are shared by both channels (I guess that makes it a one channel amp?) The tubes are 5881s (6L6s) which are found in most larger Fenders. Newer Marshalls tend to have EL34s.

This amp, rated at 50 watts has plenty of power. I have heard people say things like "this is the loudest 50 watts I've heard). Not to preach, but a 50 watt tube amp has about 85% of the "loundess" of a 100 watt amp. In fact, a 50 watt amp is only half as loud as a 250 watt amp-and how many of those do you see? So yes, this amp has plenty of power. BTW, if you've ever heard a 15 watt amp cranked all the way up through a 4x12 cab, you will get a better idea of the whole wattage thing.

I do sometimes miss reverb in this amp, and I dont really like delay or reverb pedals. This sort of limits the versatility of the amp. I do find, however, that the amp has a sort of natural "echoy" tone at medium-high volumes that make up for the lack of reverb. And if you happen to be in a room with good acoustics, you won't miss the reverb at all.

I mainly play a MIJ Telecaster or a Hamer Special FM through this amp. I use various distortion pedals: Boss DS-1, Ibanez TS-9, Fabtone, ProCo Rat 2 in different combinations for a variety of sounds. The amp is a little noisy at times, but nothing noticeable in a gig or rehearsal situation. I do have a strat, but I like the strat through my fender amp a lot better (again the reverb thing)

I play punk and old school metal through this amp. Even the cheap MIJ tele sounds great. Harmonics jump out of this amp and any of the above distortion pedals sound good. I also have an MXR phase 90 that I use for some trippy Pink Floyd sounds or Randy Rhoads/Van Halen stuff that sounds great through this rig too.

I have been playing through a 1x12 closed back VHT cab, and the low end is brutal. I have heard this amp referred to as the "grunge amp" and I have to agree. Its ability to get along with a variety of distortion pedals and retain its low end character make it very suitable for grunge, punk rock and yes, even metal. The mid control is very responsive and can get the scooped out sound easily, especially when combined with the right pedals.

I have not had the opportunity to crank this amp full out yet, but I've had it to 6 or7: very loud with a nice tube breakup. A simple TS-9 or some powerful humbucker can easily bring this amp into nice power tube saturation at these levels.

Seems reliable so far, although I don't know about the knobs and jacks on the outside-all plastic. I am the second owner of this amp, which is about 7 years old, and it has held up so far. For the people complaining about the plastic parts-consider the price you paid for this gem, and the fact that many people in Russia couldn't even get a loaf of bread or some toilet paper without waiting on line for hours. So they were out of metal parts-BFD.

I don't think any exists anymore. But I have a good local amp tech.

My overall rating is a 9, for what it does, it is a great amp with real tubey tube tone.

I have compared this amp to my Princeton Reverb. The two are voiced very differently, with the PR being much "sweeter" then the Mig 50-which is more aggressive and wants to be overdriven with a good pedal.

I would buy another one of these for the simple reason that it is one of the best sounding amps I have ever heard-along with my PR, the fender twin reverb and '59 fender bassman.

Low S/N, its an early one. Very straight forward if you can handle an amp without a master vol. Has a Bass (1)and Treble (2) inputs,Treble,Middle,Bass, Presence controls,Standby,on/off . A very loud Euro 50 watts! As loud as any amp needs to be and louder than most. Nice feature on back panel is the seperate 4 - 8 - 16 ohm speaker inputs, you will also find the fuse holder and a/c cord outlet here. If you dig KIS (keep it simple) technology, you'll dig this amp.

Play Gibson guitars with stock pickups and components. Great rock amp. If you go straight in, you get that old flappy loose bass sound, to tighten it up i run into a Rat first, run the vol.s on the amp (they seem to bleed a little into each other) wide open and bring it back down with the Rat, set the Rats dist. at the second mark, a little filter and viola, Rock City!, if you need more edge, run the dist. up to third mark on the Rat. Makes a nice Metal sound, clean and tight. Amp adds no color to the sound like a Marshall, very pure, stays fairly quiet even all the way up. I like to run it high and turn down at my guitar, then for lead breaks you got some headroom. You'll have to experiment to suit your needs, the Rat definitely tightens up the bass though. I use it thru a Marshall 412 w/75 watt speakers. I've had a lot of old amps and vintage celestions, there nice but the 75's have a nice bit of snap to 'em and can handle high vols. better. Depending on what pedal you use, its a very versatile amp.

I havent done nothing to the amp in ten + years, only recently got some new high bass 5881's,seem to brighten up the bass response a bit.

I was going to replace a jack ,they sent me one free of charge w/resistor too, i still havent put it in, i leave my guitar plugged in all the time anyways.

Playing a long time, 30+ years, also own a Marshall 50 1987X and a JTM 45,A Randall and a SLP (which i recently sold.) I have also owned several original plexis in the past. Some people say these sound like a Marshall but i dont think so, they do compress a bit when opened up and have the ability to run clean and tight all the way up - a la Marshall, but they dont have that familiar Marshall sound - but a great pure un - colored sound thats hard to find with all the Hy Gain shit on the market today. Great Amp! I Use a Rat to tighten up the bass and add distortion and control the overall volume of this Lil' Monster, trying to get it to distort naturally will blow your ears off and give you a flappy loose farty bass sound, the Rat is a must or some other pedal that works for you like a Tube screamer.

Just an update...

In my review i was using my old Epiphone LP-100. Since then I have purchased a new g&l asat (telecaster) and thesound through the sovtek is very sweet indeed :) . I have used my old solid state fender m-80 combo for a gig once (with my new tele) since buying my mig, but the mig puts it to shame! I am so impressed by the mig that I am interested in buying some more sovtek heads! For such low price they are a bargain..

Amp was purcheased new in 1996 It is one of the misspelled presence models. Very basic in design 2 inputs 1 vol. 3 eq 1 presence All tube.
Input 1 seems to have a lower gain than input 2
I have used this amp in small to med. sized clubs and it has performed well.

This amp has a great tone, very true to the guitar being played. I play through a Marshall 1936 cabinet with 2 12' speakers and play mainly blues and R&B. With a Gibson ES-335 the sound is very resonant ( Input 2 ) with the eq around 12 o'clock position( maybe back off the bass a bit ) and the volume at 2 o'clock keeping the guitar volume down around 3 or 4 you can dial up a great blues tone. The amp is not noisy and for real bite you ned to add a pedal. I did compare this amp to a fender vibrolux reverb and while it does have a unique sound (Marshall? ) it was not as sweet or as bright as the fender.

Never had any problems with the amp, used it for 2 years as my main rig.

N/A

Playing guitar for over 30 years, I do like the warm tube tone of this amp and have used it for recording work. I think that it is a great amp for blues and can be good for other styles as well. For the price, it is a true bargain.

not much feature wise... regular and bright inputs. cioupl eof volume controls (no master gain) and eq.

