ADA MP-2

MP-2 1U rackmount guitar preamp. 2 x 12AX7, numerous features (effects, fx loop, 2 x cab sim, midi control). Using rev 1.41 (which is the last firmware rev). Getting a good sound is pretty easy, depending on what you want. The box will do dirty to 80's crunch very well. Cleans and overdriven cleans are a bit trickier to get nailed, but can be sufficient. The box can do the crystal clean nicely - funk chops, anyone?

The manual (which came with mine) is helpful, and is written in English, not Engrish, which is always a plus. I've used it a few times. If yours didn't come with one, go to adadepot.com - it's all there, and then some.

Editing patched is very straightforward, once you understand the layout. It literally takes me 1-2 minutes to completely edit a patch, including everything except CC parameters. If you need CC programming, it will take quite a bit more effort. It's the price you pay for being such a geek....

All in all, easier than a Roland piece, harder than a Fender combo, but there's a lot of versatility in there.

Currently using it with a PRS custom 24, customized Ibanez S540 (20 years old now!). For power (and backup preamp), I use a Lexicon Signature 284 (3W x 2). Avatar 2 x 12 cab w/ Hellatones. By the way, if you come across one of these Lexicons for less than $500, buy it immediately. I also use a TC G-Major for additional effects. The setup sounds amazingly large, and doesn't hurt my aging back....

For it's time, this box was WAY ahead of the curve. Brilliant conceptually. It does have some noise in the high-gain modes, but it can can be tamed with good choices for tubes (Tung-Sol ECC803S) and a mod provided at adadepot.com, which does help considerably. There is also a noise gate, defined PER PATCH, that is pretty good. I also have a Rocktron Hush IICX...

The effects are: 1) Chorus. Very good. Analog. Thick. 2) Cab simulator. Very good. Beats the hell out of going without it. 3) Tremelo. Don't use it very much, but seems to do it's job. 4) Wah. Surprisingly good. I'm not a wah snob, so I can't say it's better than this or that, but seems to be regarded well among those who are.

The unit has not failed me yet (or the previous owner). Of course, ADA is long dead, so operate at your own risk.

Using anything without *some kind* of a backup is a bad move, regardless.

Well, there is no company to deal with, but there is a fantastic users' community at adadepot.com. You can usually get questions answered there. Very cool guys, and very knowledgable. As I said before, there is a great noise mod for the MP-2 that does make a significant difference.

I've been playing for about 25 years, though no longer professionally. WhenI do play, I play mostly rock. There is some occaisional country, blues, R&B thrown in. This preamp is not my only option (or choice), but has an impressive feature set for a piece it's age and cost. Any option that is it's equal or better is much more money. I have been a long-time Mesa user, and had a Triaxis a while back, which was a better preamp, with 5x the price tag. But it didn't have a gate, chorus, wah, or tremelo, either. By the way, the recording outs on the ADA are better, too.

Since I don't generate income from playing anymore, I have a hard time justifying expensive equipment costs. My purchases are dictated mostly by value - something good (or great) for as little as possible. The ADA fits that value model pretty well. The tone isn't for everyone. If metal is your thing, this will disappoint. If you like anything from Stones to to ZZ to AC/DC to hair metal, this will get the job done - in one rack space.

I would probably replace it with another if lost. The price is right, and it gets good tone.

It is very easy to use

I like the sound,but it is very noisy, so I am looking for that Spiridon who did that mod for MP2, can anyone help me to find him?

I used it a lot on a live gigs

Company died

not too tough to use at all. you can download the manual as a PDF, but unless you're diving into the midi functions it's pretty intuitive. I needed the manual for the midi stuff.

