ADA MP-1 3TM (Three Tube Mod)

ADA MP-1 The 3TM Board Modification/Installation. Unlike the other common mods for the MP-1 the 3TM (not to be confused with 3.666 mod) is a actual change out of the preamp board that the two stock tubes reside on for a completely new 3 tube preamp board. So instead of two 12AX7 preamp tube sockets as the stock board had, there are three 12AX7 tube sockets and many other changes to resistors and capacitors on the new 3TM board. The boards are made by a gentleman in Belgium (Europe) and will cost you about 236 USD / 158 Euros if you install the board yourself (plus supplies for installation) and you can get it installed by the vendor for a fee. The board was mailed to me very quickly and Phillipe (at the vendor) was very helpful via email. I got the 3TM board and a small package of resistors, caps, a mini potentiometer and new knob and sticker for the faceplate. All of these had to be installled by me as well as connecting the wiring of the new board to the main board of the MP-1 My self install was successful although, it was not super easy. It was much more intricate than I had anticipated and the work was almost all in a small confined area. It was kind of like working on a guitar pedal but I couldn't flip the MP-1 over like a guitar pedal to see the other side. It also took me much more effort to remove the old board, clean up the old solder and install the wires and parts than I thought. I can see where mistakes could result in problems or disaster if it were rushed or a first mod. I would have gotten it installed by the vendor if I had known how detailed it was up front. The instructions are very very well laid out. IF you read them and follow each step there is little chance of doing something wrong as far as installing parts. My chances of failure were with the de-soldering and soldering on the board. The board was 20+ years old and brittle to start with. But, I chose to go really slow and take a few breaks during the install and had great success. I am thrilled at the outcome. A big metal 'tube' sound improvement.

I can say without a doubt that the 3TM board is the best mod out of the more common MP-1 mods. It changed my ADA MP-1 from a barely metal sound to a Metallica Master of Puppets crunch and of course more. It will now get that heavy without a problem. It did increase the 'hisss' noise level of the MP-1. The new board install creates 3 add'l trimpots that I probably need to tweak more to cut back the noise level. Overall I am totally pleased with the sound, it's thick, heavy and with a tube power amp sounds really heavy and tube amplified, and it is, true tube. I am using a ESP JH-600 guitar with EMG active pickups (81/85), and tube power amp (four EL34's) with the ADA MP-1 (with new 3TM).

The 3TM board is made very well and detailed. There is no sloppy work. I think the chance of getting a bum board is very unlikely. The board I got was obviously custom manufactured and to high quality standards. If you have problems on a self install, I think it would be best to check yourself well before assuming its the 3TM board. It is clean and looks perfect in every way, NOT like junk from mass produced factories of Asia.
I think doing this modification was a good step. Instead of decreasing the value as some other mods often do, it has increased the value of my MP-1. They definaltely have no trouble selling on web site auctions if modified with the 3TM board. The unit now has brand new parts in the tube section. So overall its a good thing and probably the MP-1 is more reliable than it was before the modification. I did check all the new connections twice.

Philippe at marshalljmp is the greatest. He is very friendly and you can trust what he tells you. Have no fear sending him payment. Its all good with Philippe.

I think the ADA MP-1 3TM board modification is reasonably priced. It definately is a quality product and made to last if properly installed. The customer service is top notch. I would do it again if I bought another ADA MP-1 that did not have the 3TM board in it already. If you might find one already modified. But like I said, its worth every penny and the sound is the bomb.

The manual supplied for the installation is very well written. It goes step by step, letting you know what tools you'll need to install the 3TM. Photos along with instructions, show you how to disassemble the MP-1 in order to install the 3TM. It took me close to one and a half to set it up. The manual makes clear that someone unexperienced will need PATIENCEand time. But aside from that it was fun to set up.

Regarding the sound for the 3TM: this one one really blew me out. Voodoo Amps has a similar one, but to me the 3TM it's the one to go for. I installed 3 Electro Harmonix 12AX7 and boom! It can go from a subtle Fenderish blues crunch to a solid hot rodded Marshall. I've had this MP-1 for quite sometime now and I'm happy to say it never sounded better. Check out the clips on ADA Depot and be the judge yourself.