I am using it with a sovtek 2x12 upright slanted cab. The clean sound is brilliant - turn it up enough and it starts overdriving into a 'bluesy' classic rock'n'roll overdrive. I am using it currently with my epiphone lp-100 and it sounds much better than my old fender solid-state m-80 chorus, and I am hoping it will sound nice with my new g&l asat I have ordered.

the amp is only new, but i ordered it inter state from sydney to hobart (thats in australia folks) and the store i boughrt it off put practically no cushioning for it in the cardboard box. Juts two peices f bubble wrap on the top and bottom (none on the sides and front & back). The fact that it worked fine when i finnaly got it indicates it at least deserves a 7. Howver the switches and knobs are all plastic and i have heard they have a tendency to break so I will see what happens... Howver considering the cheap price any repairs are not much of a problem..

NA

brilliant budget all tube amp that sounds great with most pedals. I'd give it a 10 for blues and 60's rock'n'roll (sounds extra neat with a ultra short delay 50's style delay), with i do often play in a covers band, but for added versatilty you do need to shell out extra for some stompboxes. For their amazingly cheap price, every guitarist sould have one as either a back up amp or as their main amp.

plastic inputs and switches suck. apart from that it is clean as hell.

amazing. i use it in recordings for relatively clean sounds and it is very fender esque - maybe even a bit brighter (if you use input II that is).

just acquired it. fingers crossed.

doubt there is any since they've been discontinued.

i was really impressed with this. i use a mig 50 for heavier riffage and this for the clean stuff. it really sounds vintage - all warm and gooey. can't praise it enough.

Russian production Amp, one channel, two imputs (high and Low), 3-band EQ, 4-8-16 OHM spkr. outputs, no reverb, no FX loop. I mostly play blues and classic rock covers in a 3-pc bar band, and my main guitars are a hammer special with mini-humbuckers and a Gibson Les Paul studio. I use the "hot" channel, and control it with my volumes on the guitars for dynamics. I always did this even with channel switching amps, as there was always too much distinction between clean and gain stages for a smooth transition for soloing. The low imput sounds a bit flat, but I haven't really given it enough attention yet to pass judgement. This is the closest thing to an old marshall you'll find. My 'holy Grail" was an early 50wt Plexi with matching 8-10 cab that I sold in a moment of idiocy and confusion as a scatterbrained teenager, and have been experimenting and accepting my fate for years. This amp will raunch and bark with the best, and for a fraction of the cost too. Would I prefer more features like 2 channels and FX loop etc? maybe...and maybe not! For $249.00, I'm not complaining. The only other Marshall Amp I've enjoyed over the past decade or more was a little JTM30 combo and that was $500 bucks! I match this Sovtek up with a 2-12 celestion greenback bottom and it kicks!! I'm eager to hear it with a 4-12 too! I was considering upgrading the tubes, but the originals (Sovtek 5881's) are sounding great, and ...who wants to spend the cash anyway! If it ain't broke...don't fix it!

The amp is a meat and potatoes straight ahead balls to the wall rock and blues amp...no frills!! End of story. Match it up with a good cabinet for all it's sonic raunchiness!!

i use it on all my bar gigs without a back-up and am considering purchasing another for odd and even gigs (he he) and back-up. Has never broken down yet in the past year I've owned it.

warranty was for 1 year, I think, and I've never contacted electro-harmonix.

I'm playing for 35 yrs and would replace it if it were stolen. It's as good as most marshalls out there, if not better, and is dirt cheap.

I bought the amp used through a friend's recommendation. He swore that it was a JTM-45 copy (like the Bassman) and that it would blow me away. I checked out the schematics of a JTM-45/bassman and the amp it nearly identical except for the layout on the control panel and the size of the head, of course. Input 1 has a nice, clean, warm tone at low volumes. If you want a distorted sound similar to Mick Taylor, just crank it. Input 2 is a little too bright, but still sounds good. Those looking for reverb and channel switching are out of luck, but the amp is great if you want the JTM-45/Bassman tone.

I use a 1962 Fender Stratocaster reissue that is a solid body (no tremolo). For old classic rock like Cream, the Stones or even some early Zepellin, you can't beat the sound of this amp when it's cranked. Most of the noise I hear is from the single coils on my guitar, but that's no big deal. The amp also sounds great at lower volumes if you're looking for a Steve Cropper-type clean sound. If you're looking for a reverb, I'd suggest getting a Danelectro delay pedal (analog) or even an older DOD reverb/delay (digital). I use the amp through a 1970's Marshall cabinet which probably has vintage Celestion 30's in it. I was using a JCM 800 50 watter (late 1980's) through the cabinet and it does not really compare to the Mig 50.

I recently bought the amp, so no problems. The amp has Soviet military tubes and is built like a tank, so I don't really foresee any major problems other than changing the tubes when I wear them out

There's no warranty, but I'm sure any technician could work on it because of its simplicity

I've been playing for nearly 15 years and this is one of the nicest amps I've played through. My first amp was a 1980's Marshall 50-watt combo. I thought it was nice. Then I had the pleasure of playing through an older 100-watt MKII which is the nicest amp I've played through. For the money and the sound, the Mig 50 is definitely worth buying if you can find one. Try it through a Marshall cabinet and you'll be glad you bought it. The only thing is that it looks kind of goofy sitting on the wider cabinet. If you can get past that cosmetic problem, then you'll be OK.

Don't know what year it was made in. I bought it four years ago for $175, and have practiced and giged with it religiously ever since. The head has eight states, hundreds of gigs, and even more practices on it, and has never let me down, EVER!

We play pop punk (in the vein of Green Day), and this amp blows away any other amp I've ever heard. I use a 1965 Fender Mustang (all original) with a Danelectro Fab Tone distortion pedal through the normal input (number 1), with a Sovtek 4x12. The clean sound is ubeatable, and the Fab Tone has a ton of crunch. The two together give me a big, meaty distortion, with just enough bite when palm muted (which is saying a lot, with 36 year old single coil pickups).

I've giged with it for four years, and it's the only amp I own.

I've never had to deal with customer support.

Does Anyone know where I can get another Sovtek 4x12? Mine still sounds great, and is still sturdy as a mule, but four years of road wear are starting to take a toll. I would LOVE another, but they're increasingly difficult to find. If anyone knows, they can email me at BenEndless@aol.com. Thanks.

Two Inputs: Input I-great for deep melodic chording and Input II-great for classic gain. 2 Volume knobs, treble, middle, bass and presence. Not too sure when the amp was made (probably 1995), I bought it on ebay. For the style of music that I play, this amp is perfect. I love that there are not a whole lot of "tricks" to this amp, you just plug in and play. This is a 50 watt all tube "monster"! No channel switching, effects loops or anything like that, but I don't need them since I use pedals and effects.

One word...LOUD!! I use an Ibanez AX-120 (w/stock humbuckers)and a Fender Squire Strat(w/single coils) and I run the amp through a new Marshall 1936 2X12 celestion cabinet. Like I said, this is perfect for my musical style which is a blend of alternative, classic rock and punk, but by no means heavy metal. However, in practices, I have noticed that this amp accomplishes that sound! As you increase the volume (past 5), you achieve a great lead overdrive on either input, and one necessarily may not need to use a pedal. However, there is some static when I adjust the knobs. There are no separate channels on this amp, just two different inputs, which is ok with me.