well, when I first got it, I was pretty happy with the cleans and totally bummed about the distortion voicings. It was a complete fizztastrophe, just buzzy tone. not bad at break-up, but pushing it into high gain was just horrible. The worst aspects of hotrodded late 80s marshall top end sizzle. I also noticed that in the clean and the dirty channels, the dynamics just suck. So I retubed it. It had sovteks in it which I swapped for a set of JJs, which made all the difference. It's still voiced in that hotrod marshall way, but the fizz is gone. It's never gonna do the non-diode clipping, smooth liquid gain thing, but it actually sounds pretty good now. I can get rootsy breakup on up to some great metal sounds now, and it's got a lot of clarity when you play chords with the gain cranked. goody! the cleans are pretty good, but like I said earlier, the dynamics suck. new tubes won't change that. oh well. we all know that the noise gate is horrible. the tremelo is great. the chorus is serviceable, though it's no small clone. I actually prefer my dano fab chorus, which is a surprisingly good chorus at any price... anyway, I don't use the wah, so no opinion there. I don't use the compressor either. The EQ is good. before the retubing, I'd give it a 2 for the dirty channels, but now it's about an 8. A little noisy, but I don't usually play at super saturation so no biggie. the cleans get about an 8 also. this is because of the shitty dynamics, like there's always a compressor on it that you can't turn off...

yes and yes. it's a solid piece of work.

well, the folks at ADA depot are pretty friendly, although things are certainly geared more toward the MP-1 there. It's a good resource.

what style of music do I play... man, what don't I play? that's why I opted to get this amp, I need the many many channels and many many settings. I can't get a santana sound or a good black metal sound out of it, but pretty much everything else is in there if you dig deep enough.
If it got ripped off, I may replace it, or maybe go for the triaxis. one nice thing about it is that even though there's no reverb, the sound it puts out doesn't need it. If I could change it, I'd add a tube or 2 and chuck the diode clipping altogether, although it's pretty good sounding as is. I'd definitely do something about the lack of dynamics you get out of it. it's definitely worth the money you pay for one.

I guess this is entirely dependant upon one's previous konwledge of FX processors. I found it extremely easy to use, no need to read a manual. Speaking of manuals, I believe that it is still downloadable as a pdf if it is needed.

First some background...

I have been playin for over 20 years and have gone through a huge amount of guitars, ampilifiers, effects, etc.

As preamps that I have owned to compare this to...

Matchless DirtBox, Mesa V-Twin, Budda Phatman, Rocktron Voodoo Valve, Marshall JMP-1, Sansamp PS-1, Lexicon MPX-G2, Line 6 Pod, Roland G100, Roland VG-8, H & K Cream Machine. I have also have had way too amps and effects to bother listing.

Now my setup is very simple, Ravens West PRS style Hollowbody, ADA MP-2, Epiphone Valve Jr.

I absolutely love all the tones I have been able to coax from this rack unit. I was expecting this to be somewhat noisy but it is exactly the opposite of that, in fact it eliminates the small amount of noise I get when plugged directly into the amp, and this is without any use of the ADA's noise gate, ever. I can run the distortion full out with out any need of the noise gate and when I stop playin, dead quiet. I have never experienced this from any of my pedals or amps when the gain is even slightly cranked much less full out saturation, incredible!

This preamp fits my Valve Jr. like a glove, I am able to get all manner of cleans, in betweens, and full out balls to the wall tone out this litlle beast. I love the effects that live within this box, the EQ works sonic wonders, the Wahs are great (I have always had problems finding a wah that I liked), Tremolo is fantastic, Compression works wonderfully, and the Chorus is the best I've owned.

I still can't believe that I have been playing with this setup for over a year and have not felt the need to even use delay or reverb. The tones coming out of my little amp have a 3 dimensional shimmer to them even with a completely dry setup.

My musical influences run the gamut, King Sunny Ade, Ali Farke Toure, Ry Cooder, James Grealy, Jimmy Page, Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, Charlie Hunter, Zappa, Brad Shepik, Shakti, Tupac, etc...

With this box I can nail most any tone shy of full out Fuzzed mayhem ala Grealy's tones in Big Brother and the Holding Company, for that stuff I need a bit more. If anyone knows the trick to that tone let me know.

I have to say that I have never held on to one piece of gear as long as this and I have no plans to ever part with this. I don't know if I may have got an exeptional unit or if most are this impressive. I do know that this has ended my search for a versatile box of tone.

