ADA MP-1

Version 2.01, no top slide switch, UN-MODDED


I own a Mesa Triaxis and this thing is 95% as good for its tone IMHO and without having to sell your house to buy it.Being an older midi preamp it doesnt have real time CC's feature

I like how the EQ is POST disortion (unlike triaxis) and this lets me dial in a tone in a more 'traditional way' a LOT quicker.

The manual is easy to follow.

I actually get a better clean on this than my triaxis and it literally cost me 10 times LESS!! I bought the MP1 in out of frustration as the Triaxis was seemingly impossible to get me dream tone, ultimately it is getting there and in time it will but the MP1 is certainly not 10 times less in the sound dept even in stock trim, the mods guys do on these for more gain must make them friggin tone monsters!!!!


Editing patches is a breeze - I got my head around this quickly and was cranking out killer tones under an hour. I don???t think the presets do this thing justice though so start with a factory preset and tweak away!

Some reviewers wanted more gain and I guess I could see what they mean but I am happy as I don???t wash my tones away with too much gain anyway but do find myself at the higher end of the gain settings for some lead patches. ADA DEPOT is the place to check out all the great mods available for this to increase gain and reduce noise. On that note, the MP1's are known to be noisy on high gain settings but I use the gate on a G-Major to kill it.

I use this in a rack setup: G-major > Marshall 9200 > Mesa 4*12 traditional cab all controlled by a Behringer FCB 1010 foot controller......... SIMPLE

I play an Ibanez JEM and a Yamaha RGX - both with medium/high output Dimarzios (evo's, steve special and airnorton)

Built in chorus is OK

The VOICING feature allows you to use a solid state, clean or dirty tube in your signal path giving you more variation in tone (download and read a PDF manual on this!)

Headphone out sounds awefull to me so I use a Behringer ULTRA DI from the 'outs' for direct monitoring and recording ideas only

Man its lasted this long with who knows how many previous owners and its still going! There seems to be enough support out there on forums etc for advice when things 'go bad'


I dont use a backup

ADA DEPOT is the only support now as ADA has gone bust. Online community is awesome considering how old these are getting now, there are SO MANY guros out there willing to help where they can. There are HEAPS of posts/threads out there with an answer to your exact question

Been playing 16 yrs. Have used a fair amount of gear over the years but not as many as some - I generally research/test something in depth and stick with it for a while. I mainly would use a head setup with stomp boxes or a boss GT6 but recently moved in racks to avoid tap dancing on a million pedals.

If I could find another one I would replace if stolen

Nothing I hate - for a live band situation I just LOVE the simplicity of an 'old school' VAVLE preamp using digital technology to OPERATE - not be included in the signal chain as such like other preamp modellers


If you have the chance to try/ buy one of these just do it, if you dont like it there a plenty of ppl now wanting these you can sell to.

2.1 firmware. Not upgraded, but does have brand new JJ 12AX7 tubes. This thing is really easy to edit, and gets easier the more you play with it. The tone is absolutely surprising, and the variations in the gain settings are right on the mark.

Here is where this thing shines: The distortion tone is over the top, and because of the OD1 and OD2 valve gain blending, it's easy to make minor adjustments and smooth out the tone. I mostly play rock from 70's all the way to 2006 stuff, and do lots of clean, dirty, semi dirty, or heavy Metallica tone music. I'm playing vintage Les Pauls > ADA MP1 > TC G-Major > Boogie 20/20 Power Amp > 2 x Marshall 1936 cabs each with 2 x 12 celestions (vintage 30's in one, GT75's in the other). This combination is incredible, and the versatility of the ADA taking my tone from clean, to dirty, to raunchy, to smooth sizzle is totally inspiring. I've been playing for over 30 years, and haved owned (and still own) many Boogies, Marshalls, Fenders, and other assorted fun stuff. This preamp still holds its own almost 20 years after it was built. My only slight misgiving is that the clean tube sound is missing a little punch, but this is probably nothing that a BBE wouldn't fix, so this only gets a 9.

Ok, I just bought it over the Internet, but it was built in the 1980's?! I think it was either on a shelf for the last 19 years or else its built like a tank. I'm going with the latter and betting it's reliable.

ADAdepot.com. That's all there is now.

OMG!! For the price, you can't go wrong. Full stereo capability, 2 x 12AX7 analog signal path with MIDI switching, onboard chorus if you need it, more than enough presets, and all for under $300?? This baby gets a 9, and would get a 9.5 if they would let me.

