ADA MP-1

Very simple interface; buttons inclued two gain settings, master volume, bass, treble, mid and presence, chorus depth and rate, midi channel, edit mode and save. Essentially a Marshall JCM preamp with membrane buttons instead of knobs and a MIDI save feature. Set your tone, hit 'save' on any of the 128 locations. Allows you to recall a saved setting through MIDI. Manual on line. Stock unit/replaced both 12ax7 tubes.

Good quality tube preamp with generous amount of distortion. Not a triple rectifier-type sound- has more clarity and midrange, however. Nice lead warmth and sustain. Can be noisy- recommend low gain settings or gate to tame. Chorus is broad and warm. Clean sounds ok - compressor pedal helps imo.

Bought new in '89. Unit tanked last year. Purchased replacement from ebay in March '09. Fairly reliable.

No customer support at presnet. ADA Depot website can provide resources to accomodate revisions/repairs etc. Not a techie so I don't bother futzing with it.

Play mostly rock- perfet match, very versatile in my setup. Used with Rocktron Intellifex, Hush through Peavey 50/50 tube power amp into 2x12 cab.
Would def replace with same unit. Comperable to Mesa Triaxis or Marshall JMP1. Excellent core tone for rackmount system. Highly recommended.

->How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

It took me literally 5 minutes to figure out how this unit works, VERY SIMPLE!! If you can turn a light switch on and off then you can work this thing no problem. It's very easy to get a good sound.

->How about Editing patches?

As I said simplicity is this unit's forte. The things you can edit are: gain, bass, mid, treble and presence. You just press the up and down buttons to increase the value of your gain, EQ and presence and once you've finished tweaking, you press the 'Store' button then press any of the numbers from 1-9 to save the patch.

->How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

I didn't have to use a manual because I bought the unit second hand. However, should you need one, there are manuals online in pdf format, just search with google or visit www.adadepot.com which is a very good resource.

->Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?

I have the latest firmware for this unit, which is version 2.01. I haven't made any modifications to this unit, except a tube change because the old ones started to lose its tone. The unit sounds great with 2x high gain Harma DR270 7025 tubes.

->What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

My current rig is very simple:

Guitar: 1989 Charvel 650XL with EMG SA/SA/89 and EMG Afterburner
Preamp:ADA MP-1
Power amp: Marshall EL34 50/50
Cabinet: Marshall ModeFour MF400 angled

I am going to add a Lexicon MX200 and a BBE Sonic Maximizer 882i next month hopefully.

->Is it noisy? On what settings?

This unit can be a tad noisy at higher gain settings (I never go above 8.5 on gain 1 and 2).

->Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?

ABSOLUTELY!! I can nail Alex Skolnick's tone (lead guitarist from Tstament) He used an ADA MP-1 in the late 80s.

Here's my favourite bit: The 'Depth' button is just wonderful, I find it makes my distorted tones fill up the whole room and larger than life, think of a fully cranked JCM 800 but with more gain and balls, so BRUTAL! The sound has a 'nasal' quality to it which I find very pleasant, that's the best description I could give, I can't find anymore words to describe how AMAZING this unit sounds! The combination of this preamp, Marshall EL34 50/50 and the ModeFour cabinet is a match made in heaven.

I can get a sparkling clean tone and when the afterburner is in the on position it's incredible how clear and bell-like the tone is! There is a 'voicing' button which switches between 'tube' clean and 'Solid State' clean. The SS option gives you a very clean sound but I prefer the tube voicing because it sounds thicker.

And with the tube distortion the notes ring forever. My guitar is neck-through so it might help a bit with the sustain but I also have a bolt-on Jackson Warrior as my backup guitar with Seymour Duncans and even that guitar sustains for a looooooonnnggg time when plugged through the ADA MP-1.

->Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?

