ADA MP-1 3TM (Three Tube Mod)

I have two MP-1's, a stock v.1.38 and the 3TM played through a BBE 882i and Lexicon LX-5 with a Jackson Soloist Sl-1 and BC Rich Assasin into a Marshall JCM800 and 1960A and it rocks!

The modded 3TM board (US version) built by the infamous Hairston at adadepot is the best sounding preamp in its class. I definitely recommend spending the money for this mod. He knows what he is doing!

Extra thick gain and reduced noise make it a better option that the stock MP-1. This unit is a god send for anyone playing 80's, 90's and even today's metal.

- Adadepot 3TM (3-Tube) Mod (110V)
- (3) Specialty High-Gain Graded JJ-Tesla ECC83S Tubes
- New Revision of the Noise-Mod
- New Li Battery
- Updated EPROM (v2.01)
- New Revision of the Rear Jack Conversion Mod (v1 MP-1s)

With upgraded parts inside, new lithium battery, and 3 new JJ Ecc83 Tesla tubes it is built to last. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Hell, if it's good enough for Paul Gilbert than it sure as hell is good enough for me. If it ever broke I would without a doubt purchase another one.

The guys at adadepot.com US, Canada and Europe know their sh*t. Hairston (in the US)is not only an electronics guru but takes a personal approach to helping all of his satisfied customers. I guarantee you there is not one person who purchased a 3TM or 3TM mod who was disatisfied with him. If you live north of the border or across the pond don't fret cuz there are experts there too. I have never seen such support and knowledge from a product whose company disbanded long ago.

I've been rockin' for 23 years in the style of Rhoads, Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Satch, Jake E. Lee and Mr. Psychodelic himself, Hendrix using Marshall JCM 800 series head, Marshall 1960A, MP-1 3TM, BBE 882i, Lexicon LX-5 and Behringer FCB1010 Midi Foot Controller for gigs. MP-1 1.38, Hafler P1500, Digitech 2112 SGS, Event 20/20's in studio.

The 3 tube mod mp-1 is plain awesome. I have to be honest, I really wasn't thrilled with the original mp-1 [I really hated how loose the bass was and how there was barely any bass at all. However, now that I got the 3 tube mod I am using the preamp a whole lot more. The bass is so much tighter and there is more distortion. In addition to the 3 tube mod I also got the noise mod and now I can say this preamp is pretty quiet. One thing that really impressed me is the pick attack and clarity. If the original preamp was made for shredders, this preamp only builds on that. The preamp is very trebly (which I like) and you can hear each not VERY CLEARLY. The person at the ADA Depot who modded my preamp, Hairston, even put adjustable pots in so one can further tune the treble, mids, and bass to their liking. If I were to describe the tone of the preamp simply, I would probably have to point people to Loudness album Lightning Strikes. The song Dark Desire sounds very much like the ADA mp-1 3 tube mod. I can't really comment on the new tube clean because I rarely ever used it. I mainly switch between the brutal tube distortion and the pristine solid state clean. One other I should note is now that I have gotten the 3 tube mod boy, is it fun to use the neck pickup. I can't explain, the notes just sound so liquidy.

Features are the same as the original mp-1 except now the preamp has 3 tubes!

I never had a problem with the mp-1 in the past and Hairston changed out a lot of components when he did the noise mod along with the 3 tube mod. I also take really good care of all my equipment so I think I can depend on this preamp to last awhile.

The original ADA company is gone [annoying because I'm looking for a flanger], but the ADA Depot is around and the people there are very helpful. I think I can rely on them if anything bad happens to my preamp. Hairston, the guy who did the mods for me, was also very kind an helpful.

I'm really impressed with what the ADA Depot has done with my ADA mp-1. I can't give a 10 because that would imply it is absolutely perfect, but it's close. I really like that cheesy 80's metal sound. If it were stolen I would probably buy a new mp-1 and get it modded but I would be very very pissed and would post bounties. I honestly haven't owned too many amps, but needless to say I think it's great. Tied with my Peavey Rockmaster preamp, I have a preamp to handle mid heavy metal and a preamp to handle scooped sounds.

