Voodoo Amps ADA MP-1 Mod

Delux Modded.

Single coils and Humbuckers sound just exactly how you have always wanted them to. Clean to scream and everything between is really great. I am 52 years old and have owned more than I would like to admit to. I run this into the effects return of a 100 watt EL34 amp head and into a 4x12 Marshall cab. I come out of the preamp and into a John Suhr "Mini Mix" unity gain mixer (The size of a stompbox) and run my G Force effects on 100% wet, then from the mixer into the amp. This sounds like a setup that used to cost many thousands. I just cannot say enough about how good this sounds. I'll bet their new Hex amp heads sound unbelievable based on how this sounds, but this is way cheaper. You won't need any pedals either, for gain, they would diminish the quality of the sound and feel. It is so easy to get harmonics and sustain too. Over 100 places for preset patches. If I sat this next to your amp rig, your jaw would hit the floor.

I sent it back once because of a bad resistor or some such thing. You get treated like you do at a Cadillac dealer....First Class. When I got it back I was blown away and I still am every time I turn it on. WOW!!! I told them to pretend like it is their own amp and I think they did.

These guys are first class. It doesn't get any better. Thanks Trace.

I've been playing for 40 years. Mostly classic rock. This thing is just what I wished I had always had. Like I said before, I have owned every kind of name brand, botique amps, etc. This is the best all around sounding amp I have every had. I don't think they make these any more new. Voodoo has them in stock already modded. Get the Deluxe mod. You won't be sorry.

I bought this preamp used on eBay, don't know what year it is. I sent it straight to Voodoo Amps for the deluxe mod. This thing is versatile enough to suit every style. I use this amp in my rack, which consists of Furman Power Conditioner, ADA MP-1, TC Electronic G-Force, Lexicon MPX 1, Dunlop Crybaby DCR-1SR Rack Wah, BBE 482i, DBX 266XL, VHT Two/Fifty/Two Power Amp.

I don't know how the unit sounds without the mod, but with it it sounds awesome. I am using a MusicMan Ernie Ball John Petrucci, and a Strat with Kinman Pickups, both guitars sound great. It has crisp, clear cleans, and as much gain as you like, without loosing definition.

Have it for four weeks, hence too early to tell

Very helpful when getting the mods done

I am playing for 25 years, ex-pro from Germany, now living in Vancouver, Canada. I would buy this again if stolen, great value. I have owned pretty much anything on the market, from marshalls through Mesas, Bogners, etc. this thing beats them all...

This is an ADA MP-1 with the Voodoo Amps Deluxe Mod. For details, see Voodoo Amps: http://www.voodooamps.com/standardmods.html#ADA

Ok, so the majority of MP-1 soundclips out there are metal based, but I want to tell you that this machine is fantastic for a wide variety of styles. As everyone has mentioned, the cleans are amazing. Running in stereo with the chorus can be very lush and satisfying. With three basic voicings to choose from (Clean Tube, Distortion Tube, SS Clean) and plenty of gain and EQ controls, you have a ton of ways to dial in your sound.

I'm using this with a Gibson LP (Hot 'buckers) and a G&L S500 (MFD s/s/s). The range of sounds I can achieve is extraordinary. The fidelity is truly impressive, and all comments I've received with this rig have been overwhelmingly positive.

There are some other mods out there which land in the noisier distortion range, but if you want a truly flexible and quiet unit, I can't imagine anything surpassing the Voodoo Deluxe mod. (Trust me, when we need noise, we have ways!)

So basically, I'm saying that all the great reviews are spot-on, that this thing will make you want to play more, that it is really superior in fidelity and range, and that if you can't make this fit your style or at least use it as a superior launching point...your other toys may have issues.

I bought this from an eBay seller, so have no idea about past life experiences. But after quite a few communications with Trace & Voodoo Amps, I am solidly in the "they will take care of you" camp. That said, bring a backup or at least make sure your bar tab is covered if your set goes south!

Voodoo Amps is 100% pro. Communications were great, and the MP-1 arrived with one of the best packing jobs I've seen. Whether you want an MP-1 mod, are looking for other options with existing gear, or want to dial in on one of the Voodoo Amps in-house creations, I have no doubt that you will enjoy working with this company. By the way, I do a lot of research before I buy anything (particularly something I cannot preview in person). Every comment I've seen about Trace & Voodoo Amps has been positive. To me, that says a lot.

