ADA MP-1 Classic

The ada is a great preamp, it is very easy to use. Mine was given to me by my dad and it came without instructions. However, I had it figured out in a few minutes. Its incredibly easy to get almost whatever kind of sound you want. If you want a good lead sound with lots of sustain, set the bass to 6 or 8, the mid to 6 or 8, and the treble in 6-10 range. For a heavy metal/metallica rhythm sound, just suck all of the midrange out of it (-12db). The distortion gets thin when you take out the mids so boost up the bass and that will thicken it. Other than that, its very easy to use, just flip the switch and plug it in.

This is an extremely versitaile preamp. You also have a choice of tube distortion, clean, or solid state clean. Its easy to get many different sounds from blues to heavy metal to classic rock and country. I love it because there are two overdrive controls and a volume control, making it very easy to balance the clean and o.d. channels. Its got a great, warm solo ability which can also be tweeked to a certain brightness. But it also has scorching heavy metal tone. The notes you play, even when mixed, can cut through evenly. You can pretty much morph it however you want. It is very easy to get sounds like metallica, queensryche, and iron maiden. I also know that paul gilbert used to use one. The distortion does not clean up when you roll the guitar volume down, but this is handy because it cuts down buzz and feedback. The amp only feeds back on high volume when you let go of the guitar. I also noticed that it has incredible sustain and sensitivity. The distortion tends to buzz, but I'm also playing a single coil guitar. Also, the amp is very good at picking up both natural and pinch harmonics. Another great thing is that soloing on a fender stratocaster when switched to the bridge picup is normally too bright, however it is warmed up by this preamp. The only problem with this amp is that it is too buzzy/noisy when you run a wah pedal into it.

It's very sturdy, i've dropped it and it still plays great. The only problem I ever had was dirty pots because it sat in a basement for 10 years. I got some cleaner and sprayed it in very carefully and now it's fine.

never needed it

I play many styles of music, mainly blues, classical, metal, and classic rock. My main guitar is a USA Fender Stratocaster. Its a 2005 with an '02 neck, with three single-coil pickups. I run this preamp through a solid state peavy poweramp and a peavy 4x12 cabinet. This is my backup amp though, my main is a Mesa/Boogie DC-3. I Love this amp, I would never sell it and I believe its a great amp for any style of music.

It's so easy to use! Plug in calbes, turn on the switch and just play!
It's so f*****' easy to create cool sounds with this machine, u can't do anything wrong
It's harder to steal something from a baby as play this preamp

I play it with a ESP/LTD F-200 modified with an EMG60 at the neck and an EMG81 at the bridge position.
But you need a tube poweramp to get a real heavy sound,
A mesa/boogie stragety 400 or a ENGL 2x50 poweramp like I use.
And you need an good cabinet like Marshall 1960AV or Mesa cabinets
3.5 OD1, 3.5 OD2 and 5.0 mastergain is enough to kick everbodys ass.
The clean sound is crystal clear

I throw this thing from stage into our truck and it still works, so what else should I say???

adadepot.com is enough to repair it by yourself but you can't get support from ADA

It's one of the best preamps to play hard rock and heavy metal. this is a real 10 point amp

malmsteen guitar with standard hs3 pickups keep master gain low use volume knob noise mater is solved

I have my ADAMP1 since 1996 cant live without it nothing compares recording or live my influences r judas priest 'malmsteen 'can create any metal sound only people who r tone deaf say it sucks they can go to fukin hell enouf said

depend? ru kiding this unit can go to hell and come back and still kick ass .My unit was abused many times it fell used by enimies still nothin happens

why ? who cares it doesnt needs warranty.

