ADA mp1 vs. Marshall jmp1

[wilkinsi]

Which one do you prefer and why? The ADA looks less intuitive to use but (from limited demos I've seen/heard) sounds better. I don't have either unit to try personally.

[Nightbat]

I had the JMP-1, still have the ADA MP-1

The ADA wins in everything, except achieving that specific sound which everyone who had a JMP-1 misses

[horns666]

JMP-1=Marshall.."specific sound ". As Nightbro put it.

I played an ADA MP-1 once....once! They're not for me.

Paired with my 9200 w/5881s it DEVOURS my Uberschall and 6505...together.

[vklobucar]

I have both and they are totally different beasts! LOL!

If you are looking to nail that 80's and 90's hair metal tone then the ADA is your new girlfriend!

The ADA MP1 needs some sort of noise gate because it can get buzzy. Mine runs with an Intellifex thru the FX loop, so the HUSH really comes in handy. It has a world of different tones and really does benefit with fresh tubes if you buy an old neglected one. I installed two fresh JJ tubes 12AX7's in mine and it roared back to life.

Dare I say that my ADA does a better "modded Plexi tone" than my JMP-1? My Marshall certainly nails that JCM 900 tone but not much else IMHO. Clean tones on the JMP-1 pretty much such in true Marshall fashion. The ADA pulls of some pretty decent clean tones on either the SS channel or a little dirtier with the tube channel. Not killer but still very usable which is more than I can say about the Marshall.

I actually bought my ADA as a sort of whim when a dude was selling another Intellifex locally on Craigslist and pretty much threw in the ADA plus an old Digitech MIDI controller in for nearly free!

It was filthy and missing a ton of screws for the top cover but it was all orginal and NEVER MODDED! Surpised me just how much I liked it with 10-15 minutes of playing. It has more "sag and feel' of a real tube amp and really responds to your playing and volume pot too. Killer analog chorus inside too.

Try and stay away from modded ones unless they were pro modded by say Voodoo or another pro outfit. Too many dudes mod their units after seeing threads on the ADA Depot and the results as well as reliability pretty much suck!

All all original and non modded could be had for less than $200 if you look around and if you really do not like the unit you will get your cash back when you sell. Try it and see! Mine aint going nowhere though!

My JMP-1 in the main rack



My "B" rig with the ADA MP-1

[wilkinsi]

I forgot about all this modding that went on. And the only ADA's I've seen on ebay both have the 3TM mod, but mention fuck all about it. The youtube vids I saw mentioned nothing about the mods. I guess I'll be wanting one without the mod then :dunno:

[vklobucar]

If the mod was pro then perhaps its worth the extra coin but too many people screw them up and then ask top dollar. Besides I have owned a few ADA's and the stock seems to be the best overall.

After all countless models left the factory bone stock and were used as such on countless hit records too. Just my two cents!

[wilkinsi]

Then I want an ADA-MP1 without any mods. Thanks. BTW, I noticed there is an ADA MP-2 in existence. Is there any tonal difference between that and the original (non-modded of course)?

[vklobucar]

The general consensus on the ADA Depot website is the following:

mp2 pros: versatile, sounds pretty cool, cheap these days.
mp2 cons: doesn't sound as good as mp1, display can fail and can't be replaced.

MP1 pros: sounds great, still relatively cheap, easy to find, easy to repair, easy to modify
MP1 cons: none

IMHO stick with the original!

[wilkinsi]

Hunt for non-modded MP-1 begins now. Thanks.

[Nightbat]

The general consensus on the ADA Depot website is the following:
MP1 pros: sounds great, still relatively cheap, easy to find, easy to repair, easy to modify
MP1 cons: none

Unless you ask Voo Doo Amps, who wont mod MP-1s anymore because they're slowly reaching the end of their life

[Frigo89]

Unless you ask Voo Doo Amps, who wont mod MP-1s anymore because they're slowly reaching the end of their life

thats the only reason why I stay away from ADAs now, they are a ticking time bomb sorta, and as far as I understand, once they are dead, they are pretty much dead

They do sound fantastic though, so it hurts to see some sell so cheap locally, but I don't need the hassle, especially when I already have "my tone"

[vklobucar]

"Unless you ask Voo Doo Amps, who wont mod MP-1s anymore because they're slowly reaching the end of their life"

Really? Based on what if I may ask?

It's a well built and well designed unit and from my (limited) knowledge I fail to see how any component that actually failed could not be traced and replace with the same value.

I have some old gear from the 80's (Loft comes to mind) that was equally well built and has stood the test of time.

What exactly do they feel will fail with these pre-amps please?

[roodyrocker]

I don't know that's it's due to failure but rather that parts are getting hard to find and obsolete. Their website stated last year they no longer mod them. I have both the MP1 and JMP1. In fact one of my MP1's I've owned since new! I bought it in 1987. You can get the MP1 now for considerably less than a JMP1, both sound quite good. One thing to keep in mind if you're buying an MP-1 for use in the UK is the power cord on these is hardwired. So you'll need some sort of transformer if you buy a used one from the USA. The last used MP-1 I picked was $125.00 including shipping/Paypal, so sometimes you can get great deals on them. They do of course have a cult following.

[wilkinsi]

One thing to keep in mind if you're buying an MP-1 for use in the UK is the power cord on these is hardwired. So you'll need some sort of transformer if you buy a used one from the USA.

Oh, crap. I'll just have to hope I find one in the UK then.

[DonP]

I'm thinking of what electronic parts could fail over time in an amp/MP-1. You have tubes which is obvious. Caps fail over time, drying out or bursting. Resistors that are undersized (small low wattage ones that are given close to the max power) could burn out or change value (drift) over time.

That's all I can think of.