ADA MP-1 vs MP-1 Classic

[zerohawk]

I have a line on a regular MP-1 and another line on the MP-1 Classic. Wich one do you guys like better? What is the difference? Also, I will more than likely be trading up for my peavey classic 50 head. Do you guys think it will be a good replacement paired with a Mesa 20/20? It also comes with the ADA midi foot switch.

 

[glpg80]

i owned an ADA MP1 with the latest chip, i think it was 2.2.

i also ordered the 3TM mod, did that for tonal improvements - which gives you a mini tonestack to adjust internally to your tastes.

never liked it, ever. it always sounded weak and thin - alot of gain yes, but nothing full and hearty like my 5150 - and this was even at low volumes you could tell.

overall very sterile, terrible character of the whole unit. the only thing i miss was the 80's lush ADA chorus of that unit. thats it. i never want or plan to use another rack preamp ever again.

if you are thinking you will get that ADA high gain tone with the unit and a great poweramp you are fooled, you will need post EQ, pre-amp boost of some sort, decent poweramp of some sorts, and alot of studio magic. by itself it was worse than my peavey vypyr and if you have ever played or noodled on one in a guitar center/sam ash, you are basically experiencing a better tone than i did with a modified ADA.

 

[zerohawk]

i owned an ADA MP1 with the latest chip, i think it was 2.2.

i also ordered the 3TM mod, did that for tonal improvements - which gives you a mini tonestack to adjust internally to your tastes.

never liked it, ever. it always sounded weak and thin - alot of gain yes, but nothing full and hearty like my 5150 - and this was even at low volumes you could tell.

overall very sterile, terrible character of the whole unit. the only thing i miss was the 80's lush ADA chorus of that unit. thats it. i never want or plan to use another rack preamp ever again.

if you are thinking you will get that ADA high gain tone with the unit and a great poweramp you are fooled, you will need post EQ, pre-amp boost of some sort, decent poweramp of some sorts, and alot of studio magic. by itself it was worse than my peavey vypyr and if you have ever played or noodled on one in a guitar center/sam ash, you are basically experiencing a better tone than i did with a modified ADA.

Yea I did actually get a chance to play a vypyr, it was pretty damn cool sounding. That kind of sucks, I was really hoping it would have been a good replacement for the Classic 50. What kind of a poweramp were you using with it?

 

[threadkiller]

I have and currently still use my ADA mp-1. Best $300.00 I ever spent. Yes, there are better preamps out there but not in that price range. It will give you plenty of gain and a good hot marshall tone. It will not give you chunky low end so if you play metal, you can do a lot better. I have not played the mp-1 classic so I can't say. I think the stock original unit is better than the classic or the 3TM but that is based on internet hearsay not first hand experience. The 3TM mod to me is trying to make this unit do something it doesn't do very well, chunky low end and modern compressed tone, and falls short which is probably why glp80 was dissappointed. It sounds nothing like a peavey classic 50 btw.

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

Dunno man I played Merrit Gants ADA that he used in OverKill with his same Carvin Fett Power Amp and the same 2 4x12 cabinets he used for his entire time with OverKill..
And it still sounded like Horrorscope, no pre EQ, For sure they used Post EQ in the studio but not pre EQ or any Boost's..

The solid state Vypers without any preamp tubes do not sound better than an ADA to my ears..

 

[rupe]

I bought an MP-1 new in '87 I believe and still have it...in fact, I just retired it from my hard rock rig about two years ago.
It's a great unit that was used by many great players on many great albums.

 

[Mailman1971]

I bought an MP-1 new in '87 I believe and still have it...in fact, I just retired it from my hard rock rig about two years ago.
It's a great unit that was used by many great players on many great albums.

Yeah I had a MP1 back in the day. It was actually Vito Bratta that got me to buy one.
LOVED HIS TONE!!

The MP-1 I had could nail it.