For anyone already acquainted with the standard MP-1, the 3TM mod doesn't raise any added issues towards ease of operation. It is the same basic machine and the MP-1 is quite easy to trek around even without a manual. If need be, although ADA went bankrupt, there is always all the support you will never need at www.adadepot.com

I've been using a stock MP-1 in my set-up just about from the introduction of that product on the market. The unit I own is the 136th one they made! I bought 2 other ones so I can get different mods and let me tell you that the 3TM RAWKS!!!

Compared to a stock unit, the 3TM's noise floor is virtually gone and the sound is tight and full. Tons of attack in this baby and the integrity of the string's tone is kept even at higher gain settings, instead of becoming a mush like in most preamps/amps out there. I'm starting to think that the "TM" in 3TM stands for TerMinator! This is a real professional unit, and you can really understand why guys like Paul Gilbert used this beast in the days.

The only little thing that bothers me is the fact that the CleanTube mode is quite different than the original one now. For some it will be a good thing (Having that channel turned from a sweet Fenderish clean combo type of sound into a Plexi-type of grind), and to others (like me), will miss the Original CleanTube spank. I guess that when someone installs the 3TM, they are not all that interested in disco/R&B funk tones that much anyways...But I am! Nevertheless, the CleanTube is quite outstanding in its new form, providing ballsy AC/DC rhythm tones and flirting with that good old VanHalen Brown sound. I do appreciate that.

I'm not losing anything here anyhow...I still own 2 other stock units. So all I do now is I run both, choosing tones from 6 different channels. How can you beat that?

Of course, the main channel that won me over is the DistortionTube mode. You want to melt the asphalt away from your driveway? Plug into this monster and you will start pumping lava out of your cabs! Pure liquid sustain, harmonics that fly through the walls and that chunky Marshallish thunk that makes your lower abdominals do the chugga-chugga dance!

How can anyone not like this? Guitar heaven in one rack space...

Knowing the guy that performed this mod on my unit, I am very confident that it will stand the test of time. He is a really qualified technician and has this "no compromise" approach that I really dig. No second grade parts in there...All top quality. He even changed and improved other sections of my unit that are not per se 3TM related.

ADA is defunct. I guess most everybody knows that. But there are the guys at ADADEPOT on the web that are so helpful and friendly... I think these guys are even better than most customer services from current companies that are paying people to support their own products. They provide litterature, info, schematics and even technical support both in America and Europe! And they don't even make money with this! Talk about passionate people!

I've been playing guitar for 25 years and I still do earn my living doing that. I played anything from '70s disco to Satriani stuff, blues, R&B, Pop, Rock, Metal...And I can say the 3TM mod is a PRO-quality product. It isn't a toy! It can cover a lot of ground style-wise, while I must admit it is more directed towards the hard rock tones. And that's what I wanted from this! And boy does it deliver!

I think it's great to own such an exclusive piece of gear. The guys at ADADEPOT offer this wild mod for next to nothing (They hardly only cover their expenses) just for the sake of helping fellow guitar players get their dream tone. I feel real proud to have something that most people out there will never have, considering that only a few ADA enthusiasts (and owner of an MP-1) will make the move to get the 3TM...It's like owning a LesPaul edition that have been made only in 50 units.

I got one!

Well, it is still an MP-1, so it is as easy as it gets.

The 3TM mod doesn't affect the initial controls at all.

Basically it is a stock unit with:

Noise mod
3TM added
New transformer

Solid State Clean:
Great JC-120-like sound. But distorsion is ugly and it can be noisy if you turn the master gain up too much. Anway, with the right setting, you can get very clean, shinning sounds. You just need to find the sweet spot.

Tube Clean:
The 3TM turns this channel into a brown channel. It is really very close to the van halen early sound. Very growling distorsion with great sustain and harmonics even with medium gain settings. With very low OD settings, you can get good and useable blues sounds too but this is not the strongest point of the preamp.

