Spotting A Fake

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.

History

Oktava is a microphone manufacturing company located in Tula, Russia, about a three hour drive directly south of Moscow. They were one of two large manufactures of microphones in the Soviet Union, also making hearing aids, PA speakers, and telephone parts. They were a government owned company, but in the post Soviet era they became a JSC (OAO in Russian) Joint Stock Company; That means there is stock publicly traded, but with government co-ownership. Tula is most famous for the Automatic Machine gun designed by Kalishnikov in 1947 (AK-47), which is still manufactured there not far from the Oktava factory, as well as other weapons throughout the centuries. They are also famous for the Samovar (the ornate Russian tea pots), shortbread cakes (the apple flavor tastes like a Fig Newton but better), and as the birthplace of the "keyboard" accordion.

As is widely known after the Soviet invasion of Germany in 1944, the Soviets turned the place upside down and took everything that wasn't screwed to the floor. In this time the Soviets famously stole all the high tech info they could from the Germans, along with truckloads of art. The US did something similar to a lesser extent, and didn't truck as much back home. The Soviets in this time had a great technological leap. Even after this time Communist East Germany would regularly share tech info with their Soviet brothers. It was in this time that Oktava microphones suddenly got much better. It's widely rumored that Oktava took a page out of the Neumann's and AKG's book, perhaps literally, in their design of the large diaphragm condenser microphone.

Years of Soviet stagnation and communist business structure didn't do much for development, but it was great for industries that didn't need development, like large diaphragm condenser microphones, elaborate teapots, AK-47's, shortbread cakes, and other Tula products, that were good just as they were, and these businesses prospered. Furthermore without the capitalist pressures of lowering production costs annually, the Oktava microphone technology was preserved for generations.

As the Soviet Union neared it's end, Oktava was fledgling. However a couple of Englishmen by the name of McKay got their hands on an Oktava 219 large diaphragm condenser and liked it. They approached Oktava, who was rumored to be discontinuing the mic, and the both agreed that the McKay's would be the international distributor of Oktava products as A.S.M. That's why there's probably an A.S.M. stamped on the back of your Oktava. Not only was the 219 saved, but in partnership with the McKay's Oktava began to produce the 319, an updated version in a more "German" looking body, and the legendary 012.

Due to the abysmal Russian economy, and the British tradition of milking abysmal economies, the Oktavas were produced and sold for outrageously low prices. From a street price of around $500 each initially, to an "on sale" price of $75 in 2003. ASM was able to sell a lot of Oktava mics for a very low price, which created an incredible demand on the Oktava factory. I was told they were moving an average of 500 mics a month at their peak. McKay famously sold tens of thousands of them to the Guitar Center/Musician's Friend operation, who sold them cheap and wanted more, more, more.

They needed more then the factory could produce. So the McKay's got super creative, or super shady, depending on how you look at it. Being the copyright holders of the Oktava name and "bear" logo in the West, they thought they would commission another factory to make this microphone as well. They also claimed the designs were theirs anyway, a claim that Oktava denies to this day on their official website. It's true that the ASM 219 is a little bit electronically different than the original Oktava 219, and the 319 and 012 came after the partnership was developed. So ASM got a Chinese company to make an almost exact knock-off of the Oktava microphone, a very convincing one at that, and used these to supplement their supply from Oktava. This was done unannounced to anyone at Oktava, according to anyone Oktava. Since both legitimate and illegitimate microphones were sold simultaneously, and are very similar in appearance, they are very hard to tell apart. For more on telling them apart check the "Spotting a Fake" section of this blog.

So eventually the gig was up. Oktava was furious, and immediately stopped selling to A.S.M. A.S.M had a very good grip on them contractually, but a contract is only as good as the gun your enforce it with in Russia, especially when you're dealing with a state run or partially owned company, and of course, Tula's got the guns. Although it never did come to guns, Oktava strangled A.S.M. by refusing to ship to them, contract or not, and they went under. Guitar Center sold their Oktava inventory on super close-out, and no longer stocks Oktava products. And their sat Oktava with a large building full of mics, and no US distributor.