 

[zerohawk]

The closest we get to playing metal is an Allice in Chains Cover song. We do alot of 90's rock and classic rock songs. I guess the best way to find out is to go try it out lol. The Classic 50 is pretty nice, but the distortion channel is way too harsh. Once you dial out the harshness the clean channel is so dark it won't cut through the mix lol.

 

[glpg80]

I have and currently still use my ADA mp-1. Best $300.00 I ever spent. Yes, there are better preamps out there but not in that price range. It will give you plenty of gain and a good hot marshall tone. It will not give you chunky low end so if you play metal, you can do a lot better. I have not played the mp-1 classic so I can't say. I think the stock original unit is better than the classic or the 3TM but that is based on internet hearsay not first hand experience. The 3TM mod to me is trying to make this unit do something it doesn't do very well, chunky low end and modern compressed tone, and falls short which is probably why glp80 was dissappointed. It sounds nothing like a peavey classic 50 btw.

of course i owned the unit stock vs 3TM, and the 3TM did wonders for improvement but it never got rid of that ever stale thin/pussy weak attitude the unit has.

like i said i prefer a head over preamp/rack setup after experiencing that because head's tend to lend a large fullness no matter the brand/name.

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

as far as my experiences, they are not because of internet heresay. its because i owned the unit for plenty of time, spent my own money on the 3TM and installed it (which is damn hard to do, only one guy in the UK makes the boards and there is a large waiting list) and i still prefer never to go that route again.

 

[rupe]

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

I've owned and used one for over 20 years and on hundreds of gigs and I disagree with most of the above assessment. You simply don't need most of that stuff as stated. A good power amp (preferably tube) and good speakers are all you need for killer tone. EQs can be helpful if you want tones outside of the hot-rodded Marshall realm but they aren't necessary for 80's metal tones.
I have one of the very early ones and I've heard that they sound better than the later ones and reissues but I can't say for sure.

 

[glpg80]

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

I've owned and used one for over 20 years and on hundreds of gigs and I disagree with most of the above assessment. You simply don't need most of that stuff as stated. A good power amp (preferably tube) and good speakers are all you need for killer tone. EQs can be helpful if you want tones outside of the hot-rodded Marshall realm but they aren't necessary for 80's metal tones.
I have one of the very early ones and I've heard that they sound better than the later ones and reissues but I can't say for sure.

you dont even need a tube poweramplifier if you have studio magic, you are talking out of your ass

nuno used an ADA-MP1 with a solidstate poweramplifier and got killer tones on the extreme album - that debunks your statement right there on the spot. like i have mentioned before - with polishing, they have a good ability. but by themselves, ill gladly take your ADA rig against my 5150 anyday and let you see the results for yourself. huge difference in tonal improvement any day of the week, at any volume, with any poweramp you want to choose. because ADA's will always have that overly thin lacking umph and depth ability of an all analog tube amplifier. an ADA-MP1 acts and sounds just like a vypyr - thin, lifeless, sterile, no balls or depth to it. simply not a tube-warmth tone even though the gain is created using real tubes which does nothing but really add more compression making note definition more terrible.

i make sure this is very clear for anyone else contemplating an ADA because i was led into the intentions that they were these magic boxes that dont need anything else "but a good tubed poweramp" and they are far from it. spent alot of money on figuring this out the hard way. no one is mentioning how puny they sound regardless of the poweramplifier or the modification, or how much polishing it takes for them to sound decent.