This mod I know it will last a while,it's well built. Nice clean job. Once you listen to it you'll want to mod your unit.

All I did was e-mail Marhsalljmp and the guy took care of me right away. Shipping was fast and being able to pay thru PayPal was great!

I've been a guitarist 26 years and I play in a cover band doing everything from pop to rock and I could say: This is a TOTAL MONSTER! I tried the setting suggested and it was really cooking. It's like having a JMP-1 and a Triaxis in one unit only fatter. You can even tailor the sound with individual eq trim pots on board!!!!! As soon as I finished the installation, I plugged it in to my Micro Tube 200 and to my Carvin 212 cabs (2)without efx's and cranked it up. I ended changing my rack setup. I have an ART DST-4 as preamp and the MP-1 was the master volume unit, but after this, my DST-4 WILL take a looooong vacation. With this mod it's going to be hard to decide what setup to gig with. I have the rack system with the MP-1, Micro Tube 200, Art DST-4, Rocktron's Super C and Expression effects with Carvin 212 cabs, a Marshall AVT-50 head, a Carvin V3 and a Fender Bassman 50 2 x 15 cab, modified with 2 12" 70/80 celestions. I'm very impressed. It beats, by far and in pricing, the Voodoo Amp Mod!!!!!
Thanks for letting this mod become a reality for us MP-1 users.

My set-up.

PRS(Clone) into a Boss GT8 for effects and midi control, into the MP-1(3TM)into a Mosvalve 962, into a 1x12 Mesa Boogie Cab.

This is the tone i have longed for, real chunky, sustain, texture to cry about. It's real 80 rock and metal.

I did the Noise Mod 2 months ago, i have to check to make sure it's still on, it's that quiet.

Now there are some major changes, 1. Clean tube, is now Mean tube, so if you had some real nice sparkle and sweet (Fender) clean stuff saved, it's now a Marshall grunt, think early Van Halen. I have a GT8 which has 44 amp sims, so i don't miss or need the clean tube or SS. But you can dial up some real nice, fender pushed sounds.

Tube is now that tone you longed for, you do need to reset your patches, increase the od1 and od2 and play lead like never before. I have played guitar for 27 years, i have had Marshall, Meas Boogie, Peavey, Boss GT6, Vox Tonelab SE, Boss GT8. I thank god, i found the MP-1. I love to play notes that stay with you. Most sound great for rhythm but when it comes to lead, they just don't do it. 3TM is the saturated texture of lead guitar. I love to milk the note dry, the 3TM does just that.

I play classic rock and that means all rock new and old, this can do it all, ACDC, ZZ Top, 3 door down, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zep.

I did have to adjust the volume, that also changes after the mod. You need to reset this or you will do what i did, i played the first gig thinking well its sounds very much like the old MP-1 but really quiet, then i adjusted the volume and then WOW. AWESOME Tones.

You now also get 2 extra EQ Trimpots, so if you have a quad box and there is too much bass(yeh Right) you can turn it down, or up if you need more. Plus you also have one Eq for Mid to high. So this would help tweak your sound.

This is the ultimate Mod for the MP-1.

128 storage spaces, 3 Tubes/Valves.

Can you say easy, this is the so easy to program, hit edit, hit the button adjust up or down, then hit edit, then the patch location.

For something this old, all i can say is WOW.

This is my new best friend. She's old like me, but boy can she cook.

No Idea, but there are many memebers from ADADEPOT to help.

But i figure it's ten+ years or older, and it still going strong.

ADADEPOT, those guys are the reason the 3TM exsists at all, but they are there if you need help or setup advice. There are so many Mods to pick from, so also there are sound clips, PDF files, lots of cool stuff.

The memebers are all like you and me, always there to help solve any problems you have, give advice or just talk sit if you want.

Too Bad ADA is not around to see what they started. They would have been proud of the 3TM.

I been playing guitar for 27 years,
If my 3TM was stolen, i would buy another one straight away.
You know, we all have an idea what our sound is, and it's not until you actully hear it for the first time, then you go WOW.

