Sovtek Tube Midget Mig 50-H Head

Straight ahead, single channel all tube signal path amp head rated at 50 watts rms. (hmmmm) No reverb, no fx loops, etc. Master vol. eq and presence control. High and low inputs. 4-8-16 ohm outs for speakers, a line out.
I just traded in a 1969 50w bassman head for this one today, so this is based on my first impressions of this amp. (I'll update after I've played it for 6 months or so.)
Like I said, I traded vintage fender for this amp. This thing really sounds very nice. The distortion is very fuzzy with hb's (les paul). My strat with stock singles however sings witht this amps distortion. I wish it had channel switching and stuff, but thats not really that important to me. TONE is ALL THAT MATTERS!
This thing is plenty loud. Compared to my Marshall that is rated at 30 watts RMS with EL34 power tubes, it's a little louder. (And by reviews of the 3203 marshall artist, everyone thinks that amp is pretty loud.) If you have one that is not very loud, take it to a shop dude. It needs a going over.
Dial up the master and adjust the vol to taste, very cool clean sound (much better than the 69 bassman) Warm and tuby. I plugged in my X155 jazz box, and was comping jazz riffs that the bassman used to like to make low farty noises at me for my efforts.

I play a 73 LP custom, an 80's jap strat that has mostly US parts on it now and a DeArmond X155 Jazz box. I don't do FX stuff much. All with the stock pu's. (with a box full of other pu's that I tried and wound up tearing out.) TONE is what matters.
I play everything but country.
This is a single channel tube amp, so if you want clean you have to turn down the master. If you want dirt, you adjust the master to taste.
The clean sounds really good to me. Not twangy fender, but warm smooth clean that drips tone from your speakers like f**ken honey. The normally bright strat pu's are smooth and open. I love the tone.
The distortion is brutal. Almost like "nu-metal" high gain with hb's, but more melodic with the single coils.
This does not sound like my marshall. (I define the marshall sound as in Jethro tull and the Allman bro's.) This dist is much different, but still very cool. Warm, responsive, thick and pretty fuzzy with the hb's. I would think that high output pu's would push this amp into nu-metal territory in a hurry. (if you like all fuzz and not much in the way of tone.)

Seems tough. The pots do not make any noise, and the overall build seems very good. The russians are known for overengineering their stuff and making it very, very robust.

I dunno

I've been playing for a long time. (since like 1984), you do the math. I traded a 69 fender bassman with the gain mod that uses the bass channel as a gain stage and was switchable to the std. config. It didn't have half the TONE that this Mig had. (or maybe I just don't like fenders?) I also have a Marshall Artist 3203, I've had other Solid state stuff that I have gotten rid of over the years in trying to only keep the stuff that really sounds good. (dumped fender, Ibenez and Peavy) I think this amp will be a keeper. I got some old syth's, a bass guitar and a couple of acoustics.
I've been shopping around for another amp that had a nice clean channel for playing, well, clean stuff. (duh) Jazz, whatever, etc. and have played alot of stuff locally, including some of the new modeling amps. I simply couldn't find anything that I liked better or even equal to my 3203 marshall. On a hunch I played this Mig that has been sitting in a local store for a year. I was impressed with the clean tone that this thing put out at pretty high volumes. Then the distortion was a bonus.
I believe that alot of OK sounds are not nearly so good as a couple, or even one really good sound. so this amp fits my ideals very well. I just wish I would have found one of these years ago instead of wasting money on all the crummy amps that I've played.
I would advise anyone to give one of these a listen. They sound great, and cost peanuts. (For the price of a crummy practice amp)
But, TONE is a very personal thing that depends alot on your style. You have to try out different stuff until you find the thing that fits your style by giving you your tone.
nuf said

i'm not sure when the amp was made, i'm guessing early 90's???
MADE IN RUSSIA
not many features but it gets the job done...it has 2 channels
but you can't switch between them unless you unplug you're guitar...
i mainly use the clean channel anyway but i'm sure there is a way you could set it up to switch between the channels??? has a line out and
4,8,and 16 ohm ins??