 

[rupe]

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

I've owned and used one for over 20 years and on hundreds of gigs and I disagree with most of the above assessment. You simply don't need most of that stuff as stated. A good power amp (preferably tube) and good speakers are all you need for killer tone. EQs can be helpful if you want tones outside of the hot-rodded Marshall realm but they aren't necessary for 80's metal tones.
I have one of the very early ones and I've heard that they sound better than the later ones and reissues but I can't say for sure.

you dont even need a tube poweramplifier if you have studio magic, you are talking out of your ass

nuno used an ADA-MP1 with a solidstate poweramplifier and got killer tones on the extreme album - that debunks your statement right there on the spot. like i have mentioned before - with polishing, they have a good ability. but by themselves, ill gladly take your ADA rig against my 5150 anyday and let you see the results for yourself. huge difference in tonal improvement any day of the week, at any volume, with any poweramp you want to choose. because ADA's will always have that overly thin lacking umph and depth ability of an all analog tube amplifier. an ADA-MP1 acts and sounds just like a vypyr - thin, lifeless, sterile, no balls or depth to it. simply not a tube-warmth tone even though the gain is created using real tubes which does nothing but really add more compression making note definition more terrible.

i make sure this is very clear for anyone else contemplating an ADA because i was led into the intentions that they were these magic boxes that dont need anything else "but a good tubed poweramp" and they are far from it. spent alot of money on figuring this out the hard way. no one is mentioning how puny they sound regardless of the poweramplifier or the modification, or how much polishing it takes for them to sound decent.

I said preferably tube...how do you debunk my preference? Because Nuno did it one way that means its the only way? You really need to grow up and quit trying be an authority on everything...I have an opinion that's different from yours and you can't accept it without throwing insults? You have the potential to be a good dude...I've seen it. Lay off the know-it-all BS and you'll be a better person and forum member for it.

Do you think the OP is gonna use "studio magic" every time he fires it up? Or do you think maybe he might prefer good in the room/in the club tone when he fires it up? I used the MP-1 with a SS power amp for a while and going to a 2:90 took it to the next level...which is what most people will want for regular use.

So how long did you work with the MP-1 and what was the rest of your rig? I'm confident most people here know who's talking out of their ass.

Let's pick a tune...or just a riff if you prefer. You record it with your 5150 and I'll do it with my ADA. Single mic on a cab, no effects. I'll be your huckleberry

 

[threadkiller]

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

I've owned and used one for over 20 years and on hundreds of gigs and I disagree with most of the above assessment. You simply don't need most of that stuff as stated. A good power amp (preferably tube) and good speakers are all you need for killer tone. EQs can be helpful if you want tones outside of the hot-rodded Marshall realm but they aren't necessary for 80's metal tones.
I have one of the very early ones and I've heard that they sound better than the later ones and reissues but I can't say for sure.

you dont even need a tube poweramplifier if you have studio magic, you are talking out of your ass

nuno used an ADA-MP1 with a solidstate poweramplifier and got killer tones on the extreme album - that debunks your statement right there on the spot. like i have mentioned before - with polishing, they have a good ability. but by themselves, ill gladly take your ADA rig against my 5150 anyday and let you see the results for yourself. huge difference in tonal improvement any day of the week, at any volume, with any poweramp you want to choose. because ADA's will always have that overly thin lacking umph and depth ability of an all analog tube amplifier. an ADA-MP1 acts and sounds just like a vypyr - thin, lifeless, sterile, no balls or depth to it. simply not a tube-warmth tone even though the gain is created using real tubes which does nothing but really add more compression making note definition more terrible.

i make sure this is very clear for anyone else contemplating an ADA because i was led into the intentions that they were these magic boxes that dont need anything else "but a good tubed poweramp" and they are far from it. spent alot of money on figuring this out the hard way. no one is mentioning how puny they sound regardless of the poweramplifier or the modification, or how much polishing it takes for them to sound decent.

Hasn't been my experience but to each his own. For what I payed for mine, I'm very happy. No, it's not my dream rig but it has been a good unit for me. It is not perfect but it has some good tones in it.