Looks pretty reliable, I heard Sovtek makes their equipment built like a heavy duty Russian tank!! If it were ever to break down, any technician could easily repair it. This is just one great and simple amp. Never gig without a backup...

Sovtek is out of business (now called Electr-Harmonix), but I heard that you may not need them since this amp is pretty tough. I guess the ending of the Cold War took care of that...

I have been playing for about 8 years now and I own 2 other amps: Peavey Rage and a Crate GX-65 (total crap). I currently use a Digitech RP-6 for effects and a Boss DS-1 for overdrive, since the RP-6 has such crappy distortion. Pretty soon I will get rid of the RP-6 and set up a loop of effects incorporating both inputs on the amp. If this amp were stolen, I would definitely be pissed because these are hard to find since there are no more being manufactured. I would search to find another one, because for the money, this amp can't be beat! My suggestion: if you hate the fact that everyone says that in order to get a great rig you must spend thousands of dollars, than this amp is for you. It emulates a classic Marshall and a Fender Bassman perfectly-for about a third of the cost! Think outside the box and be creative in your efforts when pursuing your perfect rig!!

See below

Sounds great especially at loud volume.

Seems very reliable.

Called tony bruno to ask what tubes he`d recomend. He charges $15 dollars for ten min of consoltation.I hung up but it probubly would have been $15 dollars well spent.

I saw this at a Music go round store for $135 so I bought it. This amp just wants to be cranked. Forget od pedals or effects just put on 8 and have at it. I`ve been using this with a old 70`s legend cab with 2 30 watt celestions and it sound pretty amazing.I bought a cheap Rolls pan vol pedal so I can use both channels at once or pan between the two.This is a very versitile option try it you`ll like it.I would definitly buy another one of these I have a seymor duncan convertible that I use with all my effects but this amp just wants to be left alone.

Why the vintage amp crowd have not taken to the mig 50 is beyond me, This amp is simply THE number ONE all tube amp value on the market, barr none. I see mig 50s selling for under $200 all the time, ARE YOU KIDDING ME. This thing sounds better then just about every amp Iv'e ever owned. i had a 63 bassman that sounded terrific,The bassman cost me $500 and I was happy to pay that but you can pay $150-$200 and have an amp the rivals ANY 50 watt non master tube amp on the market.You gotta be crazy not to buy one. The right tubes, bias and speakers will make an already great sounding amp into an amp that will compare with any amp on the planet. It's not hype. I have yet to hear a negative word about the mig 50 from poeple who own them.

Considering the unbelievable low price, I'll rate every catagory a 10 and even if these things sold for over $500 used, I would be giving out 8 and 9's.

The Sovtek MIG-50 is a wonderfully simple head with simple controls and more tone varieties than what many may think. The two inputs, CAEAAHO and POCCNN are really diverse (in case you don't get it, the input labels are in Russian). The first input is basically the 'Normal' input, while I find it chronically deep and resonant. The second, 'Bright' input is my main use. It has a beautiful balance between all frequencies, no matter what the three band equalizer is set at. Playing clean tones through input one is very mysterious and dark, which is perfect for subtle jazz or melodic chording. Input two is simultaneously sweet and sharp, perfect for playing any style into. The opposite of channel one, heavily distorted sounds (by Boss) on channel two are absolutely tight and compressed on the wound strings, but when your fingers glide up past the twelfth fret, the notes seem to be singing out as if you had flipped your proverbial compressor off. The equalizer is nicely executed in the usuable frequencies and provide a plethora of variable tones when using external boxes. The presence control is a wonderful little tool to help you range from rhythm to lead. The three output jacks are great because of their extreme high quality and ease of use (they're idiot proof). All in all, there are no lovely little features you might find on today's Marshalls, but for understated simplicity and versatility, this amp takes the cake.

Well, I got ahead of myself in the features section and began explaining the sounds that the Sov produces. So here are some more. I like to experiment with my music (kind of a progressive, melodic, yet modern blend of every type of pop music from jazz to death metal....look for the band Manifold) so I've found some sweet little features you can do to make the Sov sound awesome. What I do is go through my chain of pedals and when I hook them up in the right order, I get the sound I want and plug the terminal end of that chain into input two. Now here's the neat part...I take one of the pedals that has a separate Effect and Clean outs. Obviously the effect out continues in the chain, but I plug another cable into the clean out and pop that into input one. What this does is create a beautiful aura of balanced sound that can be modulated indefinitely with whatever pedals or imagination you have. Here's one example. I take my guitar's output and go into a Crybaby, which goes into a Digitech Whammy/Wah (this is where the output thing comes into play) and set that pedal to have a one octave lower harmony. The effected out goes into a Boss OS-2 Distortion and into input two. The clean out goes into input one. Now I turn the channel two volume low, and keep channel one volume slightly higher and play Led Zeppelin's Black Dog. It sounds so classic yet high tech and modern. hehehehehe.
If you learned to play guitar on a cheap solid state and grew attached to the sounds created by your stompboxes, take your floor setup and plug it into a Sovtek. The sound quality is through the roof and your tone will impress the most critical of crowds. Any style of music (more defense for the stomp box theory) sounds excellent depending on what you keep on the floor. I play a Nighthawk through it and into four Sheffield twelve inch speakers. Also, an SG with any old distortion box on high gain echoes of such classic tones as anything off of Weezer's Blue Album and when you flip off the fuzz, some old Who tones can be found. Even acoustics can sound great through input one or two (careful about feedback with that though) and basses sound soooooo sweet, but lack the low frequency thump of real bass amps. The amp is not noisy, but if you find it to be the opposite, it is the fault of your cables or pedals. You can find this out by taking the best cable you own and plug right right into the second input.

The amp has been very reliable except for one instance where it faded out as if someone was rolling back a volume pedal. I simply thumped the top with my fist and it rolled back up to full volume. Hmmm. Even after a few three foot drops, nothing is out of place.

Wouldn't know who to call.

I've practically summed what I feel is necessary information. For over a year, this amp has been a great companion in the basement and on the stage and Marshalls with their 'Tone Shift' and 'Virtual Power Reduction' garbage simply don't compare to the simple versatility and greatness of this Russian made wonder. I would search from Vladivostok to Leningrad to find a new Sovtek MIG-50 and pay four times as much. There are mainstream amps out there that everyone wants a piece of, but there are always a select few that are a cut above the rest. The Sovtek is one of those select few. There are better sounding amps out there...but if you have bills to pay and names like Soldano or Hiwatt are on your 'dream' list...the little Sovtek is a great buy.

