Update on the Sovtek Mig 60 - Should I take it?

[Bubbledin]

So I just tried this guy's Sovtek Mig 60-H
Its the version with a Master volume and a Clean and High gain ''channel''. Its actually 1 jack for each of the channel so its not really a channel.

He also had a 1969 Plexi right under it
I played both the plexi and the Sovtek into a 4x12 marshall with greenbacks

Verdict: The Sovtek sounds good, even at LOW volumes, couldn't crank it and see its true nature, he had a newborn baby upstairs and wife was away.
After I played the plexi (Wich I almost had an orgasm while playing, I can't ****ing believe how this thing sounds good) I can say the sovtek sounds around 80% like a plexi. Its like a plexi with more gain. It feels like the sovtek would be extremely good for 80's metal, iron maiden and such.

It has new tubes with around 5 hours of playing on them.
He took the head to a professionnal who changed all the crap pots, transistors etc for 300$

He wants 600$ firm for it. He bought it in 1993. The only reason he's selling it is because he now has a really mother****ing plexi.

I can get a trinity 18 watt for 700$, a Sovtek MIG 60 with no High gain channel for 500$ shipped from a guy on TGP or a MIG 50 for 300$+ shipping but I am not sure it is in perfect condition. Or I can go with the cheap but secure Egnater Tweaker

What would a wise man choose?

[fiveightandten]

Is the MIG 60 too loud for you? You're talking about an 18W and a 60W.

The MIG 50 is non master volume. The MIG 50h has a master volume.

Sovteks, in a nut shell are pretty good sounding amps that are basically copies of other circuits built with garbage components. The caps are garbage, the transformers are garbage, the pots are garbage. They're made with whatever Olga had in her parts bin the day she wired it up. They smell like Vodka.

That being said...somehow, while being put together with very cheap components, they're very reliable and sound pretty good.

What's in the MIG 60 now? Better caps and stuff? I'm not sure that makes it worth more than any other MIG 60. But if it's the amp you want, go for it. I've owned MIG50's, MIG100's, and MIG60's. They're cool amps. Not the kind of thing that becomes a keeper that you pass down to your kids. But nice if you want a cheap workhorse.

[Ampegasaur]

Originally Posted by fiveightandten

Is the MIG 60 too loud for you? You're talking about an 18W and a 60W.

The MIG 50 is non master volume. The MIG 50h has a master volume.

Sovteks, in a nut shell are pretty good sounding amps that are basically copies of other circuits built with garbage components. The caps are garbage, the transformers are garbage, the pots are garbage. They're made with whatever Olga had in her parts bin the day she wired it up. They smell like Vodka.

That being said...somehow, while being put together with very cheap components, they're very reliable and sound pretty good.

What's in the MIG 60 now? Better caps and stuff? I'm not sure that makes it worth more than any other MIG 60. But if it's the amp you want, go for it. I've owned MIG50's, MIG100's, and MIG60's. They're cool amps. Not the kind of thing that becomes a keeper that you pass down to your kids. But nice if you want a cheap workhorse.

The Mig 60, is MUCH different than the 50W and 100W amps. All of the components are better, metal switches, metal input jacks, better pots and caps. The pots, tubes and transformers are all hardwired, not mounted to PC boards. The boards are actually handmade. The 50 and 100 use thin cheap PC boards. plastic switches, plastic jacks, boardmounted cheaper pots, and cheaper transformers. I had one modded, by the same guy who did the one at the James Lugo shootout, and it certainly was a keeper. It is more plexi, and JCM800 than what I needed so I worked a trade with someone who gigs with it all the time. Be warned it is LOUD, and is not meant to be played at low volumes. Something to think about.

[Bubbledin]

Originally Posted by fiveightandten

Is the MIG 60 too loud for you? You're talking about an 18W and a 60W.

The MIG 50 is non master volume. The MIG 50h has a master volume.

Sovteks, in a nut shell are pretty good sounding amps that are basically copies of other circuits built with garbage components. The caps are garbage, the transformers are garbage, the pots are garbage. They're made with whatever Olga had in her parts bin the day she wired it up. They smell like Vodka.

That being said...somehow, while being put together with very cheap components, they're very reliable and sound pretty good.

What's in the MIG 60 now? Better caps and stuff? I'm not sure that makes it worth more than any other MIG 60. But if it's the amp you want, go for it. I've owned MIG50's, MIG100's, and MIG60's. They're cool amps. Not the kind of thing that becomes a keeper that you pass down to your kids. But nice if you want a cheap workhorse.

Its hard to tell if its too loud, I didn't crank it, there was a baby close to use. It had a master volume and I can tell it sounded pretty good at low volume, we had it on 2/10 of the volume, so I'd imagine it would be really loud cranked, without any doubt, but would sound good too.

I know I won't keep it forever, but im poor right now, I need to save money, I want a plexi sound for under 600$ and it seems thats the closest I can get for that price. I wish I could try the egnater tweaker and see if it can satisfy me. I could crank the egnater, thats the difference, I know I won't be able to crank the sovtek at home.

Aren't new tubes around 100$, wouldn't that justify a 100$ + in the price?

[Ampegasaur]

Originally Posted by Bubbledin

Its hard to tell if its too loud, I didn't crank it, there was a baby close to use. It had a master volume and I can tell it sounded pretty good at low volume, we had it on 2/10 of the volume, so I'd imagine it would be really loud cranked, without any doubt, but would sound good too.

I know I won't keep it forever, but im poor right now, I need to save money, I want a plexi sound for under 600$ and it seems thats the closest I can get for that price. I wish I could try the egnater tweaker and see if it can satisfy me. I could crank the egnater, thats the difference, I know I won't be able to crank the sovtek at home.

Aren't new tubes around 100$, wouldn't that justify a 100$ + in the price?