I had this sitting in a closet for 6 months, had it fall off a table onto a cement floor, and like the Energiser Bunny it kept on tickin. I hope it never dies as ADA is no more.

There is a couple things I wish it had. I wish that I could bypass the preamp section and just use the effects into my amp. I wish the effect loop was located just after the preamp in leau of not being able to bypass the preamp. I wish ADA still existed.

I see this unit as a good match for all styles of music. I can get great clean jazz tones, exotic world music tones, breaking up blues tones, and thumping palm muted heavyness with eaqual ease. I have been reading reviews here since it hit the net and have NEVER been inclined to even consider writing a review before but this unit has blown me away so...

I generally have little patience for scrolling through menus and programming units, but I found this unit generally very easy to set sounds and all the buttons are dedicated to each parameter which is very nice. I did not try to program the midi functions, so I am not rating that (although the ADA MXC pedals were plug and play with this, so this is all I'd ever want to do anyhow). Overall though, very tweaker friendly since the unit is actaully fairly basic with only a few effects.

I'll start out by saying I bought this unit on Ebay so my experience may be somewhat tainted if the unit was abused previously. I was attracted to this unit because many users compared it favorably to a Mesa Triaxis. I then bought a Triaxis and compared them - and there is no comparison between the two.

That's not to say the MP-2 overall sounded great. I was absolutely impressed by the direct recording outs, I thought sounded better than my POD. I was playing this through an ADA Microtube 200 and an Avatar 2x12 with Century Neo 60's (similar to Vintage 30's but with Neo magnets). I thought the clean voicings were good, a little sterile and thin, but not bad. Maybe this was not the fault of the MP-2, but was due to the solid state (but with tube pre) Microtube poweramp. However when I played the Triaxis through the same exact setup, the cleans were so much warmer and fatter. Back to the MP-2, I found that the unit was fairly quiet on the clean and mid gain voicings, but horribly noisy on the high gain voicings. This forces the use of the noise gate, which is very chattery, so much so that it is almost unusable in my opinion. The presets I thought sounded pretty good direct through the recording outs, but I couldnt use them live through the amp/cab. I wonder if something was wrong, because many of the presets were just howling with noise.

I think the second biggest complaint I had about the MP-2 was that it lacked dynamic response to picking force. I saw someone else say this in another review and I know now what they are talking about. Is it horrible? Well no, it blows away a POD, but when I compare to my Mesa Mark IV, and the newly purchased Triaxis, the MP-2 is uninspiring to play. Again, I realize this MP-2 was old - but I did put in nice new JJ tubes and it did not improve this aspect much if at all. Again, this may be the a result of using the ADA Microtube.

I was able to approximate the lead sound on my Mark IV with some tweaking, but eventually gave up. It wasnt too far off, and let's face it, if you want the boogie tone, then get a boogie. I am not bashing the MP-2 because it doesnt emulate a fender/ marshall/ boogie perfectly. It has some great clean and gain sounds (maybe a bit flat and sterile), but it is the lack of dynamics that turned me off. Just didnt feel right, and the noise gate was driving me up a wall!

The chorus was good, and the tremolo was very good(I compared it to my Keeley modded boss tremolo, and it was better I think).

In my opinion (at least using the MP-2 with the Microtube 200) the MP-2 is good, but just lacking in the warmth department. I really wanted to like this, and was initially blown away, but after critical listening, it just didnt deliver top notch tone/feel of a great tube preamp.

Seemed solid and it survived this long since about 1993! I think I'd trust the MP-2, but the Microtube is another story. It is a bit quirky on powerup, but seems to keep on ticking once it is fired up.

I do think ADA was way ahead of there time and it is unfair to compare the MP-2 to a lot of newer stuff. Too bad they went out of business. I really liked the ADA MXC midi pedal - I actually wish I kept them because the modern offerings are too big/bulky.