I've Gone through (See Above) it all, and now i'm back with the best Guitar processor i have played with. I thought the standard MP-1 was really good, but then i got the 3TM, now i smile a lot more when i play.
I look forward to playing again, hearing those tones. We all want that elusive tone, but when you actually get it, The Holy Grail of guitar tone is yours.

This is what this thing is all about. Tone. There's a reason the MP-1 is a legendary piece of gear and that so many classic recordings were done with it and so many people are enthusiatic users of it today (check out how active ADA Depot is... and just think about the effort and enthusiasm necssary to make something like this tube board project happen well over a decade after the manufacturer tanked). The tone.

Make no mistake. Like the original MP-1, this thing is not generic, it is not for everybody. If you already hate the MP-1's tone, there is absolutely no reason to do this mod. The MP-1 is a classic from a very specific era and it does two things supremely well:

1. Wicked Late 80's/Early 90's Era Metal and Shred with a unique take on the hot rodded Marshall sound.
2. Crystalline Solid State Chorused Clean Tones.

If you don't like these sounds from an unmodded MP-1 you will not like them any better from the modded MP-1. However, if this is your type of music then you're in for a *major* treat.

The mod maintains the MP-1's Distorted Tube channel's famous base tone but drastically improves the amount of usable gain. The original's tone sounded great but fell apart early along the adjustment curve, turning the OD values above 6 or so started to just become a mess. The carefully selected, high quality components on the tube board drastically bring down the MP-1's notorious noise to a MUCH more managable level at the same time. These two upgrades give a lot more possibilities for tweaking the sound to your rig and you end up being able to achieve any type of thick or scooped rhythm metal tones you'd want as well lead sounds that burn through the mix with saturated sustain and clarity.

The MP-1's awesome SS Clean channel is untouched and stays the same.

The "Clean" tube is significantly altered by the mod. It really is no longer clean except at low gain settings. I can do Fendery rhythms by coil tapping my lower output neck pickup, and have a couple of patches setup specifically for doing this. I can do classic rockish rhythm sounds with it at low gain settings with significant dynamics and crunch. It can do a very nice warm 'brownish' overdriven plexi sounds and can be gotten into much heavier territory than the original clean channel. That said, it is not a Plexi, and if you are a big fan of this channel, I'd recommend listening to someone else's modded MP-1 or buying a backup unit. Due to the fact that if you are used to the existing tube clean this channel is much more fundamentally altered by the mod soundwise and ends up way more focused to the heavy end than in a stock MP-1 and there's a good chance you may miss the old one.

Same as the original, with addition of a new internal tube board which is transparent to the user (except for the sound, duh) once installed.

My Modded MP-1 is from the second batch of tube boards generated by HB and company at ADADEPOT.com. Using it for many months with absolutely no problems.

The guys at ADADEPOT are the bomb. I got so excited installing this, I hosed several solder pads installing it and Hairston at AD was kind enough to rescue my precious MP-1 from the brink of disaster for his normal install fee in spite of it being much extra work for him to undo the damage I had done in my haste.

I'm not going to mince words here: this is THE HOLY GRAIL of late 80's early 90's Metal Tone. The already classic/legendary base MP-1 tone modified with an extra tube stage, lowered noise floor, and more usable gain. Combine this with the unmodded, crystalline clean chorus sound, and plexified aunch of the (no-longer-very) clean tube voicing and this provides "best in any class" tone for the type of music this beast was designed for!

If you hate late 80's and early 90's Metal, by all means, skip this party... This is a fine tuned performance machine meant to decapitate in a very specific way. It has a significant amount of versatility and can be taken an amazingly long way with good technique and outboard gear but, it is simply not a POD or a modeller or a do it all box.

It is not a general purpose machine in the same that way a Ferrari is not an SUV. If you want something general there are some absolutely great multiprocessors out there. But, if you absolutely must have the ultimate tone of this type/era then, congratulations, you have found it. You now only have to supply a quality power amp, cabinet, and axe.