 

[rupe]

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

I've owned and used one for over 20 years and on hundreds of gigs and I disagree with most of the above assessment. You simply don't need most of that stuff as stated. A good power amp (preferably tube) and good speakers are all you need for killer tone. EQs can be helpful if you want tones outside of the hot-rodded Marshall realm but they aren't necessary for 80's metal tones.
I have one of the very early ones and I've heard that they sound better than the later ones and reissues but I can't say for sure.

you dont even need a tube poweramplifier if you have studio magic, you are talking out of your ass

nuno used an ADA-MP1 with a solidstate poweramplifier and got killer tones on the extreme album - that debunks your statement right there on the spot. like i have mentioned before - with polishing, they have a good ability. but by themselves, ill gladly take your ADA rig against my 5150 anyday and let you see the results for yourself. huge difference in tonal improvement any day of the week, at any volume, with any poweramp you want to choose. because ADA's will always have that overly thin lacking umph and depth ability of an all analog tube amplifier. an ADA-MP1 acts and sounds just like a vypyr - thin, lifeless, sterile, no balls or depth to it. simply not a tube-warmth tone even though the gain is created using real tubes which does nothing but really add more compression making note definition more terrible.

i make sure this is very clear for anyone else contemplating an ADA because i was led into the intentions that they were these magic boxes that dont need anything else "but a good tubed poweramp" and they are far from it. spent alot of money on figuring this out the hard way. no one is mentioning how puny they sound regardless of the poweramplifier or the modification, or how much polishing it takes for them to sound decent.

Hasn't been my experience but to each his own. For what I payed for mine, I'm very happy. No, it's not my dream rig but it has been a good unit for me. It is not perfect but it has some good tones in it.

You're talking out of your ass...its "thin, lifeless, sterile, no balls or depth to it"

 

[bsp01]

Standard MP-1 would be my choice over the classic.

They can sound fantastic. One thing to keep in mind, a good overhaul on the unit is a good idea since most of them are going on 20 years old.

 

[jcj]

can an ADA sound great? yeah it can, but you need alot of studio magic/post EQ/low pass filters, pre-amp boost of some sort, a great poweramplifier, post pre-amp EQ, etc - its just not worth it at that pricepoint or purpose. i bought one because of the recorded tones the guys over at adadepot.com were getting and because i was a big paul gilbert/ADA-MP1 fan back then.

I've owned and used one for over 20 years and on hundreds of gigs and I disagree with most of the above assessment. You simply don't need most of that stuff as stated. A good power amp (preferably tube) and good speakers are all you need for killer tone. EQs can be helpful if you want tones outside of the hot-rodded Marshall realm but they aren't necessary for 80's metal tones.
I have one of the very early ones and I've heard that they sound better than the later ones and reissues but I can't say for sure.

you dont even need a tube poweramplifier if you have studio magic, you are talking out of your ass

nuno used an ADA-MP1 with a solidstate poweramplifier and got killer tones on the extreme album - that debunks your statement right there on the spot. like i have mentioned before - with polishing, they have a good ability. but by themselves, ill gladly take your ADA rig against my 5150 anyday and let you see the results for yourself. huge difference in tonal improvement any day of the week, at any volume, with any poweramp you want to choose. because ADA's will always have that overly thin lacking umph and depth ability of an all analog tube amplifier. an ADA-MP1 acts and sounds just like a vypyr - thin, lifeless, sterile, no balls or depth to it. simply not a tube-warmth tone even though the gain is created using real tubes which does nothing but really add more compression making note definition more terrible.

i make sure this is very clear for anyone else contemplating an ADA because i was led into the intentions that they were these magic boxes that dont need anything else "but a good tubed poweramp" and they are far from it. spent alot of money on figuring this out the hard way. no one is mentioning how puny they sound regardless of the poweramplifier or the modification, or how much polishing it takes for them to sound decent.

I'm pretty sure Nuno used an old Macintosh tube power amp.

 

[rsm]

Big ADA user back in the day. I ran ADA rigs for guitar and bass, I had the power amps and cabs too, not just the preamps. I still have my last, main MP-2. I ran a MQ-1 (MIDI GEQ) with the MP-1 and it was a great rig IMO.