Hands down the easiest unit to use and if you need a manual to figure it out, maybe rack gear just isn't for you.
I've got 2 units with one being version 1 and the other version 2

I have been very fortunate to get both my ADA's to sound very crisp, clean and NO NOISE.
Chain of events
ADA-
Effects loop-Alesis quadraverb (for more eq and effects) BBE Sonic Maximizer- Focusrite Trackmaster
and finally into the monster Peavey Classic 120/120 stereo tube poweramp
I use a Peavey (all metal) foot controller. I've dropped it from a balcony and it still works perfect!!

Nothing has gone wrong with my ADA's

If you want to hear an example of what this gear sounds like checkout Tractor at http://www.brutalmusic.com
We did the whole demo with one Adat and a few transfers

For reference I am comparing this MP-1 with a Marshall JMP-1 a Digiteck GSP 21 and 2101 and a Digitech/Hafler T3. The MP-1 I have is version 2. I got it used and it had EH tubes in it and I also put some GT Mullard reissues in it as well. Swapping the tubes from EH to the GT's did give a very little improvement in the noise and a little more tone. The MP-1 does have a bit of noise but nothing much more than any tube gear if you crank the gain too much. When I plugged in for the first time I heard many tones that were familliar. Obviously in the 80's some big name players have used this preamp. I believe if the JMP-1 was out during that time we would have heard that on some of those big name records instead. The MP-1 is a decent sounding pre and does offer a lot of tweaking ability. Definitely a lot of useful tones in the box. The gain structure of the MP-1 really reminds me of my old Digitech GSP 2101. I highly suspect that Digitech based their GSP 2101 tube preamp design on the MP-1. If you are a GSP 2101 user and are looking for something different, I wouldn't suggest the MP-1 as it is just so close in sound. It's probably not fair to compare the MP-1 with the Marshall JMP-1 since they don't make the ADA's any more and the JMP-1 cost much much more but I will. The JMP-1 is a lot easier to program. You just hit the button for "gain" "volume" "bass" etc then twist the data knob. The MP-1 you have to keep hitting the up and down buttons, gets annoying after a while. I find the chorus on the MP-1 usefull but, most players wouldn't be happy with just chorus and no reverb or delay so the ADA will lead you to searching for an FX processor anyway. For clean tones the ADA and JMP-1 come pretty close. For distorted tones the the BIG winner here is the Marshall JMP-1. The JMP-1 has more of a complex gain structure and can be much smoother and much more aggressive as well. If you like the Marshall sounds the ADA can get you in the ball park but the JMP-1 will hit the home run for sure. If you are more of a lead player you may find the MP-1 more to your liking than the JMP-1. The ADA has more single note definition which would work better in a live situation over the JMP-1. As for distorted bottom end tones the ADA is muddier in the lower tones than the Marshall. I find it harder trying to get a good bottom end chunky tone on the MP-1 as compared to the Marshall, which is very easy to get those chunky tones. So my general comments would be this: If you are comparing the ADA MP-1 to the Digitech GSP 2101, I would suggest go for the MP-1 only if you are a lead player and want more single note definition. Rhythm players would probably be best with the Digitech since it has much more effects to play with. If you need a preamp for studio work, hands down the Marshall JMP-1 is the winner.

I am using this several ways, mainly as a tube driver into old marshall four input JMPs. I tried it in the JCM 800 and it didn't like it. I used to use an old mashall tube power amp, 9005, and it did sound good, but I missed the old marshall heads. Now, this thing sounds unbelievable through the front a the old marshalls, which are generally clean at moderate settings. It funcitons as a chandler tube driver would, in fact, it has the same type of transformer as the chandler tube driver without the wallwart, or the same transformer as the valver driver of today. sounds freakin' sweet, without the muffly sound of the hot tonebone british pedal (which is pretty good, too). This is like having a progamable chandler tube driver!!!

Well, after 15 years of marshall and fender amps, i dug back to the old ADA MP 1, got it on ebay for cheap!! couldn't resist. It is the model with the top line level switch. Clean and sturdy, plenty of eq and chorus. No other effects, so it gets a good features rating, not great.

15 years old and still functioning, put some new caps and tubes in there and I presume it will last a lifetime!!

ADAdepot.com this site saves the day!!!