I play mostly hard rock/bluesy style. The MP-2 sounded more like a great "wall of sound" generator, and did not have the expressiveness that I prefer. I've been playing for about 20 years and have gone through the rackmount phase, the solid state phase, the tube combo amp phase, the modelers, and now back to rackmount (albiet tube rackmount) phase. I've used to just run a distortion pedal into an old Roland Jazz Chorus and then upgraded to an ART SGE back in the late 80's early 90's and thought that was great at the time, but always felt that the response was not there, though I didnt know what it was missing at the time. Then I got a Mesa Tremoverb half stack and then knew what a real amp was. I then went through a couple of amps like a Mesa Nomad 45, a Peavey Ultra, a Mesa MkIV, and now the triaxis. I recall when I was buying the ART SGE back in the day, the MP-1 (precurser to the mP-2) was on display brand new, and I opted for the ART (I think I was mesmerized by the effects though, and might not have made that choice today knowing what I know now).

All in all, not a bad preamp, if the high gain sounds were more useable (less noise or better noise gate) it would be a lot better. Also, run this through a nice tube poweramp and maybe that will show the qualities of this preamp in a better light. I think that the Triaxis must just be plain better than the MP-2 since it can still sound good using the Microtube amp.

I will also say that, yes, it is not fair to compare the Triaxis at $1700 to an old 1993 MP-2 going for $200 used. Very true, and if you put it that way, the MP-2 gets a couple extra points for being as good as it is for bargain basement cost. I just wanted to compare it to the Triaxis to share my experience and an alternate opinion as to how the two compare, especially since I see this comparison drawn in several other reviews.

I would give it an 8 for the cleans/mid gain and tremolo, and a 6 or lower for the awful noise on higher gain settings, and chattery noise gate. So an average of a 7 is probably about right, but as everything else, ratings are subjective, so try one for yourself!

Every metal head knows about the sustain and chunk that an ADA preamp can achieve. some classic rockers, blues brothers and jazz strummers can also get some good tones if they take the time to really look at what it is and listen to how all the controls respond. As I said before, this is NOT an effects divice, if you want effects (the only effect I want is delay and verb!) go get this with a nice studio unit... Think older Alesis or some of the newer T.C. Electronic stuff. If you want ALL-IN-ONE, go check out Digitech's GSP-2101, 2112 or 2120, or Rocktron's Voodoo Valve. I've personally been running one of an ESP KH-2 (with Duncan's Dimebucker and '59), an ESP/LTD M-1000fm (still with the EMG-81's for now) or a slightly older Ibanez RG-570 (with the Ibanez V-series pickups) into this. The preamp then goes into a Peavey Classic 60/60 power amp and into a Peavey Triple XXX 2x12 cab. I tie everything together using NOTHING but Monster Rock series cables. I also have a Boss GT-8 that I use from time to time, but, it (even with all the effects available) still sounds digital when compared to this. This thing especially shines in band rehersal when I get to turn up the power amp and get the power amp to heat up with it.

I managed to get a deal (one time where Ebay worked to my advantage) on a VERY clean 1993 ADA MP-2. Analog signal path with compresion, nine-band eq, chorus, tremolo and even wah effects! Let's not forget the range of 10 tube voices from clean, to vintage dirt to Hi-Gain (and there's plenty to spare there). I'm going to say up front, this is NOT an effects unit. This is not a Digitech, Rocktron or Boss. This is an early ninety's attempt to add digital control and flexibility to a great analog preamp. 2x 12AX7's, a stereo effects loop, direct outs with cabinet emulators, it's good piece live and in the studio. What more do you need?

Haven't had it for very long, but, I've owned at least three or four ADA MP-1's in my life (hey, I was a teen and didn't know how to really use 'em!), and the only problems I've EVER had with ANYTHING ADA was my own fault. I always keep a new set of tubes handy and have a little chart in my rack cover to make sure I remember to retube everything at least once a year. Again, never had any problem that wasn't my own fault.

Ada disappeared when the rack scene went to all-in-one then back to pedals and amps...

I've been playing for about 14 years and I listen to mostly metal and classical. If this disappeared or died, I would hunt down another without any second thought. In fact, I'm SO jazzed by this that I'm trying to hunt down a couple of ADA's combo amps that used to be on the market! I love this pre's simplicity and tone availablity! It's a preamp? What more do you REALLY need? Oh, yeah, an outboard (I'm not saying the preamp needs it, that would just screw up the analog signal path!) digital delay! I mean, hey, what're effects loops for if it's got it in it, right?!