I never owned the MP-1 Classic, but I think the MP-2 was a big improvement, it was a PITA to tweak, and had a different voice set, they made a few improvements with the Classic. Check out the specs at ADA Depot:

http://adadepot.com/adagear/gearpages/preamps/ADA-MP-1-Classic.htm

I had these in a final rack, pictured here:

 

[OldSkoolNJ]

I'm pretty sure Nuno used an old Macintosh tube power amp.

Solid state..

According to Micheal Wagner

The setup for the guitar sound for the EXTREME sessions as well as the first SkidRow album and White Lion's "Pride" album (in most cases, not on all tracks) was a Furman PEQ-3 into an unmodified ADA MP-1 (version 1.0, still got it) going into a McIntosh transistor poweramps (2100) into an original Marshall cab with 4x G12H (30W). The mics were, if I remember it right: Fostex M11RP Ribbon, Countryman lavalier and possibly a SM57/58 going into John Hardy M-1s and from there via a mono buss into a UREI 530 EQ and a BBE 802 then to digital tape (Mitsubishi 32 tack)

Most of the sound came out of Nuno's hands, though.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end ... itars.html

Michael Wagener on Vito's guitar set-up..

It was my ADA-MP1 guitar pre (still got that one, Software version 1.0, the later version was less noisy but not as cool sounding). The poweramps were McIntosh 2100 transistor poweramps. Even though they were transistor, they have heavy duty output transformers (very important to the sound IMO) and the Condensers (Caps? whatever) in the powersupply are as big as coffee mugs, so lots of low end reserves for the PS. Fletcher has a couple of 2100 for sale, I think. I just sold mine for dirt cheap. The cab we used was rented from Andy Brauer. It was an original Marshall 4x12 with original 30W celestions, I loved that cab.

The funny thing is, that I used the same MP-1, with the same setting/preset, the same poweramps, the same cabinet and the same microphones for White Lion, Skid Row and Extreme and all three sound completely different. Maybe the player DOES have something to do with the sound, hmmm.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end ... -lion.htm

 

[jcj]

I'm pretty sure Nuno used an old Macintosh tube power amp.

Solid state..

According to Micheal Wagner

The setup for the guitar sound for the EXTREME sessions as well as the first SkidRow album and White Lion's "Pride" album (in most cases, not on all tracks) was a Furman PEQ-3 into an unmodified ADA MP-1 (version 1.0, still got it) going into a McIntosh transistor poweramps (2100) into an original Marshall cab with 4x G12H (30W). The mics were, if I remember it right: Fostex M11RP Ribbon, Countryman lavalier and possibly a SM57/58 going into John Hardy M-1s and from there via a mono buss into a UREI 530 EQ and a BBE 802 then to digital tape (Mitsubishi 32 tack)

Most of the sound came out of Nuno's hands, though.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end ... itars.html

Michael Wagener on Vito's guitar set-up..

It was my ADA-MP1 guitar pre (still got that one, Software version 1.0, the later version was less noisy but not as cool sounding). The poweramps were McIntosh 2100 transistor poweramps. Even though they were transistor, they have heavy duty output transformers (very important to the sound IMO) and the Condensers (Caps? whatever) in the powersupply are as big as coffee mugs, so lots of low end reserves for the PS. Fletcher has a couple of 2100 for sale, I think. I just sold mine for dirt cheap. The cab we used was rented from Andy Brauer. It was an original Marshall 4x12 with original 30W celestions, I loved that cab.

The funny thing is, that I used the same MP-1, with the same setting/preset, the same poweramps, the same cabinet and the same microphones for White Lion, Skid Row and Extreme and all three sound completely different. Maybe the player DOES have something to do with the sound, hmmm.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end ... -lion.htm

Thanks for the info

 

[Code001]

I've tried the stock MP-1, MP-1 w/ the Mod 4 Mk II mod and the 3TM. I never really liked any of them, to be honest. I'd rather save my money and spend it elsewhere. My JCM800 2204 and Laney GH100L both sounded better. Some people got some good tones out of them, but I never could. YMMV.