45 watt all tube amp. im a tube man and i use tube amps. sovtek is very underrated. ive owned a mig 100 that i got for 250 and this amp which i bought for about 200. both very clean amps. especially the mig 100, taking its power into consideration. ive yet to try any of the sovtek amps that are said to be more "high gain" (such as the h models). has two 5881's (sovtek of course). it has seperate imputs for 4, 8 and 16 ohm cabs. two imputs, high and low, just like a bassman, which it is said to be modelled after. its a little smaller than the head though. i play quiet low fi indie rock to punk rock/ hardcore to grind metal stuff. this amp wont do the heavy stuff as well as it does well for the softer stuff i play, which it is perfect for. i like a clean amp and this breaks up about half way which is great since it is a perfect volume for what i play when "gigging." i havent tried, but im sure that under the low imput, bass would sound great. i know through the low imput on my sovtek mig 100 my bass sounded fantastic. give it a try. no seperate eq's for the channel but it sound good anyhow (in the rare case you were a-b'ing the chanells).a really basic amp. im a very simple guitar player, i wouldnt ask for anything else on this amp except maybe a naked woman or something.

i use a 72 gibson sg standard. great guitar. not a noisy amp. sometime i use the high channel, sometimes the low, depending on the weather. has a bluesy touch to it. sounds nice and fat and warm and great. very articulate. sounding, very TUBEY. no real distortion, talthough i use a boss blues driver and sometimes a boss overdrive pedal, and max out the gain and volume to get get roaring gain. basically this just pushes the tubes to obvilion. sounds really good but could use a compressor maybe? i wouldnt reccomend this amp to any metal players, maybe it could pull off punk rock but definately blues/ rock/ hard rock.

i bought it used and took it home, played on it for 10 minutes and blew a transformer. it kept blowing fuses immediately as i turned the amp on, as a result so i took it to get it ixed for 50 bucks or so. but it was worth it. this amp is very compact, and is very reliable. it must be those tough russian guys.

sovtek is very helpful. cheap parts, cheap amps, especially coming from russia.

ive been playing for about 5 years. i have a marshall valvestate can i use with this. im loading it with higher wattage celestions soon and building my own cab with some cheap eminence 12's. im also buying a marshall jcm 800 and a-b'ing from the sovtek to the marshall for clean clean to distortion distortion. sounds like alot of stuff but it will be relatively cheap and ill get the best of both worlds. to avoid the equipment overload, the only other amp id buy for both clean and distortion channels on my budget is a mesa boogie dc series amp, which supposedly goes from shimmering clean to roaring "rectifier-like" distortion. great amp. i reccomend! (on ebay of course!) any advice on an affordable way to acheieve a total distortion/ total clean sound would be great.

This amp is basically cloned from the 59' fender Bassman. Most people know they are made in Russia but do not know American boutique amp guru Tony Bruno (http://www.brunoamps.com/) did the circuit design. His custom amps regularly sell for $2000 and up from there.
The features and wattage are basically the same as the Bassman. This amp has none of that tone sucking crap like gain channels or god forbid master volume. Very similar to boutique amps that sell for 10 times the price of it. And that is no exaggeration. The design is also close to the original Marshall JCM-45 (No master volume or gain channel) which was Jim Marshall's Bassman rip-off/enhancement.

I play blues and hard core jazz fusion with a smattering of classic rock for old times sake and this amp covers of those styles well. Get's noisy above 5 on the volume pot but man does it have "the tone".
Not much clean head room with my Gibson, quite a bit more with my Strat. To repeat, the tone on this amp rivals most "boutique type" amps.

Does not appear to be the heaviest duty amp in the world but I have had no problem with it so far. I beat on it pretty hard from time to time. It uses two 5881 power tubes and I have not had to replace them yet.

Never needed to use it. Hope I don't ever have to call Russia! ;-)
The good news is that it is a very easy amp to repair for any decent amp tech.

I have been playing semi-professionally for 20 years. In other words I hold a steady day job. My main axes are a 1968 Reissue Fender Strat and a Gibson ES-135. I also have a Blues Jr. amp and a Marshall.

A "featureless", reverbless, loopless screamer. It has and sounds like 50 watts. Good power for "any" club.

I play Strats with SC pick-ups. The amp has good lows and a nice round sound. I play Blues (30 years). It get noisy above 5 but who cares, it just Blues. It is a good clean amp too, sounds a lot like a Bassman but a little louder. It screams at high volumes.

Haven't had it long but I'm sure it's simple enough to fix. Bob Dylan once sang,"you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." I'd turn it over to a TV repairman with a heavy accent if it broke.

Know nothing about the company. They probably made land mines during the cold war.

Been playing a loooong time. I'd but it again but a Bassman would do as well. It doesn't really lack anything I need. I use it with a Peavey Rockmaster.

This Amp is bone simple. the way it was meant to be. No reverb, effects loop, or any garbage. Plug in and rock. I give it a ten not because its "Very versatile", but because its all you need to rock.

Friggin Marshall JCM 800 50 watt clone. So great.

I broke a damn jack the first practice. This is no good. But I took it in to the greatest guitar tech ever, BILLY ZOOM of X fame. www.billyzoom.com

When its fixed Ill play it without a backup.

For Sovtek? Yeah right...

A buddy of mine who SWEARS by Marshall 100 watt heads took one listen to this, looked at me and said, you paid HOW MUCH? Nuff said. I play punk/rock and roll with this bad boy and a Les Paul....rock and roll. Buy this amp.

The amp was made in Russia and it does many kinds of music it goes from country to metal it doesn't have channel switching but i don't care the only thingi wish it had was a deffonite gain or distortion knob butit does it when you turn 2 of the knobs up

I use a strat copy and i usually play Clapton and Pink Floyd there is a wide variety of sounds that can be made and i think otheres that think otherwise don't have much taste in good amps this beats out all fender and many marshall combos given that it isn't a combo it doesn't get a really high distortion but if you want it a DANELECTRO distortion pedal will do the trick

It is the most reliable amp i've seen never had anythng happen to it and i'm hard on my equiptment

i don't speak russian

I've been playig for 2 years and have had this amp for 5 months it is the equivalent and 5 times better then a fender bassma this amp is
biggest bang for the bucki would definantly buy this one again

Mine is an older Mig-50, with presence misspelled (presense!?) - same features as mentioned above - 2 channels, no master volume, treble, mid, bass, and the aforementioned "presense" control. Contrary to what some have said, you can use both channels at once for a really nice blending of the two - just hook an A-B box that allows both A and B at the same time, and start dialing. I love it's sound - really raw, but not in a shitty Stooges kind of way. Everyone who hears it comments that it is really distinctive. Power-wise, I think I play too loud anyway, so it's probably good that it doesn't have more. It's plenty powerful, really.

I use two G&L ASATs and a crappy strat copy with this amp - the ASATs sound great, really bright and full, not too twangy. The strat sounds okay, but I think that has more to do with the guitar than the amp. I'm into experimental-noise, improv-y stuff and more refined pop, and it does double-duty in two very different bands and works out great. I use a turbo rat and tubescreamer a lot, but I do notice that clean sounds do break up at high volumes - especially if you run both channels simultaneously.