18YEARS iown marshall jcm 800 malmsteen guitars boss me-50 effects this thing sounds so organic so real ifail to understand why company went out of business iam will by it again and again itcant be compared . can u compare heavnly gifts|?only wish if came with power amp

Hi, my name is Mark, and I use this preamp to this day. Particulary in the studio, with the same companys microcab cabinet simulator. I'm satisfied with this combination. Just for the record I used to work for ADA as test tech, and rework tech in their service dept. In fact I worked side by side with Todd Langner, the guy who basically designed the mp-1, ( the mp-1s tube circuit to be exact)Todd and I both strangely enuff were guitar players long before being employed by ADA, obviously this was a plus for the company, as we both programed presets for...Mp-1, Mp-2, and the Mp-1classic. Any one who needs some technical assistance on ADA gear feel free to drop me a line at mrizzm@yahoo.com...oh and by the way, Les claypool also was there with us, small world.

I use my MP-1 with a couple of strats, a MIA Fender '57 Re-Issue (Hot Rails in the bridge position) and mainly a MIJ early 80's Fernandes lawsuit strat (Klaim Aktiv single coils).

I usually go for a smooth liquid lead tone, a la Eric Johnson, but just a little bit gainier, and a tight, fat and clear rhythm tone. Other than that I like a warm clean and a more trebly clean, with a bit more spark. The in between tones interest me too, think SRV, for example.

Well, I can get my main lead and rhythm tones from my MP-1 without a problem. Gain is not an issue (and remember, I use active single coils). The tube clean is also pretty good. Warm and fat on the neck pickup and bright on the bridge. If you push the tube clean channel hard enough, it breaks up nicely for chording. The solid state clean is ok, but I definately wouldn't push it hard, as it doesn't distort nearly as nicely as the tube clean. Finaly, the in between tones. Here is where I think the MP-1 Classic lacks something. Maybe it's me, but I can't get that fat bluesy dirt out of the brown channel. Without the help of my Chandler Tube Driver on top of an already pushed clean tube channel, it just doesn't happen. Again, maybe it's just me.

The noise is at normal levels for any high gain amp (and I'm not saying it's very noisy). The noise gate is ok if you're playing something that doesn't require a lot of sustained notes. Otherwise, it cuts off a bit of the decay.

The chorus is a nice addition, and it works well, but doesn't compare to the chorus in a good processor.

-two preamp tubes
-four voicings (solid state clean, tube clean, brown and distortion)
-stereo chorus
-noise gate
-stereo effects loop
-MIDI control
-stereo recording outputs
-headphone jack
-phantom power for a MIDI controller
-128 presets

I actually don't use some of it's features, and I can''t imagine anything it lacks, so I'll give it a 10.

I have had it for a year or so (made in 1997, I think), and it's still working great every single day. Again, I'm giving it a 10 because it never failed me. Doesn't mean it can't happen.

ADA went down in 1997 or something, so no customer support for ADA products.

The guys at ADA Depot (http://www.adadepot.com) can help out if there is any problem.

I bought this preamp for 350 Euros, and that included the ADA MXC (MIDI controller). I don't think I could ever find such a nice preamp for this kind of money. It's a pretty big improvement over the original MP-1, and an all around great preamp. Very nice tones inside this box. The only thing it lacks, in my opinion, are mid gain tones as good as the others it provides, but like I said earlier, you can get that kind of tones with an OD pedal and the pushed clean channel on the preamp.

It's no CAE 3+, but for the money (and comparing to higher priced preamps) I think it does a VERY nice job.

This is definitly NOT a plug in and play unit, this thing takes some getting used to, but once you do .... whoa !! MEGA TONES !!

I'm using the MP1 with and ADA solid state 100X100 stereo power amp and an ADA delay/echo (yea, I'm an ADA fan) and a Boss EQ and Compressor. My guitar is a Jackson Fusion Pro with a DiMarzio X2N in the bridge. Let me sum this up in one sentence. If you can't get a great sound with this preamp, you shouldn't be playing guitar .. this thing will do EVERYTHING from crystal clear to singing blues to heavy ass kicking crunch, and EVERYTHING in between.

