CaptainCrunch
New member
Where do these mods get done now. Just grabbed one off e-bay. Sounds heavy, super saturated just noisy. Was thinking of getting the noise mod.
ADA 3TM
- Thread starter CaptainCrunch
- Start date
I always wondered about the 3TM and why they went that direction. The Stock ADA as 4 gain stages plus a OPAMP gain stage in the front in of the amp. So basically 5 gain stages. With he 3TM you even have more.
The ADA's can be made to sound very heavy with he current setup with a few simple mods. But the biggest issue with them is you only get about 250 volts to the preamp tubes. This is great for the Marshall style tones but for more modern high gain, you need more voltage headroom for more clarity. Something more in the 330 to 360 volt range. Diezels run 400v on the preamps in some of their amps!
The noise mod most likely won't help. actually stock ADA units are very quiet. Now before killing me about that
Most people experienced hum and noise with ADA units because they were having ground loop issues with them and didn't know it.
I had a Stock ADA on the bench a few months back and it was made in 1987! And it was dead quiet. The noise mod just replaces the filter caps, which for a unit that old, is a good idea anyway.
The ADA depot site crashed and a guy who was the moderator (MarshallJMP) has it now trying to restore it. He has a website http://www.marshalljmpmodshop.net/
He does mods etc. But he is in Europe.
The ADA's can be made to sound very heavy with he current setup with a few simple mods. But the biggest issue with them is you only get about 250 volts to the preamp tubes. This is great for the Marshall style tones but for more modern high gain, you need more voltage headroom for more clarity. Something more in the 330 to 360 volt range. Diezels run 400v on the preamps in some of their amps!
The noise mod most likely won't help. actually stock ADA units are very quiet. Now before killing me about that
Most people experienced hum and noise with ADA units because they were having ground loop issues with them and didn't know it.I had a Stock ADA on the bench a few months back and it was made in 1987! And it was dead quiet. The noise mod just replaces the filter caps, which for a unit that old, is a good idea anyway.
The ADA depot site crashed and a guy who was the moderator (MarshallJMP) has it now trying to restore it. He has a website http://www.marshalljmpmodshop.net/
He does mods etc. But he is in Europe.
verderacer
Active member
baron55":324pfcu5 said:I always wondered about the 3TM and why they went that direction. The Stock ADA as 4 gain stages plus a OPAMP gain stage in the front in of the amp. So basically 5 gain stages. With he 3TM you even have more.
The ADA's can be made to sound very heavy with he current setup with a few simple mods. But the biggest issue with them is you only get about 250 volts to the preamp tubes. This is great for the Marshall style tones but for more modern high gain, you need more voltage headroom for more clarity. Something more in the 330 to 360 volt range. Diezels run 400v on the preamps in some of their amps!
The noise mod most likely won't help. actually stock ADA units are very quiet. Now before killing me about that
I had a Stock ADA on the bench a few months back and it was made in 1987! And it was dead quiet. The noise mod just replaces the filter caps, which for a unit that old, is a good idea anyway.
The ADA depot site crashed and a guy who was the moderator (MarshallJMP) has it now trying to restore it. He has a website http://www.marshalljmpmodshop.net/
He does mods etc. But he is in Europe.
And I might add that mind was a bit noisy but after replacing the caps and transformer its better now. If you chose to get it done make sure you use the new MDRT
transformer. Its like $45 US shipped.
rupe
Active member
I have a bone stock MP-1 from '87 that was the heart of my rack system for over 2 decades (I replaced it numerous times only to have it make its way back into the starting lineup). Noise was never an issue, and neither was the amount of gain on tap. I've played several modded units and none of them compared to my original stock unit IMO.
My first E-bay purchase ever about 2 years ago was an ADA MP1 that came with noise mods and JJ83s Tubes.
Guys on the Forums said I'd get nice Medium Gain Marshall-ish Tones if I wanted instead of the really high Gain stuff- they were right -especially into Cab IRs- pretty quiet and very good sounding.
I was surprised the Mods were for more Gain- it has plenty- if they had used 3 Preamp Tubes instead of 2 and the Op Amp Input was a Tube instead- and though I'm not a Tech by any means ( just a Player who has talked to lots of Amp Gurus )- higher Plate Voltages as Baron mentioned and also the Heater Voltage ( the "12 " in 12AX7 ) is about 9 volts which is odd- and not all 12AX7s respond as well as they might.
