I’ve had, and loved, an ADA MP-1 for a long time now - it was only my 2nd tube amp, and I used to run it into the FX Return of my Marshall TSL all the time for a change of pace. Later I picked up an MP2, which I still intend to spend some more time with - it sounds great, but the interface is a bit complicated so it takes a long time to program in the sounds I like.
The MP-1 Classic is the last one I’m missing, so when I spotted this damaged one online, I figured I’d try my hand at repairing it and getting it working. The MP-1 Classic was the last preamp ADA released before going under, and ran concurrently with the MP-2 for a little while in the 90s. In short, once the original MP-1 was discontinued, the MP-2 didn’t sell so well and the MP-1 still had a good reputation, so rather than release the same MP-1 again, the “Classic” was created, which has a handful of improvements over the original in terms of interface, but theoretically has the same core sound and simple programming.
I was able to get the Clean SS and Tube Distortion modes working, and in my brief play test, it does sound extremely similar to my original MP-1 at the same settings, but I haven’t spent a lot of time dialing it as I still have repair work to do. The MP-1 Classic has the same Tube Clean voice as before, but adds a new voicing called “Tube Brown,” which I’m very interested to try out.
Hopefully the repairs don’t take too long and I’ll get to put this through its paces soon. I also have a Yamaha SPX90 just aching to get used again on something, and this seems like the perfect combo (not that the built-in ADA chorus is any slouch).