I've had mine for almost 10 years, I change the tubes twice a year (I play ALOT) and I've never had a problem.

Don't know ... never called 'em

I don't care what kind of music you play, if you own an electric guitar, you owe it to yourself to at least try one of these .. but be warned .... the MP-1 is addictive, once you nail your tone (and you will)... you'll never want to be without it.

SOUND S IM STARTING A BACK LINE COMPANY AND THIS COMBINED WITH A TUBE WORKS 1160 AMP AND A STEREO MARSHALL CAB WITH YOUR FAVORITE PROCESSOR AND YOU GOT A KILLER COMBINATION.

I OWNED THE MP 1 FIRST LOVED IT SOLD IT IN MID 90 S DUE TO MONEY OR LACK OF. THE FIRST WAS GREAT BUT WITH GAIN CAME PREAMP NOISE YOU COULDNT GET GREAT GAIN AND SUSTAIN WITHOUT A HUSH UNIT . WITH THE NEWER VERSION THE CLASSIC YOU GET IT ALL MORE SUSTAIN & GAIN WITHOUT THE NOISE. THIS THING IS AWESOME YOU GOTTA HAVE IT IF YOU LIKE GEORGE LYNCH OR NUNO BETTINCOURT. I CANT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT IT . I OWN NOW A DSL 100 , TSL 60, 2 5150, S WITH VARIUS CABS AND A LINE 6 PRO POD. ALL THESE ARE GREAT IN THEIR OWN WAY BUT I COULDNT PASS UP THE DEAL, I PAID 65 BUCKS FOR THE MP 1 CLASSIC . ITS GOT GREAT CHORUS VERY THICK LIKE LYNCH MOB SOUND . THE NOISE GATES A HUSH , BROWN SOUND ,CLEAN AS COULD BE AND EASY TO PROGRAM.

WHEN I FIRST GOT THIS UNIT I GOT AN ERROR CODE SO I WENT ONLINE AND LEARNED HOW TO RESET THE UNIT.. SINCE THEN IVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT

THEIR OUT OF BUSINESS FOLKS BUT THERE ARE PLACES ONLINE TO HELP YOU YA JUST GOT TO FIND THEM

I RATE THIS A TEN I OWN ALOT OF GEAR AND THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE NEED I SAY MORE .

Labelled "classic" for the only preamp that sold like chocolate salty balls...the MP-1. If your reading this, you already know how to use it or are craving one. If you never heard one before, then you don't listen to 80's music. Easy as pie to program, push n' play..., little harder than knobs. Manual is helpful and makes good toilet reading after you get so excited from your first jam.
Firmware, swirmware....not a midi head. Midi controller is a must have if you want to stomp your feet trying to decide which mood your in.

What's this a 10 you ask. Tube saturation, that's why. It's the mild mannered jazz unit that doubles as shred generator. Using a Fender custom wired strat, Kramer neck thru, Ibanez V and sometimes a Charvel. Most have Duncan or Dimarzio pickups, have not heard EMG's through it. I compared it to the original MP1, see my review of that unit, and it has the edge on features, tone is excellent. Heavy enough with more searing sustain. Using the midi foot controller, Mesa 20/20, Recto cab V30's and EQ..slaved to a Marshall 50/50 running 1960A and BX cabs.....(homemade simul-class xtasy).

Ok maybe we don't all have billions to spend on a guitar rig but if you buy one...you can grow with it. There are alot of these on ebay, I got mine there too. Most people rag equipment because they tire of it, don't know how to use it, or plain suck playing. It's worth every penny you spend and then some. Hell it's a 128 preset preamp dummy. How can you tire of that? If you match it with a cheap tube rack amp(used or new like the 20/20), you bury every combo and half stack for multiple tones!