My setup is Mig 50h head> sovtek 2x12" cab> sovtek big muff(or) boss
DS-2>fender 69 mustang reissue(& epiphone les paul special but i sold it).THe mustang has the lace sensor pickups..single coils...the only time i actually get annoying noise it when the amp its on near a TV....THis amp has a very distinctive thick sound, which at times can be a bit too much but an equalizer pedal will help w/ that..you can get very warm overdrive to a very harsh distortion which sound pretty much like the big muff pedal...i personally like the clean channel the best(tubes)..the feedback with this amp is amazing sometimes suttle and howling and sometimes it just pops in in the right places while playing...the type of music i play is basically emo-core?? with blends of punk rock and new wave(the cure,smiths...)
i give the sound an 8 because i know it could be a bit better..but i still love it...

haven't had a problem with it yet..my friends had a similar sovtek
for about 4 years and has only had to service it about 2 times....
i would definately tour with this amp..

not sure??

i love this amp...i've been playing roughly 5.5 years..i sold my first "big" amp a fender roc pro 1000 to get a Line 6 AX2 2x12 and sold that for this...and i couldn't be happier...i guess if it were stolen i'd look for another(but they are getting harder to find?)..so i might just go for a jcm 900 which is very similar...but cost more...i think if you are looking for a thicker sound for your music(ala weezer blue cd, or smashing pumpkins
siamise..)then this would be a fantastic amp..especially for the $$$
its also great for punk or inde rock...which is what i love...thats all i guess

This is a discontinued model. As indicated elsewhere, it is a 50W head, one channel w/ high and low inputs, no effects or loops, 4-band EQ, gain and master volume. It is a physically smaller version of the MIG60, but you can't really tell the difference in output between the 50 and 60 watt units. The absence of features requires one to use pedals (or more creativity). It is an amplifier in the pure sense of the word.

The amp is surprisingly clear and quiet on both the clean and hi-gain inputs with the volume maxed. However, I find that the variation on each of the EQ pots to be minimal, perhaps only 3db over whatever range of frequencies are affected. which isn't enough for my taste - I've been spoiled by other amps that provide plus or minus 12db across the bandwidths. Aside from the lack of broad flexibility on the EQ, the "tube-ness" of the amp, which uses 5881 power tubes, is wonderful. Neither input is muddy, across all combinations of gain and master, even with the bass turned up, and using humbuckers -- I'd like to test it w/ single-coils at some point. This isn't the best amp for jazz, but it is passable -- you can get pretty clean settings taking out most of the EQ and cranking the master volume. For rock and blues, it is very good, and you can get a broad spectrum of overdrive, especially on the hi-gain input where you can get some nice distortion on lo and high tones at even low volume. You've got to drive the clean input at nearly full gain to get much breakup. The amp was tested with an LP Custom (PAF Humbuckers) and an Epi Wilshire (mini-humbuckers). In sum, for lead, single string or double-stop, it is excellent. At maximum volumes (including pickup volume), my styles of chording (whcih is often all six strings with one or two deadened, even for heavy rock) does sound overly fat --- you just don't get enough decay to get that clarity string-to-string. But I blame this on humbuckers and thicker strings.

I have a backup amp, but don't expect to use it -- the box is overbuilt for the amount of hardware inside. All tubes are well mounted and the wiring appears tight. The small size means I can stick it behind a seat or on the floor easily and not worry about bouncing and jarring. There is just too little inside for anything to go seriously wrong.

One year warranty through the distributor. The company is personable and informative.

For the price paid new, this is a great deal, and I picked it primarily for that reason -- new tube amps of this wattage are ridiculously priced. I may tinker with the electronics to broaden the tonal palette, but aside from that it is a very convenient way to get a range of quality tube sound. I use this "dry" or with a Zoom 505 for some supplemental color and effects.

it's as straight ahead as it gets. i don't like alot of knobs to get in the way of my tone. channel switching would be ideal but the sound of the thing makes up for it.

brutal. bottom end. vintage style distortion. one of the best amps i've ever used. flexible too, it does'nt take alot of dialing to get a good tone and there is a good variety of tones to cull from this baby. if you only play clean, this is not the amp for you.

plastic inputs suck. real easy to break, as i did to one lent to me by a friend. easy to replace though...the one i own now i've only had a few days - no problems yet.

don't know if support is available for sovtek these days. especially in the uk

these little devils pack a punch and i was very happy to find one (in a shop in Zurich - it was the last one they had). i play it with a les paul custom and a distortion/sustain pedal to make it that much more punishing, but that's just me. at the moment i own three different sovtek heads (50, 50H and 100H) and they are all great and unique in their own way. i'll use them for a long time to come.

It's pretty straight and to the point. Hi and Low inputs, volume, master, low, mid, high, and presence. NO effects loop. NO channels switching. NO reverb.

