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Author Topic: My Trusty MP-2  (Read 6155 times)

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Dante

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My Trusty MP-2
« on: Time Format »

I have put my poor MP-2 through some tough times. When I bought it, I was not gigging. I was going to college and working full time. I had two guitars, turned my rig on once a month to be sure I still remembered how to play and to see that it worked. I was rusty for about 10 years, but the MP-2 always came on, and I always got lost in it for a good while.

2006-ish: I join a local cover band, and realize I'm better than the average dipshit with a guitar in this town. Cool. This is easy, I get a job with a steady gigging band. Since I was a graphic designer at the time, I built us a website, made business cards, hired a photographer, and built us a BAND. We gigged a LOT in a 5-6 year span, and I was not kind to that poor MP-2. Hot, HOT HOT gigs in the Sacramento California sun (over 100° temps several times), cold gigs in Lake Tahoe around New Year's Eve, dropped to the concrete floor from about 3 feet (1m) high - sitting on the top of my combo amp that was on an amp stand, thrown into the back of my VW so many times.

This little MP-2 just keeps on coming. I have been gigging pretty regularly since that band, in several projects at a time, so that's the last 13 years or so, I'd say. To be honest, I'd like my MP-1 Classic as my main rig, but it's busticated right now. It's not that I feel the MP-2 lacks anything the Classic has in a sonic sense, I just like how easy it is to write a great sounding patch with the Classic. Usability is a nice feature for me. But, the MP-2 can do anything the Classic can do.... and a lot more.

I got a cool blue display from Trullmon around 2013-2014 and finally installed it in 2016 I think - lol. It's so cool, I wish I'd done it sooner. TBH, it's not held in by the stock plastic clips anymore. One of them works, the other side is held in by (wait for it....) duct tape

There are some cons:
My super high gain voicings are noisy, and I plan to address them when I get my MicroTube working properly.
Picking attack is not as sensitive on the MP-2 as it is on the Classic.

The pros far outweigh the cons and the MP-2 is my main rig right now
« Last Edit: Time Format by Dante »
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vansinn

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #1 on: Time Format »

Don't think you'll easily be able to fix the noises in voicing 9 and especially 10.
These are inherently noisy because´of too much gain dragged out of the tubes, especially in voicing 10.

Further, I believe the reason for less pick articulation is because the tubes are running on a good amount of negative cathode bias - necessary for the high gains, but squelching pick attack.
Could be wrong, though..

Else I agree it's a damned good preamp.  Should've had a build-in reverb ;)

Any words on Trullmon?  He was a fun dude!
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Dante

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #2 on: Time Format »

Unfortunately, I have not heard from Matt in a while  :(  I do hope he's doing well

Speaking of the MP-2.... Here it is in it's natural environment; a local bar full of 'regulars' there for Halloween. Normally, I like to avoid holiday gigs. It's dangerous getting home, avoiding cops or drunks. This lil' bar down the street is full of our friends, this was our first song of the night (aka Sound Check). Yes, I have lights in my shoes. Shaddup

I thought it was my MP-2 in this vid, I can see that's not right and explains the way it cuts through the mix (love the Classic for that). Sorry, it's an irrelevant video for this thread, so I'll post it in the Classic board ;)

Rig rundown: MP-1 Classic in the FX loop of my G-System > MicroTube 200 (bridged mono) > Hughes & Kettner Vortex 4x12 cab. Mic'd with my ol' Superlux. Guitar is an Epiphone Korina V with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and Jazz in the neck. Switchcraft jack & switch. Possibly some paper-in-oil caps in there...can't remember. Great $400 guitar...highly recommended.  :thumb-up:

« Last Edit: Time Format by Dante »
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MarshallJMP

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #3 on: Time Format »

Well I enjoyed the video  :thumb-up:
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Peter H. Boer

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #4 on: Time Format »

Very nice  :thumb-up: 8)
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Soloist

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #5 on: Time Format »