I have to rate it high, because it works with the power amps quite well, and it rips with old marshall heads !! The price paid alone is worth trying it out, just for fun!!! This is our future plexis!! Some day they will fetch $1,000US, trust me!!

I use a peavey Wolfgang and a Musicman Van halen in addition to my sons fender mini strat for guitars. All have Dimarzio pickups which I love. Not too noisy for such a high gain device. Here you go, I can get just about any guitar sound you can imagine from this great preamp. Marshall, fender, boogie, you name it, it will get it. How brutal is the distortion? Has as much or more gain available than my 5150's and all Marshalls or boogies I have tried. The extremely high priced boutique amps are the only ones that will give you more usable gain. But they cost between 10 to 25 times more!!!!!! very high variety of sounds for a small amount of money.

I believe the unit is an early 90's unit. Extremly versatile for all of the music that I play which spans from classical, to jazz, to country and blues to my favorite, shredding metal. 128 different programmable presets, What more do you need? Like having 128 different amps at your disposal. Has all the features that I want and need. I use it for practice, recording and gigging. Stereo chorus sounds great through my stereo power amps and the two 5150's that I run it through.

Must be 15 years old and has never failed me

None from the original ADA. ADA depot is the next best thing.

Been playing 25+ years. Have done it all. Sex, drugs and rock n roll. More gigs than I could ever count. I would buy it again if lost or stolen. I love the simplicity of the unit and the uncluttered sound that it puts out. For me , no effects needed or wanted. just pure tone. Iv'e played dry with no effects for 90% of my career and will always use minimal effects. you don't need them with this unit. Just plenty of volume and speakers to push it. This unit compares easily to more expensive preamps of which I have owned four. A rocktron pihrana, Marshall jmp-1, Mesa triaxis, and a hafler triple giant. The mp-1 sounds better than all of them except for the Triaxis. Again the triaxis did sound better but not $1,000 better. The ADA is about 85-90% there when compared to that unit and $900.00 dollars cheaper! Great unit!

This rack is very easy of use for me.and i like this.

My guitar rig
Guitar : Ibanez RGT42 (birdge>Dimarzio super dist. dp-100 neck>inf2)
Amp: Marshall VS230 (2x30w solid state stereo chorus amp)
Racks:ADA MP-1 loop in Boss Gx700 (i use gx700 for cab.sim)
Midi:Behringer FCB1010

I love this gear's sound quality.And i like 80's.i play rock-blues-funk etc..

i plays generally rock style,this gear give to what i want.hard,warm,crunch, hi-gain tones. cool stuff!

Very easy. You just have to remember to hit the right patch button
when storing.

The ADA is very versatile. The sound quality depends (among other
things) on the tubes you use. I use OLD Groove Tubes (svetlana)
or Telefunkens in this and you can dial in alot of very sweet tones.
New tube types DO NOT sound right in this pre-amp.
I play jazz/blues fusion country and rock.

Except for the dumb-ass plastic 1/4" jacks - it's performed pretty
well.

nada

Jazz, blues, country, etc...
I'd get another one.

Very easy to use, not too many features, just how i like it! od1, od2, gain, presence, effects loop, chorus depth/rate, edit and store functions. Manual is straight foward and easy to read. Editing patches is fast and couldnt be easier! The software is upgradable so make sure you have the right manual.

My setup is currently kinda shady, Fender strat>lace sensor pickups>fender twin reverb. Looking to get a proper power amp in the near future. The ada is a abit noisy however its barable. The amp features one affect which is analog chorus and an amazing chorus at that. The cleans on this amp are SWEET! I would put one of these up solelyfor the clean and lead tones...i just got this thing and am still tweaking my rythm sound which is the hardest thing imo to get out of this amp...very easy to get cleans and heavy leads though! for 168 bucks you arent gonna find sound like this at that price anywhere else! I find it easy to get sounds of my favorite artists, smashing pumkins (gish), nirvana, metallica, thrash metal...

the things gotta be like 15 years old and it sings

I play alternative rock and i love this amp. Sets me apart from everyone elses generic tone! (seems like everyone sounds the same these days)...if it were stolen id have to hunt dont the mother and beat his ass down...but i would buy another at this price...ill never sell it...its good enough to keep forever even if i get something better (hopefully jmp-1 soon)...

This preamp was made in the early 90s, it is versatile in that you can get a very wide range of tones. No on board processing, aside from preamplification, except for a chorus, which is weak.