But it's a good unit- just maybe could have been great-and the Mods all get higher Gain , not beef up the Cleans etc.I asked on that Site if anyone had Mods to replace the Op Amp with a Tube but no takers.
To be clear- my unit had the " Noise Mod " already done to it- I think the MRDT Mod changes the transformer and raises the Heater Voltage to 12 ( 12AX7 )- don't know if that raises the plate voltage to the tubes also....
Guys on the Forums said I'd get nice Medium Gain Marshall-ish Tones if I wanted instead of the really high Gain stuff- they were right -especially into Cab IRs- pretty quiet and very good sounding.
I was surprised the Mods were for more Gain- it has plenty- if they had used 3 Preamp Tubes instead of 2 and the Op Amp Input was a Tube instead- and though I'm not a Tech by any means ( just a Player who has talked to lots of Amp Gurus )- higher Plate Voltages as Baron mentioned and also the Heater Voltage ( the "12 " in 12AX7 ) is about 9 volts which is odd- and not all 12AX7s respond as well as they might.
But it's a good unit- just maybe could have been great-and the Mods all get higher Gain , not beef up the Cleans etc.I asked on that Site if anyone had Mods to replace the Op Amp with a Tube but no takers.
To be clear- my unit had the " Noise Mod " already done to it- I think the MRDT Mod changes the transformer and raises the Heater Voltage to 12 ( 12AX7 )- don't know if that raises the plate voltage to the tubes also....
Sorry . . . but I just had to!
I love "Captain Crunch" with good ice cold whole milk, only!
I love "Captain Crunch" with good ice cold whole milk, only!
CaptainCrunch
New member
It's quite a good cereal!
CaptainCrunch
New member
I am chasing the old Metallica Justice on Wheels saturated crunch. I couldn't get it out of the MP-1's. Had the MP-2 but was extremely noisy. Found this 3tm on ebay.
srommes
Active member
I owned a couple stock MP1's back in the 90's snd just could never jive with them. They always had a good overall rounded sound but didn't have any bite or attack no matter what amp I ran them through. I bought one a few years ago and had the basic 3tm installed as well as the battery mod. The 3tm is a completely different ballgame and much more than just added gain in my opinion. The thing just screams with a ton of aggression and completely changed this preamp for me. I sent mine over to MJMP in Belgium to get it modded to Ultra+ specs with the new MDRT tranny etc. I should be getting it back here soon and can't wait to hear it fully modded.
CaptainCrunch
New member
What's the Ultra+ mod give? So are there more gain mods more than the 3TM?
srommes
Active member
http://www.marshalljmpmodshop.net/mp1 3tm ultra.htmCaptainCrunch":dd177ozj said:
OUTLAW1969
Well-known member
CaptainCrunch":3e0kzkas said:
There used to be a mod for the MP-1's on the ADA Depot site, that was very thrashy sounding. Much better suited for that type of tone, over the 3TM. I actually owned all of the "mod types" for a little while, and that particular mod was perfect for Metallica type stuff. The 3TM was more of a high gain, 80's metal type mod.
The main person that was doing the mods for people, was named Hairston Bagg, but I guess that was a screen name. You might try using Google, and try to find some way of contacting him through his old contact list.
CaptainCrunch
New member
How long does it take sending to Belgium and getting back
glpg80
Well-known member
I ordered a mod through the admin over at adadepot years ago, and did the 3TM to an MP1.
He did them in batches of 20 and there always existed a very long waiting list, think cameron mentality but on ADA's forum. I managed to get one of his boards sent over and installed. Very expensive, and very hard to coordinate - with ADAdepot now gone i would think it would be almost impossible to get those replacement pre-amp boards done.
There were two tone-shaping trim pots on the board that you could use as extra tone shaping options for highs and lows. With 6 gain stages it was just too saturated, and i never found the MP1 to have much punch behind the notes anyway before or after the modification. I always heard them sound great under a mic, but not in my hands or live.
Ended up selling it on Ebay to a guy in Canada that claimed the pre-amp board was installed incorrectly and wanted a refund, when i found out one of his problems was MIDI user error, the bastard still negative repped me for it
I would recommend heeding Dave's advice and having it modified for what you need as-is. IMHO the ADA-MP1 chorus is my favorite chorus sound of all time, it simply cannot be replicated.
