School me on the ADA MP-1

[shredhead7]

What would you prefer, ADA MP-1 or Marshall JMP-1 preamp?

I had both at the same time back in 96. I thought that the ADA sounded better, more gain on tap, but also all of the in between sounds as well. The Marshall reminded me of the 900 that I had later. It didn't have a ton of gain, typical of that era, and needed to be loud to come alive, basically like a Marshall. Considering the ADA sounded the same whether it was quiet or loud, the ADA was better suited for my needs. The ADA is a hot rod Marshall, that also has a great clean. The Marshall is a Marshall. It depends on what you're looking for.

I know that Maiden uses the JMP-1 live and I think that is a good representation of the level of distortion that it gets. I know that Vanden Plas also uses them, but to be honest I could never make mine sound that gained out, so I don't know if he has an EQ in the loop or is boosting.

I know that there are others on here that own both that might be able to offer some more advice.

 

[rupe]

On a serious note, the original is a great preamp...I bought one when they first came out and still have it.
It survived competition from just about every cool preamp that came out before 2000 (JMP1, Fish, Triaxis, Trio, etc) and always ended up back in my rack. It wasn't necessarily better sounding than all of those, but sounded as good as any of them.
Somebody mentioned using a BBE with it...DON'T! I fell into that trap because Vito Bratta recommended it back in the day.
It does sound great...until you add in the rest of band. There are few better ways to make your guitar disappear in the mix like the BBE.

 

[ghosty999]

I love mine! It's got a definite character and can do boosted JCM800 style sound really well. The cleans are very compressed sounding

 

[In&OutBurger]

I love mine! It's got a definite character and can do boosted JCM800 style sound really well. The cleans are very compressed sounding

Yeah but that CHORUS!

 

[midnightlaundry]

Got one around 93' which led me down the road of MIDI. Think of it as a fully programmable stomp box as it has massive levels of gain from what I remember. Had a PV poweramp modded for EL34's which made it sound great.

Offed it 5 years later when I got a TriAxis out of layaway, which is more of a pure tube tone. Played that for nearly 14 years, and then switched to Amps.. Amps are best as they are most reactant to your playing. But having MIDI pre/power/fx box is so easy and versatile.

Pick one up if it's cheap, and run it into the return of a Marshall. Instant 80's.

 

[mxr2000]

There are mods for the MP-1 out there too. If you're looking to buy, make sure you're getting what you want, either modded or stock. The Recto mod, the 3TM mod, noise mod, 3.666, a bunch more. Here's a link with some info.

http://adadepot.com/index.php?topic=148.0

Voodoo Amps does a nice MP-1 mod. Been a long time since I've heard it, but I remember it being pretty badass. Trace does good work. Looks like Voodoo doesn't do the mod anymore, but you can find them out there on the used market.

The biggest issue with the MP-1 is finding replacement parts. They tend to break down, and the parts can be hard to come by. Not impossible, but a bit annoying. If I recall correctly, the jacks on it tend to crap out pretty easily. I'm no MP-1 expert...trying to recall info I picked up 10 years ago.

I remember a guy from the Metboards way back in the day who got great tones out of a 3.666 modded MP-1. Turns it into more of a Recto feel than the stock Marshall tones.

You can get a lot done with an MP-1 and a parametric EQ in the loop. Empress makes a nice and simple ParaEQ pedal. The EQ can really help sculpt the sound and get more versatility out of it. It's a very cool rig. ADA made a rackmount graphic EQ themselves, the MQ-1. It's MIDI controllable, which is really cool. A graphic would do the job too. The MP-2 had a graphic EQ on board, if I recall correctly.

Most of the time you hear people running MP-1s into Marshall style power sections for the obvious reason. I wonder what it would sound like with other power amp tubes. 6L6s, KT88s and the like. That could make for an interesting sound!

The clean sounds are pretty great too. Spanky, chimey 80s cleans. It can be set to be squeaky almost-direct guitar clean (think early Dream Theater), or you can get a bit of grit out of it. Should work well as a pedal platform in theory.

Another suggestion, try some different tube types in it. 12AU7s perhaps.

Best Power amp for the ADA MP! its Mesa Boogie fifty/fifty stereo!!!

 

[mudf00t]

Best Power amp for the ADA MP! its Mesa Boogie fifty/fifty stereo!!!

I have a Peavey Classic 50/50 that sounds pretty good with my MP-2. Uses EL84s

 

[messenger]

There's a ton of info on them at ADAdepot. And they are easy to mod and a number of different mods available at that site. I modded mine to Mk4 mod and it sounded killer IMO

 

[Purpleibby]

No djents possible

Thank God for that!

Yeah but that CHORUS!

No doubt about it, that chorus is awesome. This is what ADA should reissue....put that chorus effect in a pedal with tons of headroom!

 

[squealie]

MP-1s are mostly nostalgia IMO. I played one (had 2) through the 90s when I was on the circuit. So did about 80% of the other road-dogs.

 

[moltenmetalburn]

http://m.adaamps.com/site/Products/ada-MP1/MP1.htm

 

[sg guy]

MP-1s are mostly nostalgia IMO. I played one (had 2) through the 90s when I was on the circuit. So did about 80% of the other road-dogs.

-kinda like spaghittoes, the best form of sustenance as a kid, remembering this, I bought some a couple weeks ago,..... HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE TASTING SHIT!! WTF WAS I THINKING!!!

 

[harsh59]

I would be interested in opinions on the MP1 pre amp pedal .

 

[lowmantotempole]

I have a 3TM ADA MP-1 I may be selling...

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

I heard these sound nothing like the original

Anyone tried one?

http://m.adaamps.com/site/Products/ada-MP1/MP1.htm

 

[harsh59]

I heard these sound nothing like the original

Anyone tried one?

http://m.adaamps.com/site/Products/ada-MP1/MP1.htm

+1

 

[moltenmetalburn]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LC0viaqP9mY