People buy preamps because of tone, that's really the only justification for them. Few would buy such a unit simply because it has an effects loop.

Ok, tone...

No one can describe in words a guitar amplifier's tone.

Can't be done. It's very much like trying to describe a wine on paper and expect someone to know from that whether or not he will like it.

I have been using this unit for over 10 years with zero problems. I don't abuse things so maybe that is part of the secret to its longevity.

This unit replaced a Marshall JCM 800 because I wanted something rackmountable and more configurable. The best way to audition a preamp is with a solid state power amp, duh, you don't want to add anything along the way to color the sound any more than the preamp is already doing.

I own a small recording studio, so I have a lot of good solid state amps and have found the MP1 to be just about the best compromise in getting both clean and distorted tones.

I mainly these days play Jackson Pro Soloist guitars both American and Japanese models.

I can get a killer clean tone with the pickup selector switch fully forward and the last tone nob turned fully counter clockwise, using the solid state voicing. I add some reverb via an old Yamaha Rev7, pretty much a classic studio effects processor, very retro as these things go.

Did I mention that this sound is killer? Beautiful highs but not harsh, lots of depth and still enough complexity to have some sustain when doing fast soloing type thingies. Also very clean chord sounds not mushy, all notes defined.

Distortion is harder to dial in, the people who said you need the manual are half right, you do need it but you also have to understand the basics of EQ and how sounds are created via that technique.

If you are a brute who thinks, hell just turn everything to 11, this aint the rig for you. But if you work with this unit it will give you some very cool lead tones and cool rhythm tones.

I kinda like rolled out, some call is scooped, mids. Guitars have lotsa mids anyway so you really don't need to augment them in your amp, unless that floats your boat.

One disadvantage is that the unit is noisy on very high gain settings, there are two pre amp settings and if you are running both of them at 10 well its gonna be hissy, but that can be fixed with a lot of products and those who are serious know what these products are, if not ask around.

The kind of sounds I like run from mid period stones through DammajPlan. With the MP1 you can dial in Clapton, Schencker, Page and from there go to Yngwie and all the way to Pantera type stuff.

The only secret is to work with every setting and then with your guitar's nobs [that's what they are there for anyway] and finally your power amp.

When you add a tube power amp there is nothing you cant do with something like an MP1, some people diss them but my guess is that those people havent taken the time to work with all the components in your amplification circuit, preamp, line effects, guitar settings and power amp.

Here's a cool rhythm patch that also works for bluesy type Clapton Creem era stuff.

Both pre amps at 6, mast vol at 7, bass at 4, mids -12, treble 0, presence 2, voicing tube distortion, not the clean setting.

Now a little trick is working with output volumes, make sure you play with this cause you want the unit to be working with a full head of steam so around the 12 o'clock position works well and that way you are sending a strong signal.

Believe it or not for practice I sometimes grab a studio headphone distribution amplifier, which has probably 5 watts RMS per channel x 6 channels and use two of them to run the MP1 in stereo.

Trust me, there is enough power in such a small package to drive 2 Marshall 4x12 cabs to reasonable levels, with 25 watt speakers.

There are always sweet spots where everything just comes together and you have to look for those.

I guess what I am saying is that much of the tone you get from amps, if they are ANY good at all depends on setting them up. Maybe some are easier to set up than others and thats why they like them.

The only thing you really wont get totally is that Pentode type Boogie saturation, which is understandable simply because the Boogie amplification circuit is a little more sophisticated. Sophisticated aint necessarily better, mind you its just more complex.

For my money Boogie stuff is built kinda poorly, especially considering the price, $1500 bucks for a combo type amp seems high to me, but then thats probably just me, but Ive seen some horrors inside Boogie amps and some poor design, but a lot of people like em, so there.

What else?

I dunno, except that when you can buy a unit like this on Ebay for like 200 bucks I say give it a try, you can always sell it for about the same price.

Oh, one more thing, since this is after all a preamp, tubes are important. If you play a lot or for long times or like me sometimes leave a unit on for like two days...uh tubes will wear out.

Go for high output 12AXs. I have used Sovtecs, Groove Tubes, GTs etc all with good results.

If the sound starts getting thin, its probably time to replace the tubes, and that should be the VERY FIRST THING YOU DO IF YOU BUY ONE OF THESE BABIES