I've been playing for over 20 years, and own some real guitars. I've used SS & tube equipment from Ampeg, Marshall, Peavey, Roland, and recently, some of the better modeling gear.

I'm using the Voodoo Amps modded MP-1 with an all-tube power amp, and a stereo cab w/ Vintage 30 speakers. I have a very nice stereo reverb between the MP-1 & power amp, and at times use some other bizarre pedals to varying degrees of ill effect.

The modelers definitely can serve a purpose for certain people's needs and situations. But if what you are really seeking is a high degree of flexibility at superior levels of fidelity, you can make a lot of fast progress starting your search here.

Look up the term versatile in the dictionary...notice the Voodoo Modded ADA MP-1 next to it...yeah its that good. The chorus is very nice, too. The only downfall is the effects loop, but it is a preamp you can work around it. Completely stereo, also.

The cleans on this preamp are amazing. You can go from Fenderish to Voxy to pushed JTM 45 and all sound very warm and tubey, just awesome. The clean is really good, but the gain is where things get interesting. My first impression was, "Not enough gain." Then the more I played with the settings and the more I LISTENED, I realized this thing has tons of gain. It is just a "clean" gain. It doesn't have the buzziness of a Diezel or a Bogner. This preamp can get very heavy, but not buzzy heavy. If you want nasty super heavy gain go buy a Boss Metal Zone. If you want sweet sweet articulate gain that makes good technique shine, buy this preamp. What really impressed me more then the heavy gain was the "pushed" sound. I absolutely love the sound of a pushed Marshall Bluesbreaker combo, this preamp nails it and I mean nails it. One of the best characteristics of this preamp is how quiet it is. This is the deluxe mod with the noise reduction and I'm glad I paid for it. This preamp is definately a peice of pro gear.

This preamp is older then my sisters-in-law and behaves better then they do, so take that for what it is worth. I believe if anything went wrong Trace would take care of me.

IT DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER. A 10 is not high enough. I got annoyed with myself for calling these guys so much and they just laughed and told me to call whenever I wanted. TOP SHELF.

I have been playing for 14 years. I have owned five Mesa's, six Peavey's, Crates, Fenders, Carvins, THDs, and I'm sure there are more I can't remember. This preamp smokes them all, without a doubt. I kick myself in the rear for waiting so long to buy a Voodoo Amp. I will never play another amp, unless it has been modded by Voodoo. I have never used an amp that made me want to play like this one does.

Extremely versatile guitar pre-amp. This one I purchased from Voodoo Amps as a deluxe pre-modified unit. Contains 12 new Voodoo presets that are awesome. I play anything from blues to death metal and I have found a preset, or was able to program in a setting to fit any style I can throw at this. The MIDI function is just something I will never use, still seems like rocket science even after 15 years. Programming this is really very easy, I printed the manual off the Voodoo Amps website but actually sitting down with the MP-1 and pushing buttons proved the best approach. I am not kidding when I say anyone can dial in great tones with this pre-amp!

My set-up for this review is as follows: Custom built (by me) EVH Strat like on the first album. It is a very bright sounding guitar, it is loaded with a EVH pickup out of a Wolfgang, Fender trem, Earvana nut, etc... From there I go into the ADA MP-1, output A into a Rocktron Hush pedal then on to the effects return jack on my Crate Blue Voodoo 60 head. The Svetlana 6L6GC Tubes in the Crate have 4 hours on them, they have a pretty bright tone. Out of there into (2) 12 year old Crate 4x12 cabinets loaded with 8 new Celestion Seventy/80's, 16ohms mono each cab for an 8 ohm load on the amp.

The sound blew me away! The gain is truly clear and articulate. Notes within chord voicings are heard clearly. And it is SO nice to be able to gain up and get real crunch and not fuzzy distortion, so refreshing! Yes, this one has the noise reduction mod but it still hums a bit when alot of gain is used, but less than any amp head with the gain full up, so I dropped in a Hush that is set at 8 o'clock with 7 o'clock being all the way off. You really can get , I believe, any tone for any style of music with this Voodoo Amps deluxe modified ADA MP-1 and everything will sound alive and right there. I am guessing this stupid smile on my face when I play may never go away.

Well, here is my take on the whole reliability thing. First off, these pre-amps have been around forever and alot of them seem to be still in great working order. If equipment is kept in favorable conditions, serviced regularly and not asked to do something it should not do, anything will last. Reliability as far as the work Voodoo amps performed, I would have to say I truly believe it is top shelf work. Everything inside looks neat and clean, and the unit sounds amazing. I played it for 5 hours straight last night at a medium volume and it sounded as good when I was finished as when I started, no issues at all. I will give this a 9 Because in the real world, things need repairs and regular servicing from time to time. Nothing gets a 10 here.