This is what it's all about, isn't it? Damn is this sweet! I love the fact that I don't have to max out the OD levels to get the gain I want. This thing has more gain than even the MOD3.666 it seems! And I freakin' loved that one too! Being the gainiac metalhead I am, doesn't that say something when I tell you I use the CLEAN TUBE voicing to get my main rythym sound? Whoo hoooo! You won't get a clear Clean sound anymore, though. Get over it.....that's what the SolidState voicing is for; that voicing really remains unchanged.

Same features as the regular "diet and caffeine-free" version of the MP-1, but a much more killer sound. Knobs and buttons all do the same as original.

I ususally don't have too much trouble with any ADA stuff. At least nothing that I can't fix myself with a little digging around for info.

Company has been out of it for years. ADAdepot.com has pretty much everything we need to take care of our ADA stuff. At the very least, there are a few techies there who can get you info on stuff.

Definitely a keeper. Would replace in a heartbeat if it were ever to get jacked. ADAdepot and crew: keep up the great work!! I'm having an awesome time with this preamp, and no one is going to change my mind about that. Not even someone who rambles on bitterly in all caps. Sorry dude.

This is an ADA MP1 so its pretty straight forward you would think, but this is quite a radical mod and getting a tone straight off takes a bit of thought. (I must add the solid state clean channel is unchanged). Once you have your sounds set its as easy as it gets really.

The ADADEPOT 3TM is a brutal mod that radically changes the amount of gain available and is not for everyone, if you want the 80`s high gain sound then its here in abundance, if you want subtle distortions then look elswhere. When you first get the modded pre amp it takes awhlie to get it set up , but if it`s high gain you want then you will be rewarded with good thick tone and long sustain.

Not had it long enough, but not had much problem with ADA before.

Well there is only really the ADADEPOT website but here you will find support for a product that is second to none really and many companies should take note, with the actual designers and engineers on hand to give support and advice.

As I said before this is not for everyone, but what it does it does better than anything I have come across. For a group of enthusiasts to get together and create something as good as this can only be commended. Yep the sound is brutal, solid and initally takes a bit of sorting out but anyone wanting this particular sound will be well rewarded with the 3tm. (Checkout the soundclips on the adadepot website)

It's still the same features as the standard MP-1 when it comes to programming so it's easy as can be.l

The review below is really really harsh.

Once again, the 3TM is still JUST a preamp and the power amp you'll use it with can make a huge difference and you also have the question of personnal preferences.

The guy below is in my mind missing the point since the 3TM doesn't aim at replicating a vintage amp, but more to emulate a hot rodded 80's marshall with more gain.

In the gain department, it's really great. If you are looking for a jmp-1 with a lot more gain, sustain, and a better clean (provided by the solid state channel), the 3TM will give you all that.

Now what the 3TM can't do is replacing a vintage JTM45 or a marshall Jubilee. I have had it for a month and when it comes to "in-between" sounds for rock or blues, the 3TM is just not the best choice.

I bought it for hi-gain without fizz and pristine solid states cleans and that's what I got. Kudos to the adadepot team.

I had it only three months. It's too short to really judge this.

The Adadepot people do this for passion, not money. They are always happy to help. I had a crackling pot when my unit arrived (from belgium) and was sent one for free straight away.

I play mostly metal with this preamp. I am currently setting up a rack with two preamps. I am using for the moment a jmp-1 for the light crunch, semi-clean stuff which the 3TM doesn't do very well. But for lead, heavy crunch rhythm, the 3TM rules.

I have tried and owned several other rack units over the years. My conclusion is that no one rack unit is going to be the holy grail. The Triaxis is very versatile but I just think it is too expensive.

All the other units (rocktron pro gap, gallien krueger, MP2, rocktron) had their strenghts and shortcomings but I ended up using the 3TM as my main clean/lead amp because what it did, it did great.

For the price, it's hard to beat, plus adadepot will help you more than many established brands.

If it was stolen or lost, I may buy it again, or go for a real head like a Carvin Legacy, as I find more and more that with only a few base sounds, post eq and my guitar volume, I can get the base sounds I need.

The MP-1 is one, the 3TM is two. Got my unit with the build in 3TM tubeboard and three JJ tubes. Programming the MP-1 is easy, even without a manual......easy to use. Dailing in a tone is also easy to do. Giving a 10 is too much, even the best gear on earth does not deserve a ten.