I play a fender strat with a semour duncan jb humbucker. For cleaner sounds I use one of the single coils. This amp has an unbelieveable tone! I highly agree with people that compare this amp with other high end boutique amps. The low does distort even low volumes but its a beautiful sound. It always breaks up very smoothly, giving it a broad range of dynamics. The high input matched with a humbucker can produce a very marshall like sound. It's not suited for metal but it will give you a great punk sound. I use the low input with the master set at about 1pm. This gives a sound very close to a fender bassman. The only pedal I use with this amp is a ibanez analog delay. If you use a lot of effects this is probably not a good amp for you. Not having an effects loop hinders your ability to put any decent reverb sounds through this amp. Even still this amp, especially for the money, is unbelieveable! Try one and you will be surprised.

I've had it for a year with the same tubes and it's held up fine. I play everyday for at least an hour too.

I haven't had to contact anyone yet.

I've been playing guitar for 7 years. I've played through almost any amp you can think of. I would definately buy this amp again! I really do wish that it had an effects loop and more than one channel. But even still you really can't beat this for the money!

Hi and Lo gain inputs on a single channel. Pre-amp and Amp volume, 3 tone knobs plus presence. Three outputs for 4, 8, and 16 ohm cabs. Line out. Class AB 5881 circuit with 1.5 12 AX7. This is a bone-simple-no-frills rock amp.

If matched with good tubes (Svetlana 6L6GCs and your favorite NOS 12AX7s) and a real speaker cabinet, this amp is essentially an old Marshall JTM 45. Celestion Alnico Blues or WeberVST Blue Dogs in a 2x12 cabinet matched up with this amp bring out the best in it. These amps are highly under-rated because they rarely get matched up with good speakers. The Mig-50H is a boutique-level amp that few no about. You could spend quite literally $3,000 to get this tone from an old Marshall (and I have in my day). This is a great amp for people who feel iffy about touring with a collector's piece. Few Sovtek customers probably know enough about tube amps realize what a diamond in the rough the Mig-50H is.

Do yourself a favor and give the Mig-50H the tubes and speakers it deserves. You will not be sorry!

I have never needed a backup. I'd give it a 10 if it had metal input and output jacks.

I wrote an e-mail to Electro-Harmonix asking how to clean up the pre-amp a little. That day, the man who designed the amp replied to me personally and suggested putting in a 12AT7. That, to me, is a "10" on customer service.

There are "emperor's new clothes" boutique amps that can't get anything like this thing's tone. This amp is made just exactly like the amps that command amazing prices in the vintage shops. If you are concerned about tone and not resale value, Sovtek amplifiers are the very best deal going right now in the world. They will be highly collected in yers to come.

I only have one thing to say. For all those looking into getting a head make sure you try this amp out BEFORE buying it. Reviews are cool and all but they aren't your ears. I bought this amp because of the reviews that I found here and I was somewhat dissapointed. This amp is cool but you have to want this sound. It isn't very clean. You break up before you could ever play with a drummer. But that doesn't mean this amp isn't worth trying out. A change of tubes can help that a lot. Also there isn't that much gain. It can get a cool crunch sound but beyond that it just won't cut it. The clean channel doesn't sparkle either. I know it sounds like I hate this amp but I don't. I am planning on adding a "power amp in" jack so I can bypass the preamp. That's where this thing fails. I am hoping the power is clean and I'm sure it is. I usually use pedals or my ADA mp-2 for distortion anyway so I am going to use it only for power and I think it should work out pretty good. SO I'm not upset that I spent money on this thing. It's the cheapest 50 watt tube power amp around. For 250 you cant beat that. Yes it isn't stereo but that's ok. It's good enough for me! Anyway just make sure you hear it before you buy it. or buy it from musicians friend where you get 30 days to try it out. depending on your style you could be happy with this thing.