Every time I called I talked with someone who sounded like they really enjoy going to work every day. Each time, they were very helpful, the whole process of buying this ADA MP-1 was a pleasure. I will be a Voodoo amps customer from now on. Not only do they understand the tone quest, they enjoy helping people find the happy ending, or multiple happy endings to that search.

Overall, I love this pre-amp and I think anyone who tries it will too. At first I thought the price was a bit steep, and I took that leap of faith, but after hearing it, I would be a fool to complain. It was a bargain, with all the great tones available in this unit, a bargain! My investment paid off, I can have any great tone I desire right at my finger tips. Being a recording engineer, that is really nice.

It's Tube, It's MIDI, It's Stereo, It has an effect loop and headphone out both with easily adjustable levels. Sounds awesome through both power amp & recording console. Easy to program. Oh yeah, it has chorus too! I don't think another useable feature could be added without turning it into a multi effects processor.

So far I have played my Fender Strat, BC Rich Virgin(s) and Ibanez Artcore through it and have easily set up killer tones for all. I am primarily a Metal guitarist but play a wide variety of styles. This modded unit truly lives up to it's promises: Fender like clean tones (I've played many years through a Twin and a Vibrolux), the EQ and Overdrive are a lot better than in the original MP-1. I recieved this unit an hour before band practice so I naturally brought it with me. My guitar sound stood out in the mix without over powering the rest of the band, amazing!

These units in their original form are very dependable. Combining that with Voodoo Amps reputation, I don't expect any problems.

Both times I called I was answered by a real person who was very willing to answer any questions. Very customer friendly, very professional.

Been playing since the age of 9, seriously since 16 (36 currently). Other gear I currently own: Fender - Twin, Vibrolux, Princeton Chorus and a London 185. Mesa/Boogie - 2:50 power amp. Alesis Midiverb4. Behringer FCB1010 MIDI foot controller. A DOD pre-amp/effects processor I bought in a pinch several years ago. A couple of JBL E120-8 speakers in a 2x12 open back cab (Highly recomended if you can find someone to come off of 'em. Out of production). A lot of other stuff not worth mentioning.

If anything happend to my Voodoo modded MP-1, I would call up Voodoo Amps to order another without giving it a second thought. Seriously considering shipping my Boogie 2:50 to them to be modded.

Do I really need to tell ya what this is?? The preamp is an ADA MP-1(circa 1990) modified and brought into the 21st Century by Trace @ Voodoo Amps! It was a great preamp when it first appeared in the late 80's and thank goodness there were soooo many fickle players who chucked them when they thought rack gear wasn't cool anymore! Note- everything old is new again, just check Ebay! If ya got one, you owe it to yourself to send it over and let the "Voodoo" happen to it! Trace took this classic preamp and turned it into a modern sonic cornucopia tone machine! ADA is no longer, but thank goodness that Trace Allen Davis and Voodoo Amps is!

I use MusicMan Silhouettes (S/S/H) with custom wound Seymour Duncan single coils and a Dimarzio PAF Pro in the bridge. The preamp does everything from butter & cream clean tones (very Fender like) to heavy metal soul girth and chunk! I play a variety of styles in my band (www.24-7Spyz.com), from funk to ska to jazz to metal and just about anything in between! The preanp has a Voodoo Amps noise reduction mod, which allows you to dial in an extreme amount of gain and saturation but still keep the noise down to a minimum! Another beautiful thing about the Voodoo Amps MP-1 mod is that no matter how much gain you apply, there is still note definition and clarity! Not to mention the bottom end, which is as tight as a stripper's rear end after a serious workout! No muddiness to be found in any setting you create!

I recently got it back, but I've got a deep rooted feeling that this newly minted preamp will survive another 16 years!Trace replaced the AC cord, the tubes and the lithium battery along with the mod so this baby is road ready! I have another MP-1 and it will be going up to Ithaca to see Uncle Trace and get modded out! YEAH, BABY!!!!!

Trace was a dream to work with! Answered every email and phone call! As a lover of tone, his goal is to help you pinpoint where it is you want to be with your tone and help you get there! The work done was top notch and they use nothing but quality parts. The turnaround time was also a wonderful thing, the preamp returned less than a week after I sent it! The preamp is 16 years old so we won't even speak of a warranty! But Voodoo Amps stand by their work and should something happen, they will rectify the situation- especially if you didn't drop the amp during a fit of stupidity or drunkeness!