I use it without a backup amp all the time - never had a problem at a gig. It's been repaired and/or modded three times - the repairs were due to neglect (didn't change the tubes) and stupidity (let some kid use it who had both channels cranked for a few hours - asshole!). Otherwise, super-reliable.

dunno - I've always had a local guy work on it. He says it's his favorite amp because it's so simple to mod and get great sounds.

I almost bought a second one when Musician's Friend was clearing out their stock. I don't know why I didn't - I'd love to have another. For the money and sound quality, and if you're looking for a more individual sound, it's a great buy.

This is very easy to answer this part of the survey - the Mig 50 has minimal features. A volume for each channel, 3 eq knobs (treble, mid, bass) and a presence control. Very simple but very effective. I have noticed that the controls have some unusual effects on the tone - so experiment and find your "tone".
This simplicity works for me. I have had complex amps and effects in the past but have found myself going back to basics.
It has a standby, and a groovy VERY red light on the front. The input and rear output jacks on mine havce been replaced with steel ones. I saw some of the first amps out and they were plastic - do replace them prior to gigging - just a precaution.
No reverb.

I play mostly Fenders, with some older vintage hollow bodies. The Strat sounds fantastic through this amp! The sensor lace pickups are quite powerful and drive it nicely.
We play rock n roll through to chilli peppers - this amp will do it all. It has enought volume for any club/pub gig.
The amp starts off very clean (channel 2) up to about half way, then smooths out to a nice bluesy distortion - but by then is too load for any human! Use a quality o/drive pedal (boogie, G2D etc) to get versatility. My recomendation for any guitarist is to start with a clean and tonally excellent amp - then dirty it up with effects. It is hard to get a bad amp to sound good with good effect pedals!!
This is why the Sovtek is so good - simply, the amp sings. Bright and shimmering through to big bottom end. Harmonics leap out. Volume settings on the guitar are instantly transferred to useable boosts and solos etc. Very responsive.
No substantial noise from the amp - quiet, as it should be.
I use Fender vintage cabinet (2x12" Phillips speakers - 80 watts) and a Crate home made cabinet (2 x 12" Vintage style speakers). I would like to get some 10" Vintage Webbers for it. Would give it a little more "zing".
I keep saying Vintage and the amp leans that why, but don't be mistaken - this has versatility plus. Marshall tones are easy to pull from it.

Quite new for me but no problems yet. The finnish is very tough looking and the internals are build like a brick shit house so shouldn't be an issue. As someone said here earlier - treat valve gear with care - it can get very unreliable if you don't!
Replace preamp valves every 2 years and power amp valves annually if you can (based on very regular use). Buy good matched power valves, not singular replacements. Carry spares.

Again - have had no need. But the guys I got it from said there should be no issue. If you play a lot you should have a favourite and trusted electician/amp specialist anyways. I find them easier to deal with if anything goes wrong than trying to send it back to the manufacturers - unless of course it is very new etc.......

I use a Crate Club 50 Vintage and it rocks but is totally unreliable so this thing has been my saviour. Different sound (Crate uses EL84's in the power section and has that Vox ring to it). I use a Valverb (peavey) for reverb (Sovtek has none) and tremelo. It also drives as a preamp too. Very noisy piece of gear but OK for live stuff. Good sound when teamed with the Sovtek.
I owuld buy it again - $350 NZ ($180US) is very good value - I got it from a closing sale - brand new! Still had packaging attached to it.
Again, because it is simple, it works very well. Start putting loops and reverbs on it and ut looses charm - is perfect as is!
I say get one of these babies now, before the world catches on, and they become rarer than Bigfoot!

it seems to be an older mig 50 . it has a nice wood finish. it's a light pine color. as the other reviews state. not ,uch in features, but god oh god what an amp. it reproduces whatever effects i feed in so the options are not important to me.the four band eq is all i need. it has a green power light and a stanby switch. and nice flip up wood handle. i am looking for a matching wood cabinet. seriously a bithin' amp

i use a 1970- something electra guitar.(no, not danelectro...please). with dual humbuckers. this guitar is best described as a lp rip off. i play in an indie rock band which requires very full and tubey sounds. the amp never feeds back and, sometimes i have a hard time getting my guitar to agree with my amp, i think it has something to do with the "presence knob"

why do they even sell replacement tubes? i doubt i will ever have a problem.

strazwiecha kak znayou? ya deliate? just kidding i don't speak russian.

i have been using this head for a year and have never been happier or recieved so many comments. i really wish i had a cabinet no match it. if anyone knows about a 4x12 sovtek cabinet with a wood finish, let me know.

What an amp!!! Cheap and great fucking tone!!!! Does anyone like the tone of the Fender Bassman? Well, this amp was modeled after the classic. The model that I have is at least a year old. Maybe older. For the type of music that I play, I couldn't ask for anything more as far as tone goes. I play straight forward rock/punk.
The features on this 50 watt puppie are: input1,input2, vol1, vol2, treble, mid, bass, presence, standby, on/off. And that's it. 5881's and 12ax7's. Beautiful sound. Again, I couldn't ask for anything more or less in an amplifier. I play it through an old Marshall 4x12 cabinet. I am not sure what model the cabinet is, but I do know that it is a 1973 Marshall 4x12 with 30 watt speakers in it. Since the cab is only 120 watts total, the mig 50 sounds great through it. I give this amp an 8 on features. What it does, it does extremely well.

I play a Mexican Telecaster through this amp. I would like to eventually get an epiphone '56 gold top reissue. (I'm a huge Social Distortion fan and I love there guitar sound.) I use a ProCo Turbo Rat for effects. Plain and simple and it gets the job done.

Well the Mig 50 is my only big amp, so I have to depend on it, but it's built so solid I don't forsee any problems in the future. I have had the amp for about 6 months and I have yet to have even the slightest problem. Even with the tubes.

Don't speak Russian.

I have been playing for about 7 years and I've played a number of different amps. For the money, the Sovtek Mig 50 is one of the best deals I've found. I compared it to a number of Fender combos and heads, but alot of those were just too expensive. I found this amp for $250 and the cabinet I bought from a friend for $225, so I have really saved and I have a great amp. sure it's no Marshall, but everyone and their bass player has a Marshall.
If you play straight-up rock-n-roll, and like your amp to just be an amp with great tube tone and no extra crap, try out a sovtek.

as everybody else has said, 2 inputs, 4-band eq, speaker out(4,8,16ohm), that's about it. simple and easy, but unbelievable tone. all tube, chicken head knobs, plastic standby and power switches.

i use a '94 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite, through the sovtek and a 50's 2X12 silvertone cab, and play just about any type of style. i use it at my church when i play during praise and worship in the youth services. unlike what others have said, my sovtek starts to distort at about 3&1/2 to 4. as i crank up channel one, it gets really distorted, kinda like a big muff. its also extremely loud. channel 2, the clean/bright channel, is extremely clear and bright. the only other amps i've heard that rival its tone are matchless and Vox. they're also quite a bit more expensive. for the money, i'd get a sovtek.

never had a problem with it. bought it used, and it's pretty beat up, but keeps on pumpin out the tone.

never dealt with them.

one of the best amps i've played on, excluding the Matchless. use it at least twice a week.