Man I like those shoes. You get your own light show and provides light on the pedal board on a dimly lit stage! :thumb-up:
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StillClimbing

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #6 on: Time Format »

Dang Dante... that sounds good. You are like a stellar combination of Billy Duffy & Revenge of the Nerds. Those shoes  :thumb-up: are total rock

I thought I read where the MP2 didn't have good pick attack but I could hear you crisp & clear.
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Dante

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #7 on: Time Format »

I just realized that's my MP-1 Classic in that vid.  :facepalm:

Pulled my MP-2 out of storage, hooked it to a 1x12 cab and turned it on. It works! However, there is a jumpy signal....something is loose. I found it (i hope):
Speaker jack in the cab was loose
FX loop in/out jacks were loose on the MP-2
Suspect a bad cable between the preamp and poweramp, swapped that out

Seems to be working now, but I think I heard a couple small volume jumps while playing. Gimme a couple days to try it out, see what's going on.

That said, it's not as noisy as I remember, and I'm using voicing #8 for my 'ultra' sound. That's encouraging. Stay tooned, I'll report back after I play around a bit
« Last Edit: Time Format by Dante »
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Dante

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #8 on: Time Format »

I'm back. I'll be playing the MP-2 a bit more today but I definitely hear volume fluctuations in voicing #8 (dynamic high gain). I plan on trying some other voices too see if it's just that one

The fluctuations are not gradual, they are very sudden. This makes me suspect something loose (again). This poor unit has been rattled a bunch, not surprising I find all these loose bits.

Harley Hexxe

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #9 on: Time Format »

I hope it's nothing like lifted traces
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I only have two brain cells left, ...and I'm saving them for the weekend!

Dante

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #10 on: Time Format »

No no, I haven't been inside this thing.

The quick fluctuations I was hearing was related to the noise gate. Shut it off, and now i have slower volume swells and drops. Something is up. It happens in all the higher gain settings. Not sure about the cleans (just thought of that).

If I remember right, it was voicings 6 & up. Of course the lower ones do not have a lot of gain to them.

Could it be a bad toob?

rnolan

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #11 on: Time Format »

Hey Dante, so voices 6 and up include OD2, 5 and lower only OD1.  So it could be a tube?  Hope so and certainly the place to start.  And while you have the lid off, get you multi meeter, and measure DCvolts between the test point (easy to spot near the tubes) and the chassis (a screw hole will work).  It should read between about 182DCV to 190DCV.  It's supposed to be 190DCV or a little less.  If it's above 190DCV, you need to replace R913 (just under V2). 

Some of the other things that could maybe cause swells and drops are: 
ChorusOne Chanel not connecting properly (in stereo connection)Tremolo
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Dante

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #12 on: Time Format »

I'll crack it open in a few days, no hurries

Dante

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #13 on: Time Format »

I had to open up the MP-2 to get my eprom out, so I changed the tubes while I was in there. I had a TAD and a Tung Sol in there, I put another TAD in the same spot (it's the exact same tube) and put a Sovtek 12ax7 in the other slot

No volume jumps so far, only about 15 minutes of noodling tho. I will be playing the MP-2 a bit more over the next couple days to see if I just had a bad tube

Sounds fantastic - especially those Crystal Cleans with small amount of compression....wow

rnolan

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Re: My Trusty MP-2
« Reply #14 on: Time Format »

Hey Dante, good to hear  :thumb-up: .  I've been running up my 2 studio racked MP-2s of late as I get recording going again.  So one of them is having volume jumps on one channel, so I moved to the other one, it fades and then comes back from time to time  :facepalm: :dunno: , although seemed to settle after a while.  I was also flicking between 2 x 12 and 4 x 12 on the cab sim switch, wow, big difference, much brighter and more open on the 2 x 12 and quite boxy (funny that LoL) on the 4 x 12.  Initially I was just running clean program from the main outs (wondering if the vol fades were dirty jack related) and that also sounds very nice...  The tubes are pretty much as new, I've hardly used either of them for ages.
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