The distortion is excellent but I wish the bottom end would be a little tighter, like the distortion you get from an Engl Powerball which is why I'm giving this a 9. Maybe if I used a different cab the bottom end would sound tighter. Some people say the ADA MP-1 sounds tinny and lacks bass, I beg to differ, I think with my current rig there is plenty of mids and low end. Each note will cut through anything without being too shrill. Neck pickup tone is well rounded and warm.

The Chorus is definitely a plus point for this unit. Not the best, but it's good enough for me. I only have a mono cabinet, so I am not using this effect to its full potential. However I have used this unit with a stereo cabinet and the chorus sounds very nice in stereo.

->Can you depend on it?

This unit must be over 19 years old! and it's still working which is a testament to the build quality. My friend knocked this unit from the top of my cabinet and I thought that was the end of it because it was coupled with my 22kg power amp in the rack case and landed upside down with the heavy mofo poweramp on top of it. I plugged my guitar in and the unit still works, it's a hard SOB to kill. Very reliable.

->Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

Yes, but I would carry a spare set of tubes.

ADA went bankrupt ages ago so the only form of customer service would come from ADA Depot. I haven't dealt with ADA Depot because I haven't had any issues with this unit so I cannot comment on the customer service. Having visited the ADA Depot website and its affiliates, there is an enormous amount of information on this unit.

->What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?

I play anything from 80s thrash (e.g. Testament, Exodus), prog metal (e.g. Symphony X), Death Metal (e.g. Deicide, Origin, Cannibal Corpse) and instrumental stuff (e.g. George Lynch, Tony Macalpine, Paul Gilbert/Racer X) and I can say that the ADA MP-1 is versatile enough to get the right tones for these genres.

->How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

I have been playing guitar for 8 years. I'm not rich enough to have owned all those expensive top of the range equipment e.g. Mesa Boogies, Engls, VHTs etc but so far, my current rig is the best I've owned. I used to have a Marshall JCM 900 which is a fairly decent amp and compared to that, the ADA MP-1 simply blows it away.

->If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

If my ADA MP-1 were stolen I'd track down the thief, beat him up, put his head in a vice and slowly tighten it until the head gets crushed. I would then chop up the body into tiny pieces and get a hungry dog to eat the remains. That way, the thief will end up (deservedly) as dog excrement. I would search eBay for another one if It were stolen or lost. They appear every now and again at very reasonable prices.

The handling in the most instances is self explanatory. For all other instances there is the manual. It is helpful at all.

I have TAD 7025 Tubes inside. The Sound is amazing. The possibilities in sound creation are enormous. Nice transistor Clean, warm Blues Sounds until straight Metal and all in between. With this Tubes there is enough reserve, even at High Gain. The Stereo Chorus sound great, too. I use it with a Inellifex and a Marshall poweramp and HK4x12. There is a lot of noise, even with the low noise mod from adadepot so a noisegate is advisable. This is the reason for the 9.

It was the first midiable tube preamp... of course there are some troubles with it. The weak sound after longer playing (thermal problem). The noise at all. The front jack??? but it still works and sounds great. Fortunately there is ADADEPOT.COM where you can get help.

There is no more official customer support. But there is adadepot.com where you can get great modifications and helpful increments. You will never get that from a official customer support!

Amazing piece of gear

The MP1 is very easy to use for me.I don`t like the factory presets at all.The EQ is top and I like the early Marshall-sound on stereoids.
I have new 12AX7 Groove tubes.I like the gain very much.

I play 80-metal.I`m playing custom AS guitars(my art work)- with Seymour Duncan JB-s /Charvels from 86 with EMG-s/, MOD. Marshall 800 EL 34 Groove tubes / Hand made Tubetec 50/50 W Power Amp( Sovtek 6551 valves)/Rocktron Intellifex-on line/Rivera 4x12 with Celestion Vintage 30/.The sound is incredible from clean to ful driven overdrive.
I have mod. on my MP1.I have two distortions:-one is "regular"-distortion tube and one is
Clean distortion on stereoids.These second sound is more Mesa-stile.
I bought these ADA-MP1 in 1989.