There are no features on this thing, unless you count volume... The only effects are what you put into it, and I like it that way.

I ran this with a MetalZone and I play with a Squire Fat Strat (HSS pickups) and a Fender Mexican Tele (standard pickups) and this thing was just great. This is a completely underrated rock amp. I play punk rock with tons of distortion, and the guy I bought it from played metal and we both love it. My only problem is that when you try to give it more high end it gets pretty fuzzy and sounds whacky. However, I have since moved on to a Marshall JCM 900 and it seems to do the same thing from time to time so it might just be me. Overall, this amp was great for what I paid for it and it lasted me a LONG time.

I have never had a real problem with this amp. I'm pretty sure it's older than me and I'm sure it will outlive me as well as the rest of us.

If there was a support line, I don't speak russian so I would be SOL.

This thing is well worth the money. I definately wouldn't pay more than $200 for one, but maybe I'm just saying that because I bought it for so cheap. This amp is a killer and it's the loudest 50 watts you'll ever hear. And it's just a cool amp to have even if you don't ever play it.

As others have said, this is a simple little amp. No pre amp controls. Two separate channel inputs, one warm, one bright. The knobs on mine are plastic ("chicken heads" someone told me) but they're attached to metal pots.Unfortunately the allen screw that holds them on worked loose on two of mine and I lost them.
I bought it for it's bare bone set up, so I got what I wanted. I have found the three separate speaker inputs (4, 8, and 16 ohm)one of most valuable feature available. My cabinet set up was two 2X10s at 8 ohms(I used one cab as a monitor--that band had a loud stage), but when I started playing in my current band, I found one 16 ohm 2X10 worked so much nicer. I have used other cabs in the studio snd on stage, and the head worked great with every change in style and set up.

I've been playing a Hamer artist studio model semi-hollow body with two Seth Lover humbuckers since Feb. '97. I had an early 80's Charvel model 1 before that (1 humbucker, 1 knob) and it sounded good through the Sovetek, but the Hamer seems tailor made for it. Channel 1 is smooth and clean from the lowest setting(call it 6 o'clock because on my amp there are no numbers, just hash marks) to about 9 o'clock where it starts to get warmer and tubey, and by 11 0'clock, ther is a hint of break in the notes. In the loud band, I would rarely turn it past 12-1 o'clock where the volume is LOUD and the tubes distort with a nice bluesy feel. I use a Mesa V-twin pre-amp for a clean boost, and also two old Tube Screamers set with low dist. settings to get a variety of overdrive. I also rarely use my guitar volume knob because the amp responds to my touch from near silent to full on. I have never changed the tubes in 5 years of use. The only difference in sound, is that about 2 years ago, the midrange knob suddenly started to effect the tone in a very positive way. The treble, bass and presence knobs are very suble, but the mid seems to really boost the "warmth". The people who have heard me play over the years began to tell me how great the guitar SOUNDS after about 6 months of tweaking with the knobs. I feel it has delivered more than I could have imagined for the money.

I use this amp for regular gigging. Lots of hauling. Besides the knobs falling off, the only thing to EVER go wrong is the power light doesn't come on any more, and that could be fixed but I don't mind looking into the back of the amp to see if the tubes are glowing. As mentioned, I've never had the tubes replaced (although, I might get replacements to hear what difference they might make, and to have back ups). 5 years of dependable use.

I have had no dealings with Sovtek. Looking at the guts, I would say any compitent amp tech could fix it.

I bought this amp new in 1995 because I wanted to step up to tube tone from my ancient solid state Peavy Renown. I love it's simplicity, and the tone never quits. I've played through old Marshall tube 50s and Bassmans (that spelling just seem wrong) and for me, they don't even compare. When I buy a new amp, it will be in a completely different league when compared to the $245 price tag. For an entry level (maybe even sub-entry level) amp, that delivers tone without frills, you can't go wrong with the Mig 50

Just 2 inputs and corresponding volumes. 4 band EQ. 4,8, and 16 ohm speaker outs.

Two words: FAT-ASS! That's how I like my women and my amps. Low end definition that most amps can't deliver. I use channel one for mellow jazz or turn on my Daddy-O for a huge, ballsy overdrive. Very obnoxious. I use channel two for that Fender 6L6 clean sound I can't get enough of.
It's supposed to be a '59 Bassman ripoff, and it blows my friend's Bassman combo away. The combo is fat in its own right, but the Sovtek is more "tubey".

I've had it for two years (after buying it used). Never needed service or new tubes. But then again, I don't tour. I want to try some Svetlanas or something for more detail. Sovtek should package them from now on with their 6L6WXT+s for more authentic sound.

I've only emailed them to ask about tubes and to see if they have a manual (which they don't, but why would I need one?). Pretty quick response and friendly.

Super bang for the buck. I've played F&M amps that can't match this for tone/price ratio. My only complaint is the plastic jacks and switches. What the hell is with that? Common, I'll pay a few more bucks for metal. Take pride in your work, for heaven's sake. The knobs are cheesy, but I may change them.
This is not a jack of all trades (buy a Line 6 flextone for that), but a great amp for the jazz/rock that I play. Be an individual.

The MIG-50 is a very basic amp with the right amount of volume for gigging -- not too loud. No shitty onboard reverb or chorus. Channel switching? Buy an A/B switch and you can switch between normal and bright. For me, the bright channel may as well not exist on any amp.

A friend of mine has a '59 Bassman and I always liked his tone. Now I have it, except it doesn't say fender on it. I use this amp with a Sonic 1-12 ported cabinet with a 16 ohm Celestion G12-70M (This Cabinet sounds great with any of my amps running through it). Keep in mind, this amp is a special tone -- it is not a jack-of-all-trades, mastter-of-none. What it does, it does quite well.

On the outside, the jacks on mine are all metal, but the ON and STANDBY switches are plastic. I hit the switches reasonably hard and the didn't break and are likely not to if I am at all careful. Even if one were to break at a gig, the wiring is very simple and easy to access -- with a ten minute break, a screwdriver (phillips) and an alligator clip, I could be up and running again.
I took the amp apart and looked at it from the inside: The tube sockets are good quality and hold the tubes firmly in place -- plus there are retainers over each tube. The tube sockets are hand-wired -- not mounted to the PC Board.
I read another review that suggested the Sovteks are point-to-point wired. Maybe theirs is, but mine is not: it does, in fact, have a PC board -- a good PC board, but a PC board none-the-less.
The pots (volume, bass, treble ...) seem okay -- not the best, not the worst. Overall, the wiring in mine is very clean.
For the price, the components are good. As for the switches and plastic jacks on some of the Sovteks, these are very easy and inexpensive to change. Pretty much a do-it-yourself repair/upgrade. Personally, I'm comfortable with the plastic switches because I am careful with my gear -- I play keyboards as well and it is usually smart to treat a synth nicely.
I hate to use ANY amp without a backup. I at least like to have spare tubes. My future backup amp will be a Line6 Pod, which I intend to use as preamp & effects. The Pod can go direct into the board -- probably not everyone's first choice, but it will get you through a gig. I'll have it with me anyway. If the Pod fails, I'll have a Boss DS-1 and a CH-1 with me -- much lighter load than bringing another tube amp. A H&K Tubeman or a SansAmp can also serve this purpose.
My Rating is based on the components that I have seen with my own eyes AND the knowledge that I do not throw my gear around like a moron. If you're careless, any piece of gear becomes less reliable.

