Sovtek Mig-50 Amp / Marshall Jtm45 / Bassman Clone

[Blaze]

Somebody know these ?


http://cgi.cafr.ebay.ca/SOVTEK-MIG-50-AMP-MARSHALL-JTM45-BASSMAN-CLONE-NICE_W0QQitemZ150321465900QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item150321465900&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A13 18

[Robert]

I have heard they can be quite unreliable, but they sound good when they work. I bet Tung knows more details.

[tunghaichuan]

I've owned both the MiG 50 and the MiG 50H (Tube Midget). The MiG 50 sounds pretty good clean but must be cranked up to ear-bleeding volumes to get it to give up the goods. It doesn't sound exactly like the JTM45/Bassman/etc., though.

The pots and switches are pretty cheesy. The pots are also PCB-mount IIRC. If I were to get one of those, the first thing I'd do is swap them out. The overall parts quality is fairly good. Most are Soviet military surplus.

The other problem is that there are fairly high voltages in that amp, so it is bright and clean. It came stock with Sovtek 5881 power tubes, which are bland, neutral sounding tubes. The Sovtek 5881 sounds good in hifi amps, but isn't optimal for guitar amp use. It also isn't a real 5881, it is a Russian military tube that was used in MiG fighter planes. It is not in the 6L6/5881 family of tubes, but it is close enough to use in 6L6 applications.

The good news is that the transformers are pretty good. They are pretty hefty, so they are unlikely to blow under heavy use. The one thing I don't know about is the OT. If it is set up to run the Sovtek 5881, it most likely won't sound good with real 6L6/5881 types of tubes. I never subbed in different tube types in my MiG 50 when I had it so I don't know if it sounds good with 6L6 types or not.

tung

[Blaze]

I've owned both the MiG 50 and the MiG 50H (Tube Midget). The MiG 50 sounds pretty good.....

Most are Soviet military surplus.

. It also isn't a real 5881, it is a Russian military tube that was used in MiG fighter planes.

tung

Sounds like a guy can protect himself playin a hard rock one if is under attack ...

[Brian Krashpad]

Tung's description is dead-on. I haven't owned the Mig 50, but one of my bandmates had one. I own a Mig 50H Tube Midget which is a rather different (master volume) amp. You'll need a distortion box for dirt on the regular Mig 50.

Watch for the input jack rings, the plastic can break, I've had to replace both of mine on the Tube Midget. Plastic toggles can be iffy too and in the wrong circumstances can snap off (mine has a metal toggle though). Otherwise, they are dang sturdy. I knocked my Tube Midget head off a 3.5' high 1x15 cab onto a hard linoleum-covered concrete floor loading out once. One corner-protector screw popped out. No other damage. Fired right back up.

[duhvoodooman]

I knocked my Tube Midget head off a 3.5' high 1x15 cab onto a hard linoleum-covered concrete floor loading out once. One corner-protector screw popped out. No other damage. Fired right back up.
Built like a tank. Specifically, a Soviet tank.

[Brian Krashpad]

Built like a tank. Specifically, a Soviet tank.

Oh man, when I did that I wanted to cry. Since we were opening that night I'd had a few (plenty of time to sober up as the other bands played) and figured I'd just offload both the cab and head together (which I have done many times in the past with no problem). When that head hit the floor I figured at a minimum some or all of the tubes would break, and maybe worse.

Over the years I've had some interesting mishaps with hauling amps around. At one point back in the day I had a little Renault Alliance and put a 2x10 combo amp on end in the passenger seat. Came roaring (or as close to roaring as a Renault Alliance will do) up to the venue and hit the breaks. Amp tips forward, buh-bye front windshield.

:thwap:

Another time I was loading out when I owned a Ford Escort station wagon. Normally the back hatch door would stay up once opened, with some little vacuum pressure dealie in the hinge. However, it was really cold that night. Apparently that affected the little vacuum pressure dealie in the hinge. I opened the hatch, placed my old Kustom 1x15 cab on the back ledge of the car (almost but not quite all the way in), and turned to pick up an amp head.

Out of the corner of my eye, in painfully slow motion, I caught the hatchback door start to close. Unfortunately, I had placed the cab in with the casters toward the back of the car. If the casters had gone in first, it's possible that the door would've bounced off the "tuck and roll" padding on the old Kustom. Instead, the inside of the back window came down on one of the caster wheels.

Buh-bye back window.

:thwap: