Most of the “fake” Oktavas were commissioned by A.S.M. The UK based firm that did international distrubution for Oktava. The story is, they went behind Oktava's backs and commisioned a Chinese company to make idential mics. They are generally believed to be sold through Guitar Center. According to A.S.M., they were within their rights to do this, because they commissioned these mics to be made in the first place, and they did it because of quality control problems at the Oktava factory. Also they claimed that the Russian Oktava factory was not able to produce the quantities necessary to fulfill A.S.M.’s contract with Guitar Center. Oktava put the smack down on them right away, in a very Russian way, and stopped shipping them microphones, which promptly put A.S.M. out of business, as well as leaving Oktava with no way to reach the international market. A.S.M. stopped selling Oktava microphones in 2005.
Fake Oktavas are sometimes difficult to detect. They were manufactured simultaneously, and were distributed at the same time to the same place, and by the same distributors. On contemporary Oktava microphones (usually black and slightly longer than the earlier ones), look for the “Made In Tula” markings on the body of the microphone to be sure.
Here I will list some ways to tell a fake, and debunk some of the myths on the fake mics.
Firstly, what's so bad about a fake? Well they're just different. Some of them aren't bad, some of them are, they seem to vary in quality, and there may have come from more then one Chinese factory. They work, it's a mic, you probably paid less then $100 for it, so worse case it's not that bad if you own one, but genuine Oktava are better.
Firstly I will say if I sold you an Oktava microphone, it’s genuine. I would like to think this goes without saying, but someone actually read this, or should I say misread it, and then commented that I sold them a fake Oktava. So, please don’t use this as an excuse to jump to conclusions, if you have any questions, contact your seller first.
OK, I'll start with the myths I have found widely circulated on the web: Myth 1: Microphones marked MC are fakes and MK are authentic. If only it were that easy. Oktava has branded it's mics with both MC and MK. The C and K both stand for condenser... with the C it's written in English and the K it's in Russian. Going back to the Soviet times it was common for goods made for export to be labeled in English. Since the Soviets never wanted anyone to think they made bad products often times they would make the export versions better than the domestic versions, and for the Soviet people it would be prestigious to have something in your home that was 'made for export.' There are domestic microphone in Russia marked MC which definitely aren't Chinese or even A.S.M. branded mics. Someone told me that domestic Oktava's marked MC and not MK were military spec. Granted in the Soviet time military spec really did mean quality, but this may be a myth in itself. Myth 2: Microphones without serial numbers are fakes. Not true! Some early Oktavas also don't have serial numbers. Myth 3: Microphones bought at Guitar Center or Musician's Friend are fakes. Not true! They sold mostly real Oktava microphones. Myth 4: Microphones bought on close-out at Guitar Center are the fakes. Not true. Guitar Center's inventory was made up of legit and fake mics right up to the end. Myth 5: Microphones in a black plastic box are always authentic. Nope. It's true the earliest Oktava's from A.S.M. came in a black box and were genuine, but some of the fakes were also in black boxes. Myth 6: Microphones with the Oktava name written in English are fakes, and in Russian are real. Not that easy. Although fake Oktavas are written in English, so are some legit Oktavas. OK, OK, so what does a real Oktava look like? Here are some hints I can share in spotting a fake.
Let’s go by model:
MK or MC-012: Fake 012’s have a few “Chinese looking” details, or at least, un-Russian. The capsules have a gold plated contact (or at least gold colored), and the corresponding body part is also gold instead of silver with no dimple for the contact. They have no SN (however genuine microphones can also be without a SN, and larger black phillips head screws that hold the body cover on from the outside, instead of, small, silver, reverse thread screws with a “regular” flat head tip.
MK-219: There are no known fakes. That was easy.
MK-319: It appears to me that Phillips screws mean Chinese, and flat head screws mean Russian. If there's a serial number, then the NO before it should look Russian. Russian's don't have the letter N, but do use NO to mean number, but the N always looks strange with a large serif on the bottom right corner. The Chinese copies lack this detail. Shine a light through the screen. If you can see some numbers penciled-on below the capsule, it's Russian, especially if they look like their in Russian script. In Russian script the 1 has a GIANT serif on the top and none on the bottom, 9 looks exactly like an upside down 6 and both have a rounded bottom or top, and 7 has a line trough it. Also inside the mic on the transformer there will be pencil markings on the transformer, in Russian script, also keep in mind in Russia they use a comma ',' where we use a decimal '.' If you have no experience taking a microphone apart PLEASE don’t' check inside the mic, no matter how crude it may look, it's precise and easily damaged.
MKL-2500: Fake Oktava 2500 are a harder task. The phillips head (cross head) black screw is a big tell-tail. Russian mics used a flat head screw, Chinese a Phillips. Then there is the matter of the power supply. There are at least three know power supplies that were sold with these microphones, two of which were Chinese made. Apparently the Russian made power supply had dependability issues, so the microphone was discontinued. Then years later the European distributor for Oktava bought the remaining 2500 bodies and paired it with a Chinese power supply that they had commissioned. So… it’s anyone’s guess what combination you are likely to buy if you are buying a 2500. It’s a shame because it’s a great microphone, as long as you get it with a good quality power supply.
The “Oktava” USB Preamp: Oktava-Online, the European based distributor for Oktava commissioned a Chinese made USB preamp body to go with Oktava heads. These bodies are not branded “Oktava” but are labelled 012, so it’s not a direct violation of their agreement with Oktava. However on ebay the company known as “Oktava USA” uses Oktava to market the bodies. Also the same company is a distributor for “Recording Tools” microphones, and some marketing claims an “Oktava” legacy for these microphones, however they have nothing to do with Oktava.
GENERAL INFO: If the mic doesn't bear the A.S.M. logo, you're authentic. A.S.M. commissioned the Chinese microphones. However this DOES NOT MEAN any given mic that says A.S.M. is suspect, 80% of all Oktavas in existence are branded A.S.M. Trust older Oktavas, they used to come with the date printed on the bottom of the mic for example the year followed by the Russian letter 'G' which looks like out letter 'r' (for gody or year) 2003 and earlier are apparently safe. The number of “fake” Oktavas in this world, as a percentage of the microphones in existence has been exaggerated. Oktava USA likes to fear monger a bit, especially on ebay. Claiming if you buy an Oktava's from anyone but them your risk of getting a forge is great, and that they are the ONLY authorized distributor of Oktava in North America, and only their dealers sell guaranteed authentic Oktavas. Not true, there is no exclusive distributor of Oktava in the US, anyone who gets their new Oktavas trough the European distributor Oktava-Online is selling legit mics. All Electo-Harmonix branded Oktavas are legit, and the new OtkavaMod modified mics are also authentic, but of course with some upgraded components. Microphones sold through Microphone Boutique are also legit. When buying a used Oktava you run a very slight risk of buying a fake unless you're careful, but following these guidelines should help. If your seller isn't sure if they are selling a genuine mic refer them to this page, or ask them to allow you to inspect it first before committing. In general the risk of getting a fake is low if you look for the signs. That being the case you can save some money buying a used Oktava. Happy hunting!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Oktava has reportedly began using "Imported" components in some of their new 012's. They have also gone from a hand made board to a machine make board. New Oktavas may contain Asian made components, yets still be genuine Oktava. I am in direct contact with Oktava in Tula. I have been to the factory and seen their production. Oktavas are still made in Tula by Russians. This is just a case of production modernization.
OK, I'll start with the myths I have found widely circulated on the web: Myth 1: Microphones marked MC are fakes and MK are authentic. If only it were that easy. Oktava has branded it's mics with both MC and MK. The C and K both stand for condenser... with the C it's written in English and the K it's in Russian. Going back to the Soviet times it was common for goods made for export to be labeled in English. Since the Soviets never wanted anyone to think they made bad products often times they would make the export versions better than the domestic versions, and for the Soviet people it would be prestigious to have something in your home that was 'made for export.' There are domestic microphone in Russia marked MC which definitely aren't Chinese or even A.S.M. branded mics. Someone told me that domestic Oktava's marked MC and not MK were military spec. Granted in the Soviet time military spec really did mean quality, but this may be a myth in itself. Myth 2: Microphones without serial numbers are fakes. Not true! Some early Oktavas also don't have serial numbers. Myth 3: Microphones bought at Guitar Center or Musician's Friend are fakes. Not true! They sold mostly real Oktava microphones. Myth 4: Microphones bought on close-out at Guitar Center are the fakes. Not true. Guitar Center's inventory was made up of legit and fake mics right up to the end. Myth 5: Microphones in a black plastic box are always authentic. Nope. It's true the earliest Oktava's from A.S.M. came in a black box and were genuine, but some of the fakes were also in black boxes. Myth 6: Microphones with the Oktava name written in English are fakes, and in Russian are real. Not that easy. Although fake Oktavas are written in English, so are some legit Oktavas. OK, OK, so what does a real Oktava look like? Here are some hints I can share in spotting a fake.
Let’s go by model:
MK or MC-012: Fake 012’s have a few “Chinese looking” details, or at least, un-Russian. The capsules have a gold plated contact (or at least gold colored), and the corresponding body part is also gold instead of silver with no dimple for the contact. They have no SN (however genuine microphones can also be without a SN, and larger black phillips head screws that hold the body cover on from the outside, instead of, small, silver, reverse thread screws with a “regular” flat head tip.
MK-219: There are no known fakes. That was easy.
MK-319: It appears to me that Phillips screws mean Chinese, and flat head screws mean Russian. If there's a serial number, then the NO before it should look Russian. Russian's don't have the letter N, but do use NO to mean number, but the N always looks strange with a large serif on the bottom right corner. The Chinese copies lack this detail. Shine a light through the screen. If you can see some numbers penciled-on below the capsule, it's Russian, especially if they look like their in Russian script. In Russian script the 1 has a GIANT serif on the top and none on the bottom, 9 looks exactly like an upside down 6 and both have a rounded bottom or top, and 7 has a line trough it. Also inside the mic on the transformer there will be pencil markings on the transformer, in Russian script, also keep in mind in Russia they use a comma ',' where we use a decimal '.' If you have no experience taking a microphone apart PLEASE don’t' check inside the mic, no matter how crude it may look, it's precise and easily damaged.
MKL-2500: Fake Oktava 2500 are a harder task. The phillips head (cross head) black screw is a big tell-tail. Russian mics used a flat head screw, Chinese a Phillips. Then there is the matter of the power supply. There are at least three know power supplies that were sold with these microphones, two of which were Chinese made. Apparently the Russian made power supply had dependability issues, so the microphone was discontinued. Then years later the European distributor for Oktava bought the remaining 2500 bodies and paired it with a Chinese power supply that they had commissioned. So… it’s anyone’s guess what combination you are likely to buy if you are buying a 2500. It’s a shame because it’s a great microphone, as long as you get it with a good quality power supply.
The “Oktava” USB Preamp: Oktava-Online, the European based distributor for Oktava commissioned a Chinese made USB preamp body to go with Oktava heads. These bodies are not branded “Oktava” but are labelled 012, so it’s not a direct violation of their agreement with Oktava. However on ebay the company known as “Oktava USA” uses Oktava to market the bodies. Also the same company is a distributor for “Recording Tools” microphones, and some marketing claims an “Oktava” legacy for these microphones, however they have nothing to do with Oktava.
GENERAL INFO: If the mic doesn't bear the A.S.M. logo, you're authentic. A.S.M. commissioned the Chinese microphones. However this DOES NOT MEAN any given mic that says A.S.M. is suspect, 80% of all Oktavas in existence are branded A.S.M. Trust older Oktavas, they used to come with the date printed on the bottom of the mic for example the year followed by the Russian letter 'G' which looks like out letter 'r' (for gody or year) 2003 and earlier are apparently safe. The number of “fake” Oktavas in this world, as a percentage of the microphones in existence has been exaggerated. Oktava USA likes to fear monger a bit, especially on ebay. Claiming if you buy an Oktava's from anyone but them your risk of getting a forge is great, and that they are the ONLY authorized distributor of Oktava in North America, and only their dealers sell guaranteed authentic Oktavas. Not true, there is no exclusive distributor of Oktava in the US, anyone who gets their new Oktavas trough the European distributor Oktava-Online is selling legit mics. All Electo-Harmonix branded Oktavas are legit, and the new OtkavaMod modified mics are also authentic, but of course with some upgraded components. Microphones sold through Microphone Boutique are also legit. When buying a used Oktava you run a very slight risk of buying a fake unless you're careful, but following these guidelines should help. If your seller isn't sure if they are selling a genuine mic refer them to this page, or ask them to allow you to inspect it first before committing. In general the risk of getting a fake is low if you look for the signs. That being the case you can save some money buying a used Oktava. Happy hunting!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Oktava has reportedly began using "Imported" components in some of their new 012's. They have also gone from a hand made board to a machine make board. New Oktavas may contain Asian made components, yets still be genuine Oktava. I am in direct contact with Oktava in Tula. I have been to the factory and seen their production. Oktavas are still made in Tula by Russians. This is just a case of production modernization.
