Telecaster loud with distortion and a variac, Sovtek Mig 50, Tom Short Pickups

[gamerbri]

I heard a lil bit of zeppelin at the end (:

[BassOnABudget]

Nice bridge. I kinda miss not having a tremolo on mine

[keeelane]

won't the variac fuck up the amp, tho?

[TheDriveMaster]

Monster tone. In a good way ; ) 

[Teutonic1250]

what cab are you using?

[studioman2]

Using my Music Man amp as a cab.

[Teutonic1250]

@studioman2 could you connect an amp head to a combo even if it doesent have an input on the back of it?

[tbirdpunk]

@Teutonic1250 What kind of combo are you talking about? Is it a little practice amp or something bigger? Make sure whatever it is that OHM's and wattage will be compatible. You could do some tinkering to make your combo set up useable with a head if it isn't already. Before you go that route though, is it worth the effort? A crap 8" speaker meant for 15w isn't going to do a 100w head any justice.

[Teutonic1250]

@tbirdpunk its a little more than 20 watts. im sure its a somewhat small speaker. i just wanted to know how you connect a head to a combo for when i have one in the future

[tbirdpunk]

@Teutonic1250 In the end, the simple answer is that you can, it might just involve having a bit of modding haha. Different combo amps will have different features. You can tell how easy or difficult it would be by looking at various amps in a local music shop. Some are set up so you can use a separate head, others are not so friendly and require some tinkering. Look at how half stacks are linked up, then observe the combo amps. Perhaps google the inside of a 4-12 cab to see how that works.

[lookingatcrap]

like both the sovtek and the musicman amp

[TheTechnologic1]

sick awesome amazing tele

[TheJuicer1414]

how much was that guitar

[studioman2]

It was a trade/gift situation, but if I had to guess, a few hundred for the guitar (at the time) plus $250 for pickups, and another $150 for the bigsby maybe.

[Rambo29]

those are the EXACT amps that I want to a/b together for clean and dirty sounds. I envy you!

[studioman2]

Thanks, I am glad. I like the Sovtek better recorded (close mic'ed), but it has to be loud, and the output transformer on the Ceriatone is way better (the Ceriatone has better live sound). I'm going to look for other amps to post soon too.

[MaddMan95]

How's the clean on this amp?

Would it be a good "foundation" amp for pedals?

[studioman2]

A great foundation amp for pedals only if you are going to play with gritty tone. It is not a great clean amp in my opinion. It is great for what it does - grit.

[bondman00794]

Sovteks are amazing. Extremely rare too. A friend of mine has one. He can make it sound like a 65 reverb or JCM. Great video man!

[studioman2]

Yeah, it is a great amp to own.

[78jag]

@bondman00794 you have no clue what your talking about , sovteks are easy to find on ebay or anywhere else you look .i own several.. btw this guy really sucks

[RatmFAN360]

wow sumone tried to tell me telecaster with lots of distortion sucked. but i knew it was a lie cause have u heard tom morello play his?

[studioman2]

Wow. Which tunes are with a tele? That I gotta hear.

[studioman2]

The pickups also make a big difference for the tele. 1st led Zep album - done on a tele meant for Country, etc. I wanted that tone and got it, believe it or not, with a "Vintage Country Coil" (its different, and biting with distortion).

[tonepuppy]

I almost forgot to mention, The very first "Krank" amps, were in fact slightly modified sovtek Mig amps. The company does not want us to know this, but it is absolutely true! So yea, Migs rock!

[Rambo29]

Which older Krank models are modified MIGs? And what about the newer series?

[tonepuppy]

In fact Sovtek amps were not built by Tony Bruno! Tony Bruno "designed" the Mig 30/50/100 amp circuits (which were inspired by the old Fender Bassman amp design) while the Mig 60 was not his design at all. I've owned both the Mig 50 & 60. The 50 is an awesome amp, but I didn't care for the 60 at all.

[dudeperson324]

hey dose any one know where i can get a sovtek in the states othere then on ebay or is that the best place? many thanks =)

[studioman2]

Ebay is the best place I've found for the Sovteks - its where I got mine

[studioman2]

Mercury Magnetics - Roy Blankenship says: I know people who've been using variacs for years and they're still running the same tubers in their amps, and they still sound fine....

[kpuc2006]

I'm not really making a comment concerning the safety of the amp, just the tone in general. You should just crank the hell out of a tube amp to get good tone. Yours is not loud enough and won't compress like a tube amplifier should.

[kpuc2006]

Am I the only one who thinks this sounds awful? Playing was fine, just screw the Variac and crank the amp! Tube amplifiers are not meant to be played that quietly.

I am not trying to play devil's advocate here. Just wanted to post some constructive criticism. Thanx!

[studioman2]

from Cathedralstone (dot) net..... "...otherwise known as a Variable Transformer, is the perfect variac for Marshall Plexi era amps, etc. These things are built like tanks... I often run my 68 Marshall Plexi at 90v (same voltage as Eddie Van Halen, and it gives a nice subtle compression and smoothness. The positives of using thse is that it puts less stress on your amps components, especially the transformer. ... I've ....frankly never known anyone to have a problem."

[pinholedstars]

studioman--

the reason some people use a variac for a Marshall Plexi-era amp, is because (as far as I know) England and Europe run their electricity at a different voltage than we do in America. So people were changing back the amps to the voltage they were designed for.

Sovtek amps, although produced in Russia, were built by Tony Bruno, an American, who was commissioned by Electro-Harmonix to build a Fender Bassman-style amp for the US market.

And that was the Mig 50.

[lighteningboy]

I agree with you.

[SirNirian]

You got some nice ass tones on that thing. What pickup were you running it trough at :38? and what settings/distortion were you using?