50watt all tube head, VERY loud!!! I play alternative rock, stuff like pearl jam, and newer rock like Creed, I also play blues and jazz. this amp rocks!!!! HIGH and LOW input, both channels sound great but i always use the clean (low) channel and use an overdrive pedal if i'm playing with dirt. as soon as i get a new bass player i'll be gigging without backup. and its pretty damn versatile for the stuff i play.

i use a gibson SG(humbuckers) and mex strat(single coil) this amp sounds best with humbuckers, but i guess thats cause i hate single coil pickups, but even so, it still souds good with single coil, but that damn hum!!!!! like i said it fits my music perfect. i use it with a cheap crate 4x12, and it stays pretty damn clean, soon i'll be getting a marshall 1960 cab its gonna sound even better.

i WILL be gigging without backup, it seems pretty solid

dont no about the customer support cause i never needed it, but it has a 1 year warranty

ive been playing for almost 6 years, it took me a long time to finally buy this amp, and since no shops cary them i couldnt try it, but after coming to harmony central a thousand times, i finally bought it. why did it take me so long? $249 for an all tube head, i said to my self, this thing must be junk, but i couldnt ignore the reviews for it. i would buy another one right away if something happend to it. this thing kicks marshalls in the ass its half the size, more then half the price, and sounds just as good if not better. the only thing i wish it had is channel switching cause the distortion on this thing rocks. if your looking at the amp, dont hesitate, just get it before their gone. i think they stopped making them

features? there are none, unless you count the eq knobs and stuff as features. very basic amp. not too versitile. would be a little nicer if it had channel switching, but over all I wasn't too impressed with this one.

I play an Ibanez with Dimarzio hummers. I usually use a peavey bandit 112 transtube model with a boss metal zone for distortion. I thought the sovtek might give me a better clean sound and maybe a little different distorted with the metal zone, but I was wrong. I put this amp up next to my peavey and played through both. on the high gain side of the sovtek, it gets good punchy overdrive if you crank the volume all the way. However, palm muting is out of the question. on the low gain end it was almost impossible to tell the difference between the sovtek and the peavey. for a classic rock or blues dude, this would be a good amp. however, my tastes are a bit heavier. my band plays a hybrid of punk and metal, more on the punk side though. we kinda sound like grunge but heavier. for this style, this amp just doesn't cut it.

only messed with it for a few days so it didn't have time to screw up if it was gonna do so

1 year warranty. that one sheet of paper manual doesn't inspire too much confidence

I've been playing about 5 years now and I don't have very much gear. I picked up a good 4x12 cab for way cheap (50 bucks and the speakers sound new) and was looking for a good head with a cheap pricetag. If I decided to keep it, (which I'm not) I wouldn't go get another if it got lost or stolen. I'd be pissed that I spent 250 bucks on it and it was gone, and then I'd just go buy something else. I didn't get to try it before I bought cuz no one carries them around here so I don't think I'll do that again. I read all these reviews several times and now after trying this amp, the only one I agree with is that guy who said these amps are overrated. they ARE overrated

as others have said, this is a very simple, stright-forward head. two inputs, single channel. master volume is a welcome addition over the older mig-50 models. there are no features on this head which will go unused - it provides only what you need to dial up a good tone and nothing else. though it is simple, the use of effects can obviously make it more versatile, which is fine; i believe the most important ingredient of good sound is a great amp - you can worry about further shaping the sound later...

i use the head with a fender big apple strat with two seymour duncans. humbucker sounds are nice and full with plenty of bass response and clear highs. when the pickups are tapped (providing single-coil sounds) a very tube-y round sound is achieved, again with clear definition. though it is a 'one sound' amp, this guitar alone allows me to achieve several very distinct sounds through the head. i run the head through a sunn 4x12 cab, providing plenty of tone and headroom. i set the head for a good clean sound and just use a stomp box (rat) to dirty things up. the head is very quiet and stays fairly clean even at higher volumes using the 'low' input. i have yet to really crank it on the high side, so i can't say much about the head's distortion.

well, i've only had it about a week, so we'll see. it seems quite sturdy. hell, it must be: much to my horror, the sharp-as-a-bowling ball fed ex guy dropped it on the concrete floor of my apartment building hallway, but it works fine and sounds fantastic. i would feel safe playing show without a backup. it's so simple, there seems to be less to go wrong with it.

haven't dealt with them. seems like it would be pretty shady for some reason. sovtek has pretty much phased out every guitar head but this one as new sensor corp. seems to be focusing much more on reviving the electro-harmonix line, so i don't know how easy it would be to get quality service. the warranty duration is one year, but i really don't think i'd ever need it.

for the money, this has to be just about the best amp value on the market today. it is simple, it sounds great and is plenty loud - not to mention extremely portable. i have played for about 13 years (many different styles over the years) and i also currently own a crate vintage club amp powered by EL84s w/ 3 10" speakers. at this price, i'd surely get another if it were ever lost or stolen. i compared many heads and spent a lot of time here on the amp database and just couldn't ignore al of the praise and that low price. get 'em while they still make 'em - you won;t be disappointed.