I've been playing guitar for 36 years, beginning at age 6! I've owned and played a variety of guitars over the years: Teisco Del Rey, Gretsch, Fender, E.S.P., Robin, Gibson, 17th Street and MusicMan guitars. Amps owned over the years: Kustom, Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogie and ADA. If my modded preamp was lost or stolen, I'd get a Voodoo Amps Witch Doctor Head and a V-Plexi head! That's the move for the near future! You owe it to yourself if you're a lover of tone to check out the "New Modern Classics" amplifier company, Voodoo Amps! From the mods to their own line of products, Trace Allen Davis does it all and does it RIGHT!

I bought a used mp1 just to get it modified. i had one when they first come out and sold it. but wanted to see what voodoo amps was all about. the added features are more gain,better eq and more touch response.

trace and the boys made this thing sound as good as it could get. i was looking for a better clean sound and a heavier gain sound. it sounds better than my dsl 100 marshall that i recently sold, much more variety of tones. i play musicman and ibanez with dimarzio pickups and a wide variety of music. although i do run a distortion box in front to get a little more out of the unit, this thing still rocks. tons of eq, more than you need.

trace stands behind every thing he does. plus mp1 was a solid built piece anyway.

once again, voodoo amps are top notch. as anyone who has had any contact with them. they go way beyond what they need to give you the most for your money

like i said, i bought this unit just to see what voodoo could do with it. and they rock. they could do no more than what they did to mod unit and please customers

Older preamp built in the 80's, Trace at Voodoo buys them used, does his mods and sells them on his website. 120 presets all midi controllable of course, you can chose solid state, clean or distortion, 3 gain adjustments (2 pre EQ and 1 post), built in chorus and compressor (compressor works on the solid state presets only). Runs 2 12AX7's. Very versatile. I play a wide range of styles (country to hard rock). Been playing over 30 years, some of that professionally.

I have 2 PRS's, a John Suhr Stratolike, a Hamer semi-hollow body, an old Tele, and a couple of Warmoth mutts. I have owned a Bogner, an Alesandro, a Mesa, multiple Fenders and Marshalls (including a 25th anniversary and a 30th anniversary), and I just sold an Egnater M4 preamp. I run the ADA through a VHT 2502 power amp (as good as it gets) and start off my signal chain with a small set of carefully chosen pedals (Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah, Carl Martin compressor, Addrock Ol' Yeller (Tube screamer clone, best I have heard), SIB EchoDrive (Echoplex clone, best I have heard), Sweetsound MojoVibe, and a Fulltone Choralflange.

I first had Trace mod a Crate Blue Voodoo 120 watt head for me and was very pleased with that, so I bought the ADA from him. I am now using it exclusively. You have to play with the pre and post gains because they are interactive. You can get some cool mild crunch tones by using the clean presets and driving it a little with the pre-eq gains. You can also get some great clean tones with the solid state presets and the built in compressor (I am talking sparkly tube sounding stuff here). And the distortion presets will go from mild to wild, plenty for metal, at least 80's and 90's style, with tons of bottom end and mid-range chunk. I have scoured the music stores and e-bay for a lot of years, buying and selling, I would have to say that this preamp with the setup I have is as good as I have come across. The Ada after Trace does his thing is just alive. The Egnater M4 I had was amazing, analog modeling of great vintage amps like the 65 Deluxe, the JTM 45, a Plexi, the Vox AC30, incredibly authentic sounding modules. But it all lacked the certain alive quality that this ADA exhibits. Trace ups the gain, smooths out the distortion and cuts the noise in these things, and even though I didn't hear and have never heard one pre-mods, I can say it is an awesome job that Trace does. Team it up with a quality power amp like a Boogie 2:90 or any VHT, dial up enough of the tubes and see if you don't agree. There is a certain "disconnect" with most preamp/poweramp setups that my current setup doesn't have. It sounds to me like the ADA and VHT are working together like a good amp head would. The chorus is also very useable, unlike some of these effects which are built in to amps or preamps.

Gripes: I wish the treble frequencys had a little more girth; don't get me wrong, you can dial up a nice Fender/Vox type of clean, but the treble and high mids are just shy of being thick enough for me to give it a solid ten.

Can't say, but I am sure Trace would help me out if I needed it.