Try using the low inpugood t as well. Are you using this for actual gigs, or just low volume home playing? If you just want low volume home playing, there a lot of choices that will be better than the Egnater. The 18watt will be louder than you think as well. I play loud, and use a 4x12, or ported 2x12 most of the time when I had the Mig 60. It was good fit till I went excluively High gain metal. I think they are one of the best values out there for good old Marshall tones. Buy one before I would most new Marshalls.

[tnt365]

You think you can geat plexi from the tweaker? Or any Egnater amp for that matter?

IMO go with the Sovtek Mig60 that guy had if you say 80%. How much is a real Plexi or a good plexi clone? $1200+?2000+? For $600 you can't go wrong.

How well did the Mig60 clean up with the volume knob on lower gain settings?

[Bubbledin]

Originally Posted by Ampegasaur

The Mig 60, is MUCH different than the 50W and 100W amps. All of the components are better, metal switches, metal input jacks, better pots and caps. The pots, tubes and transformers are all hardwired, not mounted to PC boards. The boards are actually handmade. The 50 and 100 use thin cheap PC boards. plastic switches, plastic jacks, boardmounted cheaper pots, and cheaper transformers. I had one modded, by the same guy who did the one at the James Lugo shootout, and it certainly was a keeper. It is more plexi, and JCM800 than what I needed so I worked a trade with someone who gigs with it all the time. Be warned it is LOUD, and is not meant to be played at low volumes. Something to think about.

The Mig 50 actually looks higher quality, no?
This is the Mig 60, its this one your talking about?

[Bubbledin]

Originally Posted by Ampegasaur

Try using the low inpugood t as well. Are you using this for actual gigs, or just low volume home playing? If you just want low volume home playing, there a lot of choices that will be better than the Egnater. The 18watt will be louder than you think as well. I play loud, and use a 4x12, or ported 2x12 most of the time when I had the Mig 60. It was good fit till I went excluively High gain metal. I think they are one of the best values out there for good old Marshall tones. Buy one before I would most new Marshalls.

Home playing and jams
I have a vox AC4TV and tried a Marshall class 5, both are not loud enough with a drummer, even 100% cranked with a fuzz in front of it.

I need 15 watts MINIMUM
Feels like the tweaker would work well cranked with a drummer, but would be too quiet with a clean sound.

On the other side, the Mig 60 would be perfect for clean tones, but would be too loud when cranked.

[wyatt]

Originally Posted by Bubbledin

The Mig 50 actually looks higher quality, no?
This is the Mig 60, its this one your talking about?

People get confused because there were three Mig 50's.

The flagship Non-Master Volume was made like the Mig 60, Chassis mounted jacks pots connected via fly leads (wired by hand). The hi-gain Mig-50H and Mig-50 Midget (the 50H in a smaller chassis) were all PCB mounted parts (as was the 100H)...the High Gain 50's are total rubbish. The NMV Mig 50 and Mig 60 were just semi-rubbish, had these not been outsourced to a lowest bidder they may have been better.

Regardless of model, the caps and parts used were untested military surplus, even in the Mig-60, some crapped out right out of the box. And the transformers for all were poorly made and inconsistent. This to be certain...there is never an attempt to make these quality, rugged, bullet-proof amps, they were marketed as bargain amps. Sovtek was dirt-cheap equipment when these amps were made. And I bet far less than half Sovtek Migs are still working, but some of those that are have been steady amps.

The fact that the Mig-60 has been maintained by an amp is encouraging, enough to justify the price? I dunno, honestly, that's up to the others, I don't price amps anymore. What Sovtek means to me is false economy. But if you really like it, I would really think about it. Don't pass on something and have buyers remorse.

The Mig-60 based on the JCM800, there is an extra gain stage between the Hi and Lo inputs, So it'll be a little more old school Marshall Plexi/JMP on the Lo input and high-ish gain on the Hi input.

[Bubbledin]

Originally Posted by wyatt

People get confused because there were three Mig 50's.

The flagship Non-Master Volume was made like the Mig 60, Chassis mounted jacks pots connected via fly leads (wired by hand). The hi-gain Mig-50H and Mig-50 Midget (the 50H in a smaller chassis) were all PCB mounted parts (as was the 100H)...the High Gain 50's are total rubbish. The NMV Mig 50 and Mig 60 were just semi-rubbish, had these not been outsourced to a lowest bidder they may have been better.

Regardless of model, the caps and parts used were untested military surplus, even in the Mig-60, some crapped out right out of the box. And the transformers for all were poorly made and inconsistent. This to be certain...there is never an attempt to make these quality, rugged, bullet-proof amps, they were marketed as bargain amps. Sovtek was dirt-cheap equipment when these amps were made. And I bet far less than half Sovtek Migs are still working, but some of those that are have been steady amps.

The fact that the Mig-60 has been maintained by an amp is encouraging, enough to justify the price? I dunno, honestly, that's up to the others, I don't price amps anymore. What Sovtek means to me is false economy. But if you really like it, I would really think about it. Don't pass on something and have buyers remorse.

The Mig-60 based on the JCM800, there is an extra gain stage between the Hi and Lo inputs, So it'll be a little more old school Marshall Plexi/JMP on the Lo input and high-ish gain on the Hi input.

Yea i'll have to think about it, I'd really wish he would let it go for lower

[Ampegasaur]

Mig 60






Sovtek Mig 50, NOT the same thing, or build quality. The 100W I have had, and worked on, looked the same.

[RocksOff]

If you're wanting something for home playing and the occasional jam, get the 18watt Trinity. Those are great amps. Don't be confused, though. The 18 watt sound is it's own thing... Much more dense than a plexi type tone.

[Bubbledin]

I didn't know the MIG 50 and 60 were so much different in build quality