I use the 3TM MP-1 in my main rig, together with a BBE 422A maximizer and a Peavey Classic 50/50 poweramp, but also on in conjunction with a Microcab in my recordingsetup. Getting a good metal sound is pretty easy, getting a nice and warm clean is also easy and the Clean tube channel turned out to be a sort of crunch channel, a brown channel just like the ADA MP-1 Classic. The solid state channel is the same as on a MP-1 without the 3TM mod.

I use to play different styles and I must say that, with a bit of patience, you can get any tone you like. With the right guitar I can get blues, jazz, metal and any other sound I need. You must be a total fool or deaf not getting a good tone out of this unit.

I was also surprised that the noise is almost gone. The MP-1 has the name to be noisy and is noisy in most cases, but the 3TM makes the MP-1 pretty silent.

Again a 9.

The units are checked by the adadepot volunteer tech's before sold, that's good to know. I never had issues with the 3TM MP-1. I have a backup off course, isn't that one of the main things you should do ? Any piece of gear can die just before a gig. I would go insane when I had to play on a backup Mesa or something!

Excellent, passionated techs and members at adadepot.com, no cure no pay and cure no pay :-) I whish every brand would have support like this.

The 3TM rocks, this thing makes the MP-1 a unit for all times. The price is very good, cheap in fact. I love the sound and ease of use. Overall rating 9, seems me a good score and deserved. If you want to start with a all-tube preamp, go for the MP-1 with a 3TM board, it's not overpriced, will sell for the same price if you don't like it and a good start without spending too much money on a brandname only!

I run it with an Intellifex, BBE, Microcab and Classic 50/50.
Playing Hard Rock this preamp is the shit (full stop).
Putting it another way its tonal nirvana: the usable gain is through the roof and nothing "sings" quite like the MP-1, with the 3TM taking away some of the noise, adding more gain and generally improving on the legend without taking away from its character.
Running at lower gain settings its capable of a whole gamut of tone from barely clipped tube to dirty to ..... (You get the picture).

Great solid-state cleans plus all the gain you could dream of from both the dirty and distortion tube channels - all midi controllable. What more could you want from a preamp?

Never a problem.

Adadepot is a great community who help however they can.
More power(gain...lol) to you guys!!!!

I've been playing for well over 10 years and from all my gear this is the piece that would immediately get replaced if something happened to it - without a second thought!!!

I found this preamp to be the worst money I spent. I pefer a stock mp1 or the mod 4 mark II mod over this thing. I hate the distortion channel it sounds like you pluged your guitar into a bee hive. The gain is way to much I never liked any thing over 4.5. The clean tube channel was better but had alot of noise. I could'nt get any classic rock sounds out of it or blues like SRV. This thing is made for the 80's hair band and spandex vibe that died over ten years ago. I like to hear tone and not a bunch of fuss and thats what this thing does best. I know now why Paul Gilbert never used his because the stock version was better. I bought a carvin quad x preamp and it blew away any mp1 I've ever played. I used ada for ten years just because of the clean tone and midi control but I've never been satisfied with the distortion. I've found the carvin with midi control and I like the distortion a lot better and the clean channel is just as good if not better than the mp1. I have a mesa boogie power amp 295 simul-class, so you you can't blame the power amp for the reason I did'nt care for this preamp. If you want tons of chain saw sounding gain this amps for you but if you want true tone that responds to your touch than stay away. I Think the whole vibe on this thing is metal heads and trash players so blues,rock,jazz,fussion,pop,country,and etc. stay away. Theres a reason you don't see Joe Perry,Slash,Jimmy Page,Steve Vai,SRV,Van Halen,Satch,Steve Morse are any great guitar player using ada. If ada was that great Paul Gilbert or metallic would still be using it and they would'nt be out of business. I Think ada depot is just a bunch of wanna be metal heads living in the 80's. I'm Sorry to say it but it's 2004 and the 80's are not coming back.

I had it two weeks and it was time to let it go but it worked fine.

I over paid for this thing and lost money getting rid of it. If lost or stolen I'd say thank god I have better gear than this.

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.