I wish this one went to 11. Trace is one of those few, special people that truly understands customer service. He answers the phone personally more times than not. He does exactly what he says he will do in exactly the amount of time he says it will take. In short, Trace will bend over backwards to make sure you are happy.

I give it a 10 here because it is an amazing value. Consider I payed over 2 grand for the Egnater M4. I have a Rocktron Prophecy that I paid close to $700.00 for that is just sitting in my music room now. It is not a bad preamp (even though the effects are useless), the ADA is just a more authentic tube sound. So yea, if it were lost or stolen I would be on the phone with Trace in a heartbeat.

This is an mp-1 from the 80's...you know the gear. Just read any cd jacket from most any metal cd from the middle-late 80's and early 90's and you'll see ADA in the credits. Clean to crunch preamp!

Used with Jackson RR and emg 81 in the bridge. I run this direct into an ada microcab, then into a 788 for recording purposes. It sounds absolutely KILLER!! I've had several mp-1's and have returned them due to the noise and lack of gain..not this one! Trace gave it a shot of testosterone while quieting the usually noisy hum.

ADA is long since gone, but with all the net resources, they can be fixed.

Trace rules...period. Any amp that I'm unhappy with will take a little trip to NY!

I put this rig together specificly for direct recording..after not being happy with the POD, this set-up blows any other "direct-box" away.

version 2.01 MP-1 not sure of the year. It's an MP-1 it's WAY versatile. I play commercial hard rock and it fits great for that. This is just a preamp so I run it with a Mosvalve 1160 stereo power amp. I've used it for rehearsal, live before the Mod. Most of you looking at this already know what the MP-1 does so I won't bother with it's features.

My main guitars are a '70 LP Standard with an EMG 85 and an early 80's Kramer Pacer with an early Baretta neck and an EMG 81. Again, it's fits the hard rock stuff like a glove. It is LESS noisy after the Mod, one of the features I was interested in! You can program it from pretty chimey cleans to unholy crunch! I think the clean distorts a little at the higher volumes but consider the pickups I'm using. The crunch is nice and crunchy.

I have never had any problems with my MP-1's and do gig without a backup. Trace at Voodoo stands completely behind his work, so I have no fears!

Here's where a 10 isn't good enough! If you haven't talked with Trace and just read some of the reviews, you'd swear we all work for him! I'm in Ca, he's in NY, so everything was handled through emails & phone calls. That being said, he really is as COOL as all the reviews say. He wants you to be HAPPY with your tone! I'm not sure how long he warranties his work, but he always said, if there's ANY problems let me know.

I've been playing for 15 years, have owned just about everything, changing gear like underwear. If it was lost, no biggie. I plan to send a 100 watt head to Trace to have it " tweaked ", the MP-1 was more of an experiment. Again, it's an MP-1, it had good tone, Trace made it better! It was finally nice to meet a tech who could talk to you normally and made you feel like a priority.

Most know all the features of the mp1.

I sent the mp1 to trace to have him add somemore gain & tighten up the bottom end some.The original ada was known for haveing a hotroded marshall tone, which I guess is why they were so popular at one time.I felt as a stand alone unit they fell just a little short as far as gain and fullness went.(kinda thin)
After Trace`s modification I have to say it sounds 137% better than before.To me it sounds like a jcm 800 with quite a bit more gain.It is much fuller than before with a good thick tubey distortion.It can now do some good heavy sounds.(priest,hammerfall,maiden,ect.)Which is what I was more after.
It is just shy of the superthick bottom mid-scooped thing.You know ,the palm mutes that burst blood vessels.I believe he could have took it there, but the unit had no space for an additional tube.Make no mistake though, he did squezze a bunch more gain out of it than before.The cleans sound rich & harmonically balanced also.
For me it fills that missing marshall void.Perhaps the amp they should have made?
If you have an mp1 & like it send it to Trace.You will like it more when it returns.

Trace is very professional & a cool dude too.I had been stringing him along for a year or so, claiming I would soon send him something to mod for me.He always answered my emails & was a gentleman thruout.When I finally did send something I was kept up to date & it was back to me in a week.And he followed up to see how I liked it as well.Thats good service!!
Trace I will soon be sending you all kinds of older tube preamps to see what you can do w/ them.

$165.00 to make the mp1 kick tail...Can`t beat that!I`ve owned a bunch of stuff over the last 20 years of playing.This modded mp1 fills a place of its own.If they had sounded this good at first maybe they would still be in buisness