He did them in batches of 20 and there always existed a very long waiting list, think cameron mentality but on ADA's forum. I managed to get one of his boards sent over and installed. Very expensive, and very hard to coordinate - with ADAdepot now gone i would think it would be almost impossible to get those replacement pre-amp boards done.
There were two tone-shaping trim pots on the board that you could use as extra tone shaping options for highs and lows. With 6 gain stages it was just too saturated, and i never found the MP1 to have much punch behind the notes anyway before or after the modification. I always heard them sound great under a mic, but not in my hands or live.
Ended up selling it on Ebay to a guy in Canada that claimed the pre-amp board was installed incorrectly and wanted a refund, when i found out one of his problems was MIDI user error, the bastard still negative repped me for it
I would recommend heeding Dave's advice and having it modified for what you need as-is. IMHO the ADA-MP1 chorus is my favorite chorus sound of all time, it simply cannot be replicated.
Hi there, I'm new to this forum and I just got a 3TM MP-1.
I'm liking it a lot and yes it is different from the stock MP-1. It doesn't seem to have more gain on the "dist" voice but rather a different voice overall and the frequency response of the lows and highs are sort of "extended" extended.
The stock MP-1 has a crunchy mid tone that is very pleasant for solos.
My question here would be:
In the 3TM mod, where are the trim pots to fine tune the lows and highs of the tube board?
I'm liking it a lot and yes it is different from the stock MP-1. It doesn't seem to have more gain on the "dist" voice but rather a different voice overall and the frequency response of the lows and highs are sort of "extended" extended.
The stock MP-1 has a crunchy mid tone that is very pleasant for solos.
My question here would be:
In the 3TM mod, where are the trim pots to fine tune the lows and highs of the tube board?
glpg80
Well-known member
I dont understand the question? The entire preamp board is replaced with the 3TM and the potentiometers are integrated as a part of the design itself. The trim pots to fine tune the lows and highs of the tube board are located literally on the preamp board itself. I am not sure how many revisions exist of the 3TM, but the model that i ordered from the guy who was producing them over at ADA depot had trim pots integrated as a part of his design.
Since ADA depot is gone there is no telling how many revisions exist - but if your model does have the replacement board that is where they would be located
Since ADA depot is gone there is no telling how many revisions exist - but if your model does have the replacement board that is where they would be located
Thanks for the reply!
I had the ADA beside me with the top lid off so I just saw those trim pots.
Now a very newbie question, can I just manipulate those while I'm playing? Is there any part or component that I should be careful not to touch when I'm fine tuning the pots with a small screwdriver?
I had the ADA beside me with the top lid off so I just saw those trim pots.
Now a very newbie question, can I just manipulate those while I'm playing? Is there any part or component that I should be careful not to touch when I'm fine tuning the pots with a small screwdriver?
glpg80
Well-known member
The correct answer is that you should never stick anything inside a live circuit with such high voltage. The potential to harm yourself is extremely high and if you slip while adjusting the unit you will most likely damage the preamp board and/or hurt yourself.
The wrong answer is that yes you can adjust them while playing - it wont harm the unit itself to do so. Take electrical tape and wrap it around a screwdriver until only the very tip of the screwdriver is exposed. Be sure you're holding a screwdriver with a plastic, non conductive handle at all times. Put the guitar down, make the adjustment, and then try it.
The best, correct, and recommend solution is powering the unit down before making any adjustments....consider yourself warned if you decide to stick a conductive piece of metal inside the preamp on or off. Know that the unit was not originally intended to be user serviceable with the case apart like this and you're doing so at your own risk. You've been warned
The wrong answer is that yes you can adjust them while playing - it wont harm the unit itself to do so. Take electrical tape and wrap it around a screwdriver until only the very tip of the screwdriver is exposed. Be sure you're holding a screwdriver with a plastic, non conductive handle at all times. Put the guitar down, make the adjustment, and then try it.
The best, correct, and recommend solution is powering the unit down before making any adjustments....consider yourself warned if you decide to stick a conductive piece of metal inside the preamp on or off. Know that the unit was not originally intended to be user serviceable with the case apart like this and you're doing so at your own risk. You've been warned