??? You never know 'til you need them. I haven't needed them yet. I bought my amp used, so if I needed a repair or a modification beyond my capabilities, I'd bring it to a repairman, not to Sovtek.

I have played through several Sovteks (MIG-50s and 60s)and have found them to be consistantly good. I haven't tried the H series. Overall, this amp is nice, durable, portable, basic tube amp with just the right output for most stages. Since it is 45 watts, it works well with most 1 12" cabinets. Most importantly, it has a great voice. I rate it a 10 overall in terms of performance vs. price.

My amp man tells me that the Mig-50 is back-engineered from the '59 Fender Bassman. It is basic. Bright and normal inputs. Treble, mid, bass and presence controls. That's about it. You can mix the 2 inputs with a y-cable or an AB Both box. No reverb or trem. I use a variety of outboard units (Micro verb or Peavey Valveverb). It's the biggest amp I use. I run it with a single 12 Boogie cab or a 2-12 Bob Monday cab loaded with old Jensens when I need more fire power. I have never needed an amp with more power.

This is the best sounding amp I've ever had. It's so good I can forget I'm using an amp. I A-B'ed it with a Bassman reissue and I think it walked all over the Bassman. The tone controls don't do much but they are interactive. That's really OK. The basic tone of the amp is very good with the EQs set at 12 o'clock. You just tweak for the characteristics of your guitar. I've used various Teles, a Les Paul a 335 and a Ric 12 string and they all sound good. The amp seems to emphasize the guitar's best features. It doesn't seem to favor humbuckers or single coils.

Much has been made about the reliability issue with these amps. Mine has been very rugged. No failures. It is kind of tube-hungry (I think due to the high plate voltage). New Sensor calls for new bottles every 6 months.

I have never had to deal with Sovtek or New Sensor.

When I bought this amp it was pretty much on a whim. It was cheap and I was in the mood to buy something new. It turned out to be a real winner for me. The amp simply sounds great for the roots/blues/country stuff my band does. I've used 60's Fenders, various Music Mans, Peaveys and to me, nothing comes close.

This is a basic amp with just 2 inputs (or channels as someone calls it)that is not switchable. There is one volume for each channel(normal and bright)and controlls for bass, mid, treble and presens but no master volume. The amp is tubepowered (both pre- and power amp) and delivers 50 watts. It's easy to use due to the direct and uncluttered aproach.

It's here this amp really shines. You'll get a honest,real guitarsound right from the start and you cant really fail. You have two basic options: Normal that's a ballsy clean or semiclean sound depending on how hard you drive the amp, and bright thats really cut through. The tone controls alters the sound in an delicat way that prevents you from ruin a great sound. It is loud to, but not to loud to be smoothly overdriven in i small club.

How easy can it be. Ok it's tubes and that has its drawbacks and i've had i condensator canged in it due to bad soldering but now it works fine and have done for a couple of years.

The importers here in Sweden where i live are a pain in the ass but i hope thats just here.

I play my amp on a daily basis in my band SAFE SOFT MISSILES and i use a Peavey falcon classic guitar (the USA built one) run through a crybaby wahwah, Ibanez tubescreamer ts 10, proco Rat and a boss tremolo and I had to borrow a MesaBoogie for a gig when the Sotek were being serviced and knowing the boogie is a high quality amp i am really impressed with the sovtek mig 50 as i missed it much during that gig. I have to say i would run to the store to bye a new one if i would seperated from my amp. Ok so there is no high gain chanel or master volume and no fx loop but it suites me fine and i think any blues, rotrock, jazz, r'n'n player can benefit from the SOVTEK MIG50. and it's cheap to!

Well, as the others reviews have said meat and potatoes amp. Crappy Plastic power switches, two channels that sound great and master volumes, 3 band EQ, and prescence, which happens to be spelled wrong on older ones like mine.

I use a Lone Star strat and a Peavey Strat copy, and some old crappy Sears guitar, and all sound really good, in addition I use a Zoom 505 to make up for the lack of reverb and a little more variety among the sounds. I play classic rock and metal and this amp does a great job, It's real bassy but if you use a proccesor you can fix that. It can put out some great overdrive that rivals amp that cost a whole hell of a lot more. So the amp rocks!

Well, I bought it used, it's an older model, but I've been using it heavily since I've got it, and it has treated me very well.

Hell if I know.

I'm gonna buy another just to have more sound. But if I lost it or it got stolen I wouldn't have to buy another because I'd already have another. II put it up against a Marshall JCM 900, And it beat the Marshall into the ground as far as price to sound ratio, plus Marshalls sound ratty to me. The only other thing I would consider is a Fender Tonemaster because they are bad ass amps. But then again I don't have the money so buy Sovtek and you can be GHETTO as hell!

Just a real bare bones amp. I've always been of the opinion that the more bells and whistles an amp has, the more interference there is between the guitar and speaker. The less, the better. There's no master volume, but there is two seperate vol. for each input (one bright, one normal). The first thing that I noticed when trying this out, is how the two volume controls interact with each other, like an old Fender Bassman. You also have the option of a 4, 8, or 16 ohm speaker jacks for added versatility. With the aid of a couple of outboard attachments, this amp is versatile enough for anything.

Currently using a Telecaster and a Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal, with an old Rat box for an occasional boost. I play blues, but when blues gigs get slow, I've been known to take an occasional country, or top-40 gig to help make ends meet. This amp covers it all. By itself, without gizmos, it sounds beautiful clean. Better than some blackface Fenders that I've used and blown up over the years (Bassman heads, and Super Reverbs). There's a little extra clean headroom as you turn the volume up due to, I suspect, the solid state rectifier. The bottom end is great. When cranked full, it has a wonderful low-gain distortion that, with the help of a tubescreamer, or whatever, can be used for any type of music. By itself, it makes the PERFECT blues amp. It's VERY loud too.

After blowing up amps left and right on the bandstand (various Fenders, Mesa/Boogies, etc.) I came to own this head for the second time. The first time, I didn't put a lot of faith in it and was offer a trade straight up for an old Bassman head, which didn't sound anywhere near as good. After it, and all it's successors died, I got the old Sovtek back and have been using it on an average of four nights a week for about two years now with NO trouble. I change the output tubes about every 6 months to a year. The knobs and switches are cheesy, and even though I try to baby her, the Vol. knob wants to fall off and doesn't seem to want to be tightened either - oh well. Internally, this amp is as tough as alot of amps cost a grand or more.