Tube distorsion:
Much more metal oriented. Curiously this channel is less noisy than the tube clean altough it has more gain. With careful post eq you can probably get any metal sound you want. I find that this one has less personalit than the other distorsion channel so it is really a good base to build upon with extra eq.

Overall, this covers all my needs. Pristine clean sounds, good mid-gain and fantastic hi-gain sounds. I play blues, pop and metal and I can get anything I want. I initially wanted to build a reack with at least two preamps, but I have changed my mind.
The great thing is that you get very useable sounds really easily. No need to tweak for hours, the sound is there.

There is also a noise mod done by ADA depot which reduces background noise. Noise is certainly not an issue on my machine but I can't judge how different it is with a stock one because I don't have one. It is more or less comparable to my other preamps.

Well it's an old MP-1 but they are usually reliable. What matters is that the tube board itself is brand new. In the worst case, should there be a lethal issue with the MP-1, I could transplant the board in another MP-1.

As you know, adadepot.com is not a company, just ADA nutters who keep the brand alive by developping mods to the preamps on their spare time, so they could be forgiven for not offering professional support. But actually, because they do this out of passion, they are much more flexible than most company.

My mp-1 came with a really cracky pot that caused volume drops, and the guy who prepared it for me is sending me one for free. Also, some guys who bought the preamp but didn't like it got a full refund. You can hardly ask more than this!

That deserves a full 10 for me.

For me this is an absolute bargain.

425 euros may seem a lot for a 10 years old preamp but that would be missing the point.

The 3TM features a brand new tube board in which hours or developpement have gone, and the 425 euros barely covers the cost of a second hand mp-1 and the parts required to build the board. For the price, you are getting a fully revised machine far more versatile than the original one (more gain and two different distorsion channels).

I have been looking for the perfect pre-amp for me for a while.

The jmp-1 sounds great but lack real hi-gain sounds
The MP-2 didn't convince me totally because the sound was somehow sterile and the various hi-gain settings were not all that different.
The rocktron pro-gap is very versatile but doesn't have that fat valve sound.

Compared to all those, the 3TM gives me all I need in one box. With my ADA MQ1 behing and a Gmajor, I can get rock, blues and metal. Sure I can't get the sounds of the marshall or the rocktron, but I can get close enough and that's fine with me.

Sure, there are many other preamps out there but when it comes to fully analog path preamps, the choice isn't that great. The triaxis is probably fantastic but even second hand, it costs around 1300 euros here. The VHT can't be found easily second hand and is around 1500 euros new.

I can't think of another preamp that produce distorsion with 3 valves in a comparable price bracket.

All I can say is, go to adadepot and check the forum for more user comments. There are other mods available and I am actually thinking of getting another modded mp-1 as a backup.

All the standard functions of a stock MP-1, except for the mods: # tube board, noise mod & EQ mod. All these were done by a tech working with ADA Depot. I also have the priveledge to own a Langner DCP-1 Elite preamp. I use this amp for rehearsal & live. With a great power amp it's unbeatable! I use an ADA T100S or a Mesa 50/50.

I use EMG pickups exclusively, Les Pauls & custom Kramer strats. I play melodic hard rock and it kills. With the noise mod it is QUIET. I love the variety because you can set patches for however much distortion you want. The clean is STILL the best I've heard. I wouldn't use it for extreme heavy metal, but anything up to that point. I get gobbs of saturation, nice tight low end, harmonics galore!

Yes, it's dependable. I've gigged without a backup, but with the possibility of hitting the road soon, I'll get one! No problems, when the guy modded mine, he put a bunch of new pieces, which helped to quiet it down.

No support through ADA but the tech from ADA Depot stands behind his work. Also, I play with a guy who knows Todd Langner.

