1994 ADA MP-2

OVERVIEW

The MP-2 was the successor to the extremely popular MP-1 - no surprise there. However, the MP-2 never quite achieved the same popularity as the MP-1, in part due to the changing musical landscape at the time and frankly, the difficulty of programming it. There are some really fantastic sounds in this box, but it does take a while to really fine tune the sound that you want out of it using those little blue buttons. The MP-1 at the same little buttons of course, but programming that amp was a lot simpler because it had fewer features - choose one of only 3 voices, set your gains and EQ, and whether you want chorus.. that’s it. The MP-2 has a lot more going for it and it’s a bit overwhelming with 10 different voicings, along with your ADA-style 4-band EQ, plus a graphic EQ, and multi-effects. One feature that is pretty huge is the adjustable noise gate, something many MP-1 players likely wanted.

It’s an interesting case, the MP-2 was clearly designed with input from players using the MP-1, and they really listened to their customer base. Many features on the MP-2 can be traced directly to some shortcoming of the MP-1. It’s an amp that with a modern UI interface (like a touch screen or companion PC application) would’ve been much more successful. And of course, thanks to the modern age, it is possible to program your MP-2 with a fan-made PC program now! 20 years late to save ADA from folding, but still very cool for those of us with MP-2’s.

The MP-2 was followed by the MP-1 “Classic,” which I haven’t tried myself. Essentially, they took their original MP-1 designed, streamlined it and added a few critical features, but kept the simplicity and tone of the original MP-1. Not many of these were made, and same for the MP-2 really - the story goes that the 1995 California wild fires destroyed or damaged the ADA factory in Oakland and the company closed shop. That’s a tragic end to an era for sure, but I should mention that this is just hearsay and it is not confirmed. Others say the company didn’t go under until 1997. I’m not sure there’s a reliable source out there but I would love to know the story if anyone has a reputable source!