All O.K in 20 years.

Ok, ok, ok... So, it's 2008 and I am writting a review on a piece of equipment that was built in the early 90's. When asked, "ease of use", I gave it a "9". It's pretty easy to use (even without a manual). I won't lie, it does take a few hours or so to finally master it.

A TRUE AUDIOPHILE'S DREAM!

HA! This is the money maker! Dude! I've been playing for years. I've had plenty of experience with all sorts of effects. Let me get to the point. If you want something that sounds great when you are alone at home, this might not be the unit for you. I suggest a Line 6 product. But if you want something that will rock the crap out of your speakers... ADA's MP1 is the key to OUSTANDING sound. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE!

I figure that by the time the secrect gets out, these bad-boys will go up in price! But, hey! I've got mine... where's yours?

If you're in a band a

BING-BANG-BOOM! It's still works?

I have totally trashed my MP1. I mean, Hell, I don't have a case for this thing. I usually place my unit on top of my amp. Ever so often, I get to jammin' pretty hard that the vibrations from the amp pushes it right off. All the sudden... CRASH! It's laying on the floor. But to my surprise, the SOB is still working.

Terrible... They are out of business (I'm sure). But there's websites like ADADEPOT.COM that can help you get what you need.

EXCELLENT

If you're a seasoned Rock/Metal guitarist and you are still looking for that tone that cuts through all the noise, trust me, ADA's MP1 is for you. It's raw power will make you a fan the minute you sit back and actually listen to what is truly being projected.

ON ANOTHER NOTE... If my review has actually inspired you to buy this unit or you're a ADA MP1 owner yourself, send me an email and I'll send you my personalized settings. You won't be dissapointed.

The MP-1 is easy enough to use, making quick on the spot changes can be a little annoying especially when you forget to save them or accidently write over an old patch... =/

It's important to remember that when starting with an amp, don't just go hell for leather with the EQ etc. The EQ section on this pre is quite interactive so starting on 0 with all the settings EQ wise is a good idea.

It's easy to get a good sound and great sounds are easy to get, the way I run it, it sounds amazing.

I A/B this into the back of my ENGL powerball for my lead tone:

ENGL Powerball < ISP DECIMATOR <
+ <A/B<MXR phase 90<Budda Wah
MP1 > Rocktron Hush>Boss DD-6>LOOP RETURN<

I use Jackson/Kramer/Ibanez guitars with Dimarzio Pickups. Gotta love 'em!

I run it with a little higher gain, than my rhythm tone... the sustain on the MP-1 is lovely, very silky.. very syrupy... Its a very warm tone. Settings wise I keep the Bass on either 9 or 12 depending on the venue. Mid range is set to about 6-8, treble on 2 and the presence on 12, it's a great smooth lead tone ephasised by a Delay before it goes into the loop. It means that I can have a cutting rhythm tone without having a horrid, brittle lead tone that I hear so much these days... you know the one... the ear bleeding, dog upsetting, wine glass shattering one.

It sounded great in a Rack with my Brunetti Power amp but I love using it like this, big win for the lead tones.

Some of the best ive ever heard from a unit that costs 1/10th of everything else (well, it did when I got mine) and considering it's age... and the amount of mods to it, well. You just can't argue with that

arrived at a venue...
MP-1 falls out the back our van...
Tube busted...
found my spare pair of tubes...
put them in...
sounded great...

thats about it really.


it's pretty rugged!

As they don't exist anymore... ADA DEPOT.com is the only place to go and in some ways they're even better than customer service!

Quicker to help anyway

I play death metal, extreme death metal I suppose. It works very nicely... I have a good selection of gear as well, Marshall's ENGL's, Oranges etc and this is my lead tone of choice!

If it were stolen, id definately get another one... im looking for another one for home use (mines always in storage because were normally on the road) they're getting expensive now though!