I've been playing for 10 years. My rig is this: guitars into a Shure ULXSA wireless, into a Boss TU-12 tuner, into the MP-1, stereo out into a BBE 462 Sonic Maximzer, stereo out to my power amp ( either an ADA T100S or Mesa 50/50, out to 2 Marshall Vintage 4X12's with vintage 30's. I love that it is so portable, with SO many tone options. I wish it had Delay. I've had the MP-1 Mod 3, Marshall JMP-1, Rockman XPR ( great preamp ), Mesa Triaxis, it SMOKES the Triaxis, Marshall 50 watt Silver Jubilee, Mesa solo & triple Rec's, 3 Marshall 2210's. By far, it IS the BEST bang for your buck.

This is to continue my last review since I wanted to do more experimenting with the unit and the Mod.

After more experimenting with the unit, my noise gate setting on my Rocktron Intellifex has been reduced big time, which is a good thing cause I am not a big Noise User.

I also decided to try some settings on the the Tube Clean Vocing.. at low OD settings, I can get pretty smooth round blues sound, specially when using the neck pickup. If you use more OD settings on Both OD1 and OD2, you can get into the highgain area where I think it sounded more like a Brown Sound. Think "Van Halen - You Really Got Me". To me, It was as smooth as the Tube Distortion vocing, but was pretty cool. The Tube Distortion would be more for Thrash Metal, Heavy Metal, Speed Metal, etc.. type of sounds. The Tube Clean with low ODs settings would be suited for AcDc, Neil Young.. and Tube Clean with high ODs settings for stuff like Van Halen type of distortion.

As mentioned in my last review, the Clean SolidState Vocing didnt change at all since it has nothing to do with the tubes.

I'd like to get a 2nd MP-1 with the 3TM and keep it as backup. You never know what could happen when playing a gig or rehearing, etc..

ADA Depot all the way...

I cant say enough good things about this mod. Just a big improvment over stock MP-1 and other mods in my opinion. But at the same time, its very different sounding.

Solid state is left unchanged.
The distorion channel is a tight and agressive high gain channel, very expensive sounding!
The tube Clean channel can be used for bluesy overdrive, and if maxed in gain it gives a very warm and clear sound, ideal for soloing.
Noise has decreased dramaticcaly. Sustain can be infinate if you have a good guitar.
All in all a very big improvement

The same features as the original, just better sound quality.

MP-1's can show defects because the are old and so. The 3TM won't change that, but the board itself is made of high quality components, so no problem there.

ADA is dead, long live ADA

For this price you won't find any competition.Buy a MP-1 as cheap as possible, and hope there are still some 3TM boards left.

I installed the 3TM in my MP-1 and the sound has improved ALOT. The cleans on the solidstate hasnt changed at all. The Clean tube vocing can be a brown channel if alot of both OD1 and OD2 are used. You can be used stuff like AcDc and general rock distortion where not alot of distortion is needed. use Solidstate vocing for cleans.

The tube distortion vocing is where this mod shines big time. The crunch is excellent, the sound, tone & gain are alot more defined and clearer. Now you can actully use alot of gain and still retain clarity.

Noise issue people complain about with stock Mp-1 isnt even near as bad. This mod makes the MP-1 alot more quiet. Sure you still have the usuall highgain amps noise but which amps without a noise gate doesnt have that?? If I ever had to, I dont think i'll need to use a noise gate but I just use it to keep things quiet a bit when not playing :D.

I usually keep my mids at around 2 or 4 and I just thought to experiment I would use less mids. I put the mids on -2 and the sound just crushes. It sounds just as good when mids are on 2 but less scooped.

You also have more tone control options. 2 trimpots added on the tube board that help with the bass/mids & high frequency amount and that definitly helps the overall sound

Well.. as mentioned above, its an MP-1. I dont think i'll have any problems with the Mod it self as it was done in a very pro way.

ADA is long gone, all there is now is ADA Depot.

This is definitly a "you gotta have mod" for the MP-1. They should have come up with this mod alot earlier :D

Its just an excellent mod and makes the MP-1 even better sounding and still wont have to spend alot of cash on other programmable preamps that cost $1000s.