Chorus is lush, better than the MP1 original. Brown sound, wow... worth the hype. Use the Brown Voicing with heavy distortion with the 20/20 and it's vox. VH "Unchained" using less distortion and more overdriven amp. Using it into the Marshall, it's almost enough to dupe a Marshall lover into thinking it's a JCM.

If you can find one of these tone monsters, grab it. The HUSH is perfect, chorus can pass off as that occasional Rush or Police song before someone laughs at you, and the variable stereo effects loop will have you reaching for stomp boxes all day long.

The true beauty of this unit is the attention deficit programming and the nice growling 80's tones you can find. With the foot controller and a tube amp and 4 x 12, it's the FRESHMAKER...(hey, maybe Mojave ampworks want's to use that as a new amp).

I have read all the problems, seems to like lower output tubes and I would stronly suggest you experiment. 1st MP1 had a crappy input jack.

Seemed ok when in business, they did send a free input jack. Now they are giving out hamburgers.

This is not for everyone. If you crave spending a breadfan for vintage or bougeek amp, your not reading this. If you love blues, metal, jazz, pop or whatever..it's a smash.

Marvelously detailed, nice warm body, fun for the curious and creative. Sounds range from shred heavy to sparkly clean. It's consistently smooth which can be deceptive as sounding processed but it aint. From screaming harmonics to chunk rhythm punch, it's ballsy yet transparent enough that you'll laugh at how much you paid for it.

Uses Fet switching and MIDI for fast, never boring, always . This thing can be bought for far less than it's sonic worth. I still havn't heard a better preamp for the mula. The chorus is still 1st rate enough and the noisegate, and geez that brown sound..phew..glad I got one in the arsenal. All of these improvements are worth it!.

This unit is very easy to use, even for the technologically retarded. The user interface is a simple, no-nonsense 80's-style interface, and editing patches is equally simple. I have a manual I downloaded off the web, but it really isn't needed. It'd be nice if everything was this simple to use.

I just put my POD 2.0 up for sale on Ebay......'nuff said.

It's no secret from the moment you plug this thing in that it's an 80's metal unit. The MP-1 Classic actually has one more overdrive ("brown sound") than the original MP-1, and it's quite a nice addition. The sounds this thing produces are pure Dokken (and we all know old Dokken rules, now don't we?), from the distorted rhythm/leads to the INCREDIBLE clean sounds. I play a couple different guitars through this, one with active EMG's, one with Duncans, and they both sound great.

Put it in a rack, and wrap the guitar cord so there's no stress on the input jack. Input jacks are notoriously flimsy on most equipment, and no different on this one.

Don't gig without a backup, moron!

ADA is 10-7, so there's nothing I can say here.

I play 80's guitar-based rock/metal, like Dokken, Yngwie, Ratt, etc etc.
The MP-1 was made for this type of music, and is a perfect match. I'm not sure what kind of idiot LOSES musical equipment, unless you're in a touring band, in which case you probably make enough money to replace just about anything (unless, you know, YOU SUCK). If it were stolen, well...break into a cop's home and see what happens. There are two big preamps around now that I've played through and am comparing this with: the Marshall JMP-1 (the ADA is significantly better), and the Mesa Tri-axis (the Mesa is better.....and also costs five times as much, so fuhgeddaboudit). I do wish this unit had a couple onboard effects, specifically compression and delay, but it's a preamp, not a multi-effects unit.

By the way, I purchased this off Ebay from, of all people, the guy two reviews down from this one (Steve Barrett)...I just noticed that. Small world, eh?

I use some different guitars, but the sound always remains very strong when distorted, very deep and encircling when clean.
I'm using it for rock or metal performances without any problems.

I've used this preamp for about 3 years, and I consider it one of the most aggressive -even if it is not so versatile- preamps I've ever had!

I've never had any kind of problems whit this model, or my old Mp-1.

I've searched Ada Company in Internet...I don't know where I may find it!

I think I won't sell this preamp...it's my favourite preamp, because of its particoular, extremely personal sound.