BUY ONE!!

The MP1 is quite easy to get a good sound out of, however... it can take a while to get used to saving patches. Also, without the switching system - MC-1, it can be very hard to use live!

Other than that, nearly every tone on this is fantastic and easy to get too.

However the ADA Depot really is an incredible resource! A must!

WHOA! Working alongside the ADA-Depot you have ready access to hundreds of patches. When I got this unit I used the patches on the site and then created my own tones from them! What a great resource!

The chorus is a nice touch and is lovely and warm, perfect for adding flavor to your lead tones!

I have no idea why people would want to add more gain to this, it's got ott gain for me! I usually keep the OD1 up to about 5-7, and OD2 down to about 3-5. That gives me the cut I need. Also, I would describe the MP-1 as having two different hi-gain personalities. With the mids run low and the presence Hi, it's very old school. But with the mids cranked a little and the presence lowered a touch then you've got a very modern sound but with a vintage sensibility... the notes sustain for ever!

My favorite aspect of the MP-1 is the attack, and the punchy quality of the notes for lead playing. In fact, thats what I use it for - my lead work in thrash/death metal bands.

I run the MP-1 out in the return of my ENGL Powerball's FX loop, then I run the send of my Powerball's FX loop back into the receive of my MP-1's fx loop. I run both inputs into an A/B selector and as such I can switch between the Powerball and the MP-1 for rhythm and lead tones respectively.

It's quite noisy, but then again most hi gain amp's are. I have an ISP Decimator in the chain so that cuts down on the noise a bit.


another great aspect of this unit is when you select the clean tube, and crank the gain... then boost it with an SD-1 you can really get the brown tone!!!!!!


The solid state clean sound is so pure, we used it exclusively on our album - simply because it sounded a world apart from the ENGL's clean tone... which was also great it's just in the mix, the ADA sounded so much better!

I would depend on this amp, simply because if it fucks up... you can fix it yourself pretty much!

ADA Depot are super stars...
everything I ever wanted to know was answered and then some!


++++100 great stuff

I got this unit for ??20 on eBay because it had no plug... silly buggers. What a steal!

I play metal... death metal, thrash metal whatever... i demand clarity; and this MP-1 gives me that... but with character! The other guitarist in my band wants one now!

I've been playing for 9 years now and I have owned numerous amps (Mesa's, Marshall, Fender, Line 6, Behringer V-amp Pro's etc) and have stuck with ENGL's... but now i've got the icing on my ENGL cake. What a great tone!


If it were stolen then i'd find the person that stole it! And grab it back!


It's a great piece of kit just to have in your arsenal... so many tones!

Very easy to use and is structured very logically. The factory presets were not on mine originally but I reprogrammed them in just to get the feel of the unit. Next you'll find you want/need different tones and off you go..
I've found that with the 128 presets available I have only managed to fill 26 so I know I will never be able to run out of possibilities. Editing the patches is extremely simple and even if you spend a couple minutes playing with the MP-1 you'll find you don't even need to reference the manual (If you do ADAdepot.com can hook you up)

My current setup: Washburn X81FaceEraser: Maxon OD-9: BBE Sonic Stomp: Boss NS-2: Furman PL-8 II: ADA MP-1 Pre Amp: Peavey Classic 50/50 Power Amp: Avatar 2x12

Amazing sound quality if you know your target sound already. Cleans are very nice for the jazz stuff I play as well as any other style. The distortion is extremely versatile. I can use it for my thrash/ metal rthym tones for stuff like Testament, Shadows Fall, etc. as well as for an amazing lead tone for Alex Skolnick/ Paul Gilbert/Rusty Cooley/Randy Rhoads style solos. In my personal experience I have found that I have wanted more gain at times so I simply boost the MP-1 with my Maxon OD-9 for an incredible sound. The MP-1 gives off some noise but I plan on getting a Hush soon for it, nothing major though. I have two JJ ECC803S's loaded in it and it sounds awesome.