The distorted tones were ok/tolerable and a bit better than the MP1, however.... This stereo preamp had a flickering stereo right channel that would clip out constantly into mono-ville.
This preamp was a lemon from Day 1. Its chorus was ok but overall, the effects were weak and NON-transparent. I returned this dead dog and stepped into the very alive ROCKTRON Chameleon and later into the wicked Voodu Valve. These "real all-in-one machines are both musically beautiful and very transparent sounding units. The pick attack is not lost and the distortions/hush are killer. ADA did me a large favor by innovating the idea for a single rack space tone machine...however, other companies successfully took it into a whole new realm and buried them alive. ADA dropped the ball.

I got this thing in an attempt to get an "all in one" effects unit that sounded great and was a piece of cake to both use and tote around to gigs. NOT! From the start this piece of crap was a LEMON. I had dabbled in the MP1s and found them to be the best preamp sound out there in the early 90s at the time...so I felt that the "revved up" version 2.0 would hit the nail on the head. It was problematic from the start.

Unreliable. Especially considering the fact that the stereo sound was defective the moment it was received. Makes you nervous from the start. BAD first impression. If I had these kind of problems in 1996, I bet others did too. Thus the company went OUT of business.

The unit was sent back TWICE for the same problem. Never got fixed. We told them to stick the ADA MP2 up their NUMBER 2 (where the sun don't shine). Frustrating. I thing this was part of the Fall of Rome for this ADA group. Too bad for them.
WE'RE GOING ROCKTRON BABY!!!

Sucks. LONG LIVE ROCKTRON!!!

I never believed that I could get tone this good from a single space preamp with only two tubes! The scoop sound on this thing just totally nails that old "Master of Puppets" and "Justice for All" tone.
It also has really good lo-gain sounds as well. The Clean voicings are a far cry from Fullerton, but they're not horrible either. The compressor and chorus are perfect for me. I like to use just a little bit of chorus with the slowest rate possible on each patch because it's almost like having live double-tracking; it helps to spread the tone out and give it more dimension.

This is an ammendment/addition to my current review:

I have come to believe that most of the negative reviews for the MP-2 come from people who have bought the unit used, and most likely from Ebay or some other such source. If you're going to buy one of these from Ebay, make absolutely sure that you ask A LOT of questions pertaining to the condition of the unit.
There are quite a few inputs and outputs on this thing, so make sure the current owner has tested them and can verify that they work. Also ask about the state/age of the tubes. If they're older than a year, be ready to replace them before you plug in and rock out.
Ask if all of the led lights and the Display are working correctly. If at all possible, arrange for Fed Ex or the US Post Office Parcel Service to get it shipped. UPS really banged mine up good. The pin connector for the LCD to the IC Board was completely pulled off, and the connection at the LCD was almost halfway off. Keep in mind that this MP-2 was packed really well and yet it still suffered this nasty abuse.
So, make sure you've opened the unit up and checked all the connections before firing it up.
If you have any doubts about the purchase, then be smart and don't do it.

I absolutely LOVE this preamp; it ROCKS!!!

I think the more appropriate question about the MP-2 should be "What CAN'T you do with amazing little box"?!?!
Considering the year of its birth, this unit is light years ahead of so-called "tube amp modeling". I've found that if you're going to use digital gear, select products that use all of thier processing power to do ONE thing, and do it well. Until digital guitar stuff reaches a MUCH higher bit-rate that 24, these devices will never come even close to tube and analog devices.

Disclaimer:
I am in the process of choosing a new guitar that will be my next full-time ax. Until then, I'm using a cheap-o Epiphone LP Junior that I generally use only for electric slide work.
Even though this guitar is a far cry from being the best, the pickup still manages to convey the tone in a honest and transpearant fashion.
Some people claim that the ADA preamps are too noisy, but I've yet to come across a noise that was out of control. Plus, the MP-2 DOES have a noise gate; so USE it! If you REALLY want to eliminate noise altogether then I suggest you buy active pickups( I use EMG's and I love them! ), a Rocktron HUSH, and put it before the MP-2 and coming right out of your guitar. Then you can set the MP-2 noise gate a lot lower and get your sustain back.