Never had to deal with the company. It's so basic, I could probably fix it myself.

I would love to find a second one as a spare. If it died, I'd definately be looking for another one. The only thing that I can think of that I wished that it had is a ground switch. But, at this price, who cares?

Absolute Bare bones. Just Volume/3-Band EQ/Presence. Two Inputs, one normal, one Bright. I only use the Normal, however, as the bright has no natural breakup, to make it sound really "Valvey"

I Play with a custom Strat, a Boss Turbo-Overdrive and a Jim Dunlop Crybaby. It sounds positively gorgeous without FX, a really rich, bass-heavy valve sound. It has bottom end that seems to go forever. It gets a little noisy when you really crank it, but that may be because I use single coils. It is also LOUD. It is a valve amp after all. Played through a Quad it will rattle the windows. However, it still sounds fine at lower voumes, so your neighbours wont be driven to killing you. The clean tone holds till you crank it, when it becomes naturally overdriven, so it's perfect for blues and rock. I doubt it's a country player's amp, but i spose there's always the Bright input. The general consensus is however, that it has a tone to drool over.

Well, I havent had it for long enough to do much damage, though those switches look a bit flimsy.

Havent had any bother so far, but it's so simple, i think i could fix it myself.

I have been playing for 18 months, and this is my first really serious amp. I am very glad that i managed to get it for such a good price, and that i got turned onto a Sovtek in the first place. I compared it with an Ampeg Superjet, a Peavey Ultra 112, a Marshall VS100, a Fender Deluxe 40 watt, a Marshall JTM-60, and a JCM-600. Personally I think it blew them all into the weeds, with the exception of the Ampeg, which i would have bought, as it sounds as good, and has a gorgeous Reverb, but was also $400 more. I am totally stoked about it. With a second hand Quad for $195, I managed to get a setup that will last me forever for two beers short of a grand. My advice is go with Sovtek. They say they are a rip-off of Marshall amps, but i think they shit all over Marshalls. If you want a great-sounding, no frills Valve amp, get yourself a Sovtek. Its an absolute fucking cracker.

2 channels, however only pne can be used at one time. No effect loop. but does quite well with a DOD FX-7 on channel 1 and 2 PLENTY of POWER. Its kinda like a F-16. It can handle more power than my body can. Love the 5881-tubes. Much richer than my Peavey Classic 30 (but I like that amp too)

No lots of distortion, but great amp for an effects unit to get reverb, etc. very good using lots of distortion. No squeeking like the classic 30 tube clips.

Dont know yet. bought used in great condition.

Two channels ( voiced differently)..non switchable ( use A/B box ) Common tone controls..bass,middle,treble and presence. Loud 50 watts... uses 5881 output tubes 4,8,16 ohm speaker outputs That's it! But very musical,great tone

I basically use the Sovtek as a loud,clean tone source and derive distortion from a V-twin (boogie)and a Chandler Tube Driver.Live, I play mostly in small to medium sized clubs and bars so the volume never gets past 5 as I'm miked up thru the front of house.I use a Y-cord to jumper the two channels together...channel one is very bottomy(?) whilst the second channel is bright and adjust the blend of both to get the tone I want.Almost "Fender like" clean tones but great rock distortion tones with the pedals.( I find Fenders give good crunch tones but sound too "fizzy" with extreme distortion.) Love the clean tones with awesome bottom end.

Never had any problems...if fact when setting up for a gig the head fell six feet from the top of the riser onto the stage SH*T..but I plugged it in and away it went!!

Never needed their help! Comes with a 12 month warranty new.

I use it three nights a week ( up to 5 hours a gig ) and I'll still be using it! Sure it's real basic and you have to carry around outboard reverb and distortion pedals but the tone more than makes up for that. Plus it's really light to carry!

Tubes. 5881. That's the best feature. Tone. Like a cross country runner's legs. Seriously, if you want anything other than tubes glowing, go elsewhere. But, when your little knobs go to hell, and you can't make the gig, I will step in for you.

No Master volume, no "gain" channel, not a single luxury, just tone from the gods. Slight noise, but if you crank it to 7+, you really won't care. "Magic" settings are at 3 for clean (good R& B tone), and 9 for me. Then again, I'm a mutant. I play this 50 watt tuber with an Epi "SG" copy, through a MXR Dist. +, and use an old Fender Bassman 3x12 cabinet(no misprint. Early '70's solid state Bassmans used a 3x12 cab. It's a brownface. nyah,nyah.Told ya I'm a mutant.) Not so loud that you won't be miked at your next larger gig, but it's more than loud enough for practice, and small to mid sized gigs. I play from punk to standard 70's hard rock (call me "alternative", and I'll kill your dog.) and this tone monster has not, will not, and can not fail me.

Never needed my back up (Bandit 112 and Fender Champ, with an A/B switch),two years running. Don't knock it. You'll need service on your Mesa. The lights might give out, you have to replace tubes here an' there, but the Tone is evilly immortal.

Nope, I wouldn't buy it again because I don't need to. This one is just fine. For the combination of Price, Tone, and reliability, I couldn't find anything better (Yes, I tried comparable Fender, Peavey and Marshall). When I bought this, I wanted 3 things: Tube tone, volume enough for a small gig, and low maintenance. I got that. But, I also got a really good sound. All my own. If you're reading this, and you're thinking Peavey/Fender/small Marshall, I've got a question for you: Does the world need another player who sounds like everybody else? If you're really following the muse, and you can't afford some boutique amp, try a Sovtek. (Yeah, I'll admit that I'd buy a Matchless, if I had the cash, but who does?)At the end of the day, all you have as a musician is your talent and your tone, you supply the talent, and choose wisely on your equipment, and you'll get the Tone you want.

The main feature on this amp is great tone. There are no bells and whistles to speak of, just two inputs, one volume knob for each, bass, mid, treble, and presence. The first input is no good for anything but bass practice or I-IV-V rhythm. It has 4, 8, and 16 ohm outputs

The second input produces timeless clean tones, courtesy of 2 5881's. A humbucker can get a good "Wish You Were Here" tone, and produces beautifully subtle overdrive halfway up the volume knob (at which point I must leave the room to save my eardrums). The middle(single) pickup is nice for a VU& Nico sound, and the single neck pickup is perfect for Doors' "The End". The treble stays clear at almost all settings, and it's hard not to get good , rubbery low end definition. I play through a Music Man 2x12. A 4x12 w/ Celestions sounded too sterile, with less definition. Very little noise.

The power light didn't work when I bought this amp used. I'd like to get the first input modified(is this possible?).

I'd definitely buy it again. The tone/price ratio is unbeatable. I've read that reliability is questionable. Oh well, I could get 10 of these for the price of a Matchless.

Very simple amp, no reverb or master volume, but still is very versitle.

Clean up until about 7, then starts to distort. Very smooth distortion and great crunch. It's a little noisy, so just turn it up until you can't hear the noisee anymore.

I've only had it for 4 months, but I've never had any problems.

I would, and probably will, buy another one of these. This is a great, all tube amp for the money.