I have had it for a couple of months with no problems. The wiring/circuit is very simple and uncluttered so I could probably fix problems that might come up. Have gigged without a backup. You buy this preamp knowing that it is around 15+ years old so expect things that come with its age, so far so good.

ADAdepot.com for everything you will ever need

I play mostly metal and shred type stuff but also some jazz thrown in as well. The ADA MP-1 works perfectly for every tone I ever need. If it were stolen I would definitely buy another one although the prices of these units has been on the rise. I definitely recommend it to anyone that desires a solid all around tone.

Well, I finally broke down and got one of these things (a month ago, but I wanted time with it before pitching my $.02 in, adjusted for cost-of-living increases...). Why did I wait so long to get one?

This v. 2.01 unit came from its previous owner with 2 JJ tubes and 3 scratchy pots. One of these things I fixed ;-). This thing is so easy to use (used an ADA delay before, Back In The Day, mebe this helped?), that...well, it's easier than my Digitech Twin Tube, which is really easy! It's easier than a seething nympho in a room full of TAG-soaked stud-puppies! Easier than an STD to catch at Spring Break at Daytona Beach! Show us yer..."easy, there, big fella!" Yep, it's so simple, even I don't need a steenkin' manual...got one from ADA Depot anyway, not that I really needed it...

It's likewise really simple to wangle good tones from, if you know what to do and have the right tubes!

This little widget is remarkably versatile. Despite its age and generation-or-so-ago-hair-metal-sound "stigma" (the only people who slag 70s and 80s music are apparently people who know only three root position chords and have zero concept of melodic arrangements!), it cranketh! Many newer amp modelers strive for tones this thing does with the real deal! The distortion, chorus are very good, thank you! The clean tones are pretty good, too! No wonder these things have achieved some underground cult status!

All this said, aside from the pot cleaning ("no stems, no seeds..."), I had to take out one JJ and replace it with a high-gain Shuguang (marked "Marshall": it came from my JTM 60 combo, where it was basically wasting its potential...) in order to get "THE SOUND". I swapped many tubes in and out before deciding on the Dynamic Duo---turns out I could've left one of 'em right where it was! As an aside: I really like JJ tubes. But let me say this: no brand of tubes sounds unconditionally bad or good. Every JJ won't sound good, just like every Sovtek WA won't sound bad (just MOST of 'em! ;-) ). Perish the thought of even finding two tubes that sound exactly alike under all circumstances! It's pretty much a "per application" affair, where the tube's "character" either fits the sound you want from your setup, or...NOT! The blend between *these particular* JJ and Shuguang tubes in *this preamp* sounds great to me! I can get almost Fendery clean tube, Marshally crunch, and Mesa raunch with a little dialing-in of gain/EQ, and ba-da-bing, dere it is! So if anyone isn't happy with the tone of their amp, I've said it for years, and I'm hardly the first or last: try some different t00bz!

No Sovtek tube I tried (WA, WB, WXT+, LPS) in either socket fit what I was trying to accomplish, even with much mid-scoopage, and the hit/miss ratio was better with my JJ and NOS stash than with the Shuguang pile. But THAT ONE Shuguang and THAT ONE JJ together...like Bogie & Bacall, Fred & Ginger, Batman & Robin, Penn & Teller (or Bush & Cheney for all the demented fans of "How We Completely Bankrupted America, Inc.", starring the Big Oil 'N' Pharma Gouge R U$ $i$ter$ and HallibuDubai, or Rove & Gonzales AKA Goebbels and Goering in "New Toilet Paper, Formerly US Constitution, Nice Oily Feel as it Wipes You Clean"...but enough of wishing for the days of the Stained Blue Dress "simplicity" when all we had to worry about was being sold out to the Chinese by Bill, Hill, and Al About Me's Big Inconveniently "Liberal" Adventure!). This preamp sounds MUCH better than the forecasted future the past few administrations have precipitated upon we poor shmoes who are still overpaying for it, and will be for several generations!

