All user reviews of 4/5 for the Sovtek MIG 50

I first read about this amp in Guitar Player Mag, and then found one in a music store for $180, and have never looked back.

I've got many amps, and this is not the one I enjoy playing quietly--it's 'quiet' (wife-friendly) tone sounds a bit flat. However, when you connect it to a 2x12 with Vintage 30s, crank it up at least half way, and run a quality humbucker-equipped quitar into it, you are in sonic heaven. This thing absolutely smokes! It really is inspiring--great tight bass, incredible crunch, more balls than a bowling alley--and only $180. The thing breaths fire when you turn it up.

Like I said, it sounds a bit flat when played quietly. Almost like a "cardboard" tone, if cardboard could have a tone. Granted, this is compared to my other amps, which include a MusicMan HD 130 (another great loud amp, but clean), a Fender Vibro King, and a Fender Bassman reissue which are tone Gods when played below ear-spliting volume. But when cranked, the Sovtek takes the tone throne. I am always truely impressed with it.

Tough as nails.

Great bang for the buck. Doesn't do much, but if you want to Grunge-out like Neil Young at a big volume, this is a super amp.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this 50 watt tube amp from musician's friend 3 years ago after my old amp was fried. I paid about $225 for it.

I love the simplicity of this amp.
It's basically a one channel clean head, but does have a non-switchable high gain channel.
It has point to point wiring and a very basic eq section. I absolutely love the tone of this amp. It reminds me of a '59 bassman but with a bit more punch. It's very warm sounding. 100% tube lovelyness.


The only thing I do not like about this amp is that it wont switch between high gain and low gain. I even dried an a/b box, but when both inputs have signal to them, the amp will not perform.

I do alot of recording and touring, so I just use my effects and use the low gain input exclusively unless i record a dirty track.

Built like a tank. No big problems.
Some folks have a problem with the unit having plastic power switches, but my amp has performed flawlessly.

Great amp, you can't buy them new anymore,
but if you can get one from ebay or somewhere else, do it. Best bang for the buck.....seeing how it's 100% tube.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Sovtek MIG 50 is a 50 watt tube amp with a solid state rectifier. It has two tubes: a 12AX7 . There is one input, one volume knob and one on/off switch and that’s all. It has jacks for a 4,8, or 16 ohm speaker configuration. The construction of the cabinet is unusually solid and inspires extra respect for the amp. Even though the amp is extremely minimalist in terms of features I'm ranking it high because that’s what’s attractive about it i.e. its simplicity.


UTILIZATION

The amp could not be easier to use obviously. As you turn up the volume the sound goes from clean to dirty. At full volume the amp is surprisingly loud which is not a plus because the purpose of a low wattage amp is to make overdriven sound at low volume levels.


SOUNDS

This amp is most suitable for recording and practice at home. I use mine with a Weber attenuator to keep the volume down when turning up. I play mine through a single cabinet with a 12 inch Celestion G12H30 speaker. The amp produces an immediate somewhat brittle type of sound that I rightly or wrongly associate with class A amps. The Sovtek can get the job done believe me.


OVERALL OPINION

This amp is more suitable as a second amp to practice through or use to add variety to your recordings. These amps can be bought new for only for really cheap and that’s part of the attraction. I believe they have been big sellers and now other companies are offering alternatives in the same wattage and price range. The amp is cool and will probably maintain its market value over time but for me its too brittle sounding to be something I can fully love but from what I can tell many other people love them. For price and quality, I say this is a steal.