The cleans don't seem as robust to me as thier distortion counterparts, but they do NOT suck too badly either.
The distortions this Unit can get are absolutely incredible for a preamp with only two tubes. It's got really good in-between sounds, but hi-gain is where this baby roars to life. I've been able to get fat and focused Boogie tone, mighty Marshall midrange, and depending uopn EQ settings, I can almost nail that Matchless "blizzard of nails" distortion as well.
Tonally I have no complaints about the MP-2

Stereo, MIDI-based, tube preamplifier.
A TRUE Stereo FX Loop, and your choice of Outputs which break down like this:
XLR Stereo Outs and 1/4-inch outputs which send the signal through a Speaker Simulation circuit before it hits your mixer or soundcard.
Stereo, 1/4-inch outputs that run independent from said Speaker Simulation. These are the outs that you connect to your power amp.
And of course; MIDI In, Out, and Through.

If you buy one used from Ebay, make sure you ask the seller a LOT of questions about it. I've read horror stories about people who bought one and it didn't work right at all upon firing it up for the first time, so be cautious.
Mine arrived in good shape so I have no complaints( so far...).
Also, you should experiment with diffrent tubes so that you can get the sound your after. And ABSOLUTELY you must replace the tubes when you first get it! You'd be suprised at how many people spend hundreds of dollars to buy a used amp, and then they complain about the tone because they didn't think ahead and realize the tubes were what caused the weak tone.

ADA no longer exists, and it's a damn shame. These guys did quite a bit of pioneering work in the field of electronics and amplification, and I wouldn't mind seeing a comeback from them.
There IS however a GREAT support group called adadepot.com, and they can help you find a way to get your MP-2 fixed or upgraded if needed.

The only thing I wish the MP-2 had is a data wheel or two to help simplify and speed up editing. Rocktron really has it down when it comes to faceplates and ease of editing.
Other than that, I'm as happy as a clam with the MP-2.

I've owned two MP1s before this unit. Setting patches is time consuming, but the results are rewarding. And the process is really self explanitory. The changes are by ear. You do what "sounds" best. Not the easiest process in the world, but not brain surgery by a long shot. Like I said; more an ear thing than technical.

I agree with everyone saying that the chorus is the big show as far as the MP2's effects go. I owned 2 MP1s before this unit. When the MP1 first appeared, it was the only preamp the compared favorably to the sonic qualities of the Soldano amp head. Not wanting to mortgage my girlfriend, I opted for the MP1. I haven't been disappointed yet. And when a beer got poured through it at a show, I went and got another one. Now this MP2 is "all that and then some". Harmonics are easy, saturation is easily on par with Soldano's, sound density is ruthless but notes in chords aren't lost. I put the @#$* to it at shows and I've enjoyed fairly flawless performance. Only problems I've had with all these units is "pick dynamics". Pick hard or soft, same dynamic..regardless of the gain level or compression in / out. At ultra gain setting, don't stop playing or the feedback will kill you. I don't use the gate much as it sounds too artificial. Silky clean tones too. At triple the price, the only thing better is the Mesa Boogie Triaxis.. and then, not enough to be worth it.

Short of pouring a beer through it, this thing is unstoppable. Keep a spare set of 12AX7s with you and everything is 5 by 5. I.E. I haven't had one die on me of natural causes yet.

If you buy one of these now, you're working without a net, pal. Don't let that scare you though. They are relatively cheap now that so many other things have come onto the market. You still can't go wrong with this unit for the price. I picked mine up for $150 used. At that rate, you could buy a stack of them and throw 'em at people.

Rack gear in general is a pain in the @#*. Old school pedals are much easier, but the sonic clarity of digital gear makes it worth having. The level and room eq knobs make this unit very "venue friendly" without having to mess with your patches. Several levels of eq make tonal variations endless. Put it in front of a couple Marshall stacks in stereo: voice of God, brother!