High-gain settings are Hush Central. Good thing I have one! And when rolling the volume back all the way with hi-test, it's a little white-noisey. This may be fixed when I go poking at its guts, but the Hush works for now.

You DO need outboard effects if you're actually using this thing in public. And the aforementioned noise gate. It ain't just a hair-metal preamp, either. You can shred with it, too! ("We have Both Kinds of music here: Country AND Western!") I felt a little Nuno-ish dialling this in with "Get The Funk Out"! Really, you can play blues thru it too, or pop, or grunge, or Stevie Ray, Eddie, Satch, Angus, Vito Bratta, Paul Gilbert, Kirk Hammett (his tone needs help), Dave Grohl, Runs 'n' Noses with Buckethead or Slash, the RHCP, Dreadful Grapes, Santana, Bob Marley, the Beatles, SOAD, yourself, or whatever you feel like! Its reputation does its versatility not much justice. In fact, a buddy who plays Phish-type stuff and poppy originals (and some metal too) etc. in a really good working band has used one for quite some time! But mine sounds better! Neener, neener, neener! :PpPp

It likes tube power amps. Doesn't everybody? No? Well, fukkem! Does ok with solid-state at the expense of a little warmth and character.

It must be dependable, it's still alive! All the switches, etc. still work! But I wouldn't think of not having a backup! Nope, not me!

Support? BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Sorry, dunno what came over me! Dunno why ADA folded, either, and I'm formerly from their home state! There's ADA Depot, which goes above and beyond The Call, and now I have schematics, explicit mod pr0n, etc., muhahahahahaaaaa! So it might get the noise mod, and a little more gain, or the 3TM if I feel particularly gain-deficient, which hasn't happened yet, because I could just use a different preamp...

This rating is for ADA Depot, and all those folks there who work on Making It Happen!

I play anything and everything but gangsta rap, and this thing, like the rest of the rack preamps I play with, will cover just about all of it with a thick coat of gravy and a side-order of home-fries! What it lacks in onboard effects and frills, it comps for with a diverse and useful bedrock of raw tone! Besides, I have outboard effects and then some! I don't have to worry too much about theft where I live now (Maine), an' besides, ayup, we shewt people up heah for that, and th' beahs an' lobstahs eat th' evvy-dense ;-)! I could compare it to the other preamps I play thru; it holds its own well. My favorite feature is the tonal versatility one can achieve thru this thing with not much effort...that's the name of the game for why I use it! I got it because I've wanted one for awhile, and delayed gratification SUCKS! So, it's in a rack, and being worked, and we're all happy, and it's all good! YAAY! Now I go out to plant some maples and do some welding...

tHIS UNIT IS EASY TO USE,EDITING is a breeze.the manual covers all you need to know. mine uses 2.0 software? other than that it is stock.

This unit is very versitile, from blues to country,jazz,to rock it does it all!The SS clean channel is my favorite clen sound. as the clean tube channel breaks up early. but is great for bluesy, edgey in between sounds. The distorted tube channel has a nice fat tube, toneful sound, that gets peoples attention when i play out.The chourus is OK but not the ultimate.I play this unit through either a Line6 Flexton3amp w/ ext cab, or my carvin x100b amp w/4x12 cab, either one will rip your face off if turned up enough!I play a Parker nitefly guitar which the MP-1 just loves. Very tonefull combination.

I have had no problems with the MP-1, except a input jack,which I replaced.

no contact with ADA

I play classic rock,motown,blues,and some jazz.The MP-1 covers them all. I;ve been playing for 32 years and own several amps and guitars.I love it;s tone ,ease of use, low price, and all around versitility.THE TUBES CAN MAKE OR BREAK THIS UNIT, so try differnt ones!It;s a little noisy at high gain settings, but what amp isn;t Some delay would be nice but it;s only a pre amp not an amp.