Out of the ashes came the German based Oktava-Online. Which is now Oktava's main international distributor. There never was an official US distributor. This hole has been partially filled by Oktava-USA, which get's all it's mics through Oktava-Online, their dealerships, and by the tens of thousands of Oktavas laying around somewhere in the US due to the market flooding. Also by acquiring the ashes of A.S.M. Electro-Harmonix had been able to forge a relationship with Oktava where-by they sell part of the Oktava line branded with their own screwy looking logo an name. Despite being IDENTICAL to the Oktava mics, the tend to sell for a bit more. I don't know the nature of the Electro-Harmonix deal, however it alway envokes a sigh from most Oktava representatives, and as of now Electro-Harmonix is selling their remaining inventory as a close-out.

Oktava-Online has a direct line to the factory in more then one way, in true Russian style, the owners are related to a former higher up in the company, and they seem to be content to have the market cornered instead of increasing market presence. Oktava itself seemed to get a shot in the arm in 2005 and began introducing new microphone lines to compete with the miriad Chinese make mics flooding the market, including tube microphones. Just before this time the Russian company AEG commissioned Oktava to make the capsule for it's remake of a legendary "LOMO" microphone. Lomo made the other famous Russian microphone. LOMO is a St. Petersburg based manufacturing giant widely known for their quality optics. Their microphones were exceptional too. They discontinued their microphone division which sprued the creation of Nevaton by ex-LOMO mic makers. Many of their new microphones use a VERY similar capsule. Leading many fans of them and re-sellers of the capsule to refer to it as the "LOMO" capsule, but it's never referred to as that by Oktava proper. The Lomo capsule isn't actually made by Lomo, or sanctioned by LOMO, who apparently couldn't care less about microphones, since the company's leadership has found more success in the politics than optics or microphones. This has helped contribute to the re-birth of the Oktava condenser mic line known as the 100 series. In addition Oktava still manufactures the 219, 319, and 012, and their as great as ever, and still a good value, some new tube microphones (also know as valve microphones by the the British) as well as a bunch of dynamic mics that make tremendous doorstops. Oktava has admittedly never been known for their dynamic mics, it's true, they actually admitted this to me on a visit I took to their factory, and although they have made improvements in these lines as well, it's the condenser mics that are a cut above.

The Future? Lenin once said, "it's difficult to predict, especially the future." In a conversation I had with Oktava they admitted to me that their US presence was currently a bit embarrassing, but they are confident in their designs and were at the time (June 2007) on the cusp of making a BIG deal with an American company to cure their US presence problems. The deal was so big, they couldn't tell me at the time, but by summer it will all come out, that and other deals have come and gone.    Oktava-Online has forged a relationship with a Chinese manufacturer and may be hedging against a break-off with Oktava propper.   For now, Oktava microphones are widely available in both the new and used market, so enjoy them while you can.  

Introduction

Welcome Friends of Oktava!

I have found some great information and what has tured out to be disinformation about Oktavas on the Internet and this Blog it an effort to set the record straight.

I have decided to start an Oktava blog in hopes of sharing my knowledge of and experience with Oktava Microphones. It can be a tangled web, between the fake Oktava scandal, disorganized distribution, Modification of Oktava microphones, changing logos, changing lines, and changing distributors.

Which are the "best" Oktavas at what price? Which are fakes? Are the fakes any good? Perhaps we'll find out.

Who the heck am I? I am a second generation recording engineer, studio owner, professional musician and producer, Russian speaking, Oktava fan who owns many Oktavas both modified and un-modified.

Feel free to comment! And thanks for any input you may have. Everything represented here is what I believe to be true, but for legal and slander purposes should be considered opinion. If anyone would like me to remove anything written here, good luck! Get a lawyer and set some money asside. As long as I believe it to be true I will present my information as the truth, and I'm not out to help anyone present their side of the story.

THANKS FOR READING!