Anyone here tried to run a ADA MP-1 through the input of a Marshall?

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Dreamspace

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Did it today by accident on my Folkesson modded plexi, where the fx. return is right by the input jack. My goodness, it turned out to be absolute perfection, as far as sizzling and PUNCHY hot-rodded Marshall tone goes - I could not believe my ears. Only downside, and this was unfortunately quite a huge one, was the noise. SO. MUCH. NOISE.

Searched around, at it seems like Alex Skolnick used a similar setup on "The Ritual" album: MP-1 through the input of either a JCM800 or JCM900. His lead sound is absolutely killer on that album.

Don't know if this has been some "secret" trick for ages, but new to me. Again, If I can just get the noise somewhat under control, this could potentially be my main rig.
 
MP-1 is a great unit! Maybe just a noise gate in between the MP-1 and input or in the fx loop of the main amp.
 
I did and it sounds just like Gish by Smashing Pumpkins.
 
There's definitely something to running the mp-1 through the front of amps.......Ages ago when I had a couple of them I ran them through the front of a Blackface Princeton and man that was a cool little setup and I got some great tones out of it...the added amp tone controls really helped dial in the MP-1....Got some killer tones out of that thing for sure.
 
Like 40 years ago.
Sounds best on the clean channel of the Marshall.
YMMV.
 
andreaskisser93.jpg
 
Dreamspace said:
Did it today by accident on my Folkesson modded plexi, where the fx. return is right by the input jack. My goodness, it turned out to be absolute perfection, as far as sizzling and PUNCHY hot-rodded Marshall tone goes - I could not believe my ears. Only downside, and this was unfortunately quite a huge one, was the noise. SO. MUCH. NOISE.

Searched around, at it seems like Alex Skolnick used a similar setup on "The Ritual" album: MP-1 through the input of either a JCM800 or JCM900. His lead sound is absolutely killer on that album.

Don't know if this has been some "secret" trick for ages, but new to me. Again, If I can just get the noise somewhat under control, this could potentially be my main rig.
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I used to own the first ADA MP-1 that Tommy modified. Sold it when I modified my Marshall with his MKIIIB. Regretted many times that I sold it.
Tommy did tons of different mods for me during the years and I only miss three of them including the ADA MP-1. I used it in the Return and it sounded extremely good. Every single gig I did for all those years, people came up to me and ask how I could get that massive and great sound.
My secret was using it with a BBE Maximizer 822...and it's important to set the BBE to enhance the sound just a tad...otherwise it's getting boomy and flubby...
 
I used to run it through my jcm 800 it spoiled me completely made the amp a complete screamer!
 
My main rig for over a decade was an MP-1 into a Carvin X100B FX return. I got soooo many compliments from SOUND GUYS on that rig and it was awesome watching their minds blow when they would say they liked the sound and I'd respond with a thanks...feel free to adjust the amp's EQ knobs and sliders if they wanted to get at something specific. Almost never would they do it; however, a couple large places we played, the sound guy did and he was super ecstatic about the tone. Trust me....he made it rip that evening (opening for Alice Cooper, BTW).

The MP-1 as the pre kept the feel in tact and the surgical capability of the X100B's EQ being post loop was just awesome. The kicker: it was like a monster Mesa rig (often hear the Triaxis comparison), however, I simply could not...for the life of me...get the rolled down guitar volume clean tones I've come to learn are Marshall'esque oriented. Had (and miss) a Mark V rig for quite some time and it wouldn't even do it. Finally got a Marshall rig and bingo-bango...there it was.

Thought crosses my mind OFTEN to reassemble that MP-1/X100B rig. It was fun, for sure.
 
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Bash_Man said:
Not in the input of a Marshall, but in the loop return of my Splawn nitro.. 🙃
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Sounds amazing. Too bad ADA blew it on their comeback. The MP-1 in pedal form looked promising but it sort of phased itself out I guess. No wonder so many guys played these and arguably, got some of their best tones from them. Prices are a little high for them right now though, they used to be as low as 2-300$.
 
Buddy of mine used to do this a million years ago straight in cause the Marshall did not have an fx loop. I remember him tweaking the hell out of it to get the noise under control and even though it was never dead quiet, it was somewhat manageable. I remember him trying a gate but it really colored the sound of it, but I'm sure that was just whatever cheapo gate he had at the time. You can always do a search for "preamp into preamp" and see if there are recommendations as to what to use in between nowadays,
 
It will be noisy. And you need a bbe because the ada never had enough umph for me. I am messing with one lately and I need a bbe.
 
As I recall, Michael Lee Firkins used an MP-1 into Marshalls for
his first album waaaaaay back when. He had a really cool tone.
 
NorCal_Val said:
As I recall, Michael Lee Firkins used an MP-1 into Marshalls for
his first album waaaaaay back when. He had a really cool tone.
Click to expand...

Man that album stood out from all the other stuff back then.
Awesome right hand technique.

 
I had a Kasha Rockmod for a period of time that sounded ‘meh’ through a power amp into a cabinet and bordered on incredible through my (then) ‘73 50 watt non-master marshall head. Something about using the head for clean power made that preamp almost ‘3-D’ for lack of a better way to describe it. By contrast, it was a little flat sounding through my power amp into the same cab.
 
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