[studioman2]

The pickup was the tele bridge pickup at :38. As far as the settings, everything about half way with the volume up and down, using the dark channel, no effects. thanks.

[iownallnoobs]

make a video of showing how to work the variac

[Greenballed]

I use a variac on a 5150 down to about 90 volts. Used it for years, no problems. Never have had to change the tubes in 8 years.

Makes the amp sound 100% better.

Love that trem dude!!!!

[studioman2]

Yes, thank you! I run the tubes biased a bit hotter so that they just scream better, with the variac reducing the voltage to 95v (Yep - tubes last longer) if it sounds great, do it, especially since this Mig amp can be found for only $300-400 (it is my experiment amp)! Anyway, no problems for me either - for years.

[lighteningboy]

Man, what a guitar

[studioman2]

I did not think it would be my favorite guitar. It is.

[studioman2]

Instead of the variac to create sag, there has been a lot of talk about rectifiers. I will post about a THD reactive rectifier that I might try (instead of the variac) to create some "sag"

[redsoxhater2468]

5/5

[ravenslaves]

....Bad idea....

Unless!!! You use the variac to match the voltage specs on the amp itself. Most voltage comming out of the wall is 120+ volts. Most amps call for 115V. If you use a Variac, match the volt setting with the amp (turn down, like the man said)

Important!

NEVER trust the Variac settings. ALWAYS check what the Variac is putting out with a volt meter.

If you do this properly, you'll be getting the amp to perform as it was meant to. Which is a good thing.

Be VERY careful.

[AviatorAndyK]

dude that sounds pretty damn good actually, so is a variac like an attenuator or what?

[studioman2]

Thanks. A variac is a voltage regulator - you plug your amp's power cord into it. The variac has a knob - you can adjust the voltage (ALWAYS GO DOWN!!!). For this clip I ran at 90 volts (typical voltage from your home's outlet is 120v). check with your amp tech first! I have never ruined a transformer I'm no expert. I just know that to me, if Eddie did it, its worth a try.

[diminishedlogic]

pretty cool sound, it sounds kinda farty though.

i like the bite though.. nice experiment

[studioman2]

Awesome, i'd dig an amp that made fart noises - I'd use it all the time. The awfull mic distortion contributes to the fart sound!

[JVMmasteR]

bad bad amp!

[simonegbr95]

What a beast...

[fattypancakes101]

nah i hate manson honeslty i only like john5s solo albums that hed made theyre really cool

[fattypancakes101]

john 5 inspired half the world into telecasters ,,,there different but cool

[koflan]

I can think of a couple tele-users with more influence than John 5... unless you're just talking about the whole Manson scene.

[televox]

I have a stock one. Thinlines are beyond cool. Great video by the way. I've always wished I picked up a Sovtek Mig back in the day.

[televox]

Great thinline tele! Did you modify it yourself?

[studioman2]

Thanks. No, a friend of mine traded it for an amp, and had it modified for me (how cool). I dig this guitar.

[GoogleTRUTHRISINGnow]

Awesome idea. Are there any probles with driving an amp lower than spec voltage. Is there a remote possibility of it damaging the amp? I doubt it, but I know ytou can't under run certain things.

I'm not a tech head, thanks for yr help!

[studioman2]

I don't know. I've been asking that same question for years, and I've heard all kinds of "what could happen" theories but nobody has any real-world horror stories to back it up. I have decided to listen to one side of the argument -- "you-cannot damage your output transformer or anything else by lowering the voltage to 90." I've done it for a long time -- if I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it and tell the world! If you talk with an amp tech, I'd like to hear their answer.

[Priole2000]

Music Man, amp! Now, that's an old treasure.

[studioman2]

True.

[tomgfromnyc44]

chen

[mule1971]

good sample , cool .

[mattleesc]

awesome, those sovtek having fucking amazing tone for the price.

[shredonastrat]

SOVTEK!

[Sanitarium1965]

Im buying standard Tele putting Active Emgs on It it will Be great. Basically The Pickups that jim root has on his Telecaster

[studioman2]

I really dig my tele. It gets the best of all worlds, and cleans up real nice.

[Relayvent]

Get a really light guitar, and the emgs are the greatest idea. Teles can crank out huge rawk.

[12string]

Nice, I'm thinking of selling my Mig 60.

Just got it ~NEW~ in an old forgotten warehouse. Guy offered me $500 and I could almost get a twin reverb with the rest of my money I saved.... choices...choices..

[studioman2]

Yeah, they're going for around $500 now. It's all about having the amp you want. If a twin is the sound you want, go for it, man.

[CRAZYKANGAROO123]

Uh dude the Variac Eddie used (I think thats where you got the idea) was only there to keep his modded tubes from blowing out... I think you probably have a placebo thing going on.... You probably coulda saved forty bucks and rolled off the knobs a little......

[studioman2]

Modded tubes? No. Anyway, on H-Central reviews: "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" - its all about voltage and sag, baby.

[CRAZYKANGAROO123]

Uhh.. Who said that? I guess you could get more pre-amp distortion out of it, and get a better soumnd at low volumes...... I meant Eddie had special tubes (Or a way of wiring them) that made them sound cool but blow out alot, so he used the variac to lower the risk of wrecking his tubes...... Lower voltage and all that... But yeah, I guess if it sounds good keep it, right>>>>?

[Relayvent]

If your voice does not adorn the wind, keep it silent.

[CRAZYKANGAROO123]

If you try to be poetic when you're actually drunk, you sound dumb. :)

[Relayvent]

You have no experience.

[CRAZYKANGAROO123]

With being drunk? No..... But I hang around planty of wierdoes. enough to recognize one.

[binsou]

Always nice to hear your sovtek...one day i will buy one ;o)