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Author Topic: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock  (Read 5912 times)

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trader144

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Ok I know what my fellow shredders are thinking but please hold back.

I want to use my MP-1 without a distortion pedal for contemporary Christian Rock and modern sound is a big leap.
Most guys are playing P90humbuckers in both bridge and neck combined and they use pedal distortions that sound extremely dirty but not overly distorted. Look up Alex Nifong on youtube to hear the sound with his tele.

on the same songs they use a clear ringing tone that chimes really nice.

All these guys have mountain pedal boards...but I know the ol MP-1 can beat the sound with real tubes and I am playing thru iso cabs.

Seems like this is a mod,  not a patch.

Any ideas to help me put the MP-1 back into "service" ?
MarshallJMP can name it the GodMod.


« Last Edit: Time Format by trader144 »
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Guitars: Malmsteen strat, Fender '62 reissue
Rig: Avid 11 Rack -> ADA MP-1 (stock) ->  ADA Microtube 100 -> ADA split stack

MarshallJMP

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #1 on: Time Format »

The Godmod,ha good thinking  :thumb-up:

I listend to the sound of Alex and IMO you should be able to get that sound out of an MP-1.Did you try the clean tube channel?
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trader144

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #2 on: Time Format »

thanks
the sound transition is a long road for me.

i am thinking that the most important thing i was missing is to have a bridge and neck humbucker that can be combined and second a low uf capacitor.
after this mod the mp-1 should work although dialed down.

i just rewired my kramer last night and will be testing it tonight to see how a wolfgang and an area 61(58?) combined will sound on stage. who knows maybe the kramer will get some playing time after all.
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Guitars: Malmsteen strat, Fender '62 reissue
Rig: Avid 11 Rack -> ADA MP-1 (stock) ->  ADA Microtube 100 -> ADA split stack

trader144

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #3 on: Time Format »

Wow MarshallJMP you were right as always.
On stage the pickup rewire with a 500k tone pot and the MP-1 (original) had really nice dirty sound with a lot of bite.

I didn't know the MP-1 could sound like that...so dependable.

The Wolfgang is a great pickup, although always brown sounding. Great stuff from EVH.
Even with the MP-1 set to solid state I had grit - I don't think the Wolfgang will allow a clean sound without a volume control.

Well, I have had my fill of modding guitars...I have Reverend guitar on the way and can't wait to hear it cranked with the MP-1.
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Guitars: Malmsteen strat, Fender '62 reissue
Rig: Avid 11 Rack -> ADA MP-1 (stock) ->  ADA Microtube 100 -> ADA split stack

trader144

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #4 on: Time Format »

Just an update
So far I have settled with a PRS Custom 24Se and changed to dimarzio air classics at the suggestion of dimarzio.

This and The MP1 sound amazing together, almost like they we're made for each other. When I hit a chord it delivers that full sound only found in an Mp1, not over distorted, not ugly and hard clipped, but just the right type and amount of that soft clipped, moderately hot smooth grit that wraps around each note.


OD1 and OD2 both set around 4.5 for the heavier stuff and backed off to 2.4 on the chimy stuff.

Now my gear is better than I play. My wife thinks I am crazy, and I am ok with that.
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Guitars: Malmsteen strat, Fender '62 reissue
Rig: Avid 11 Rack -> ADA MP-1 (stock) ->  ADA Microtube 100 -> ADA split stack

rnolan

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #5 on: Time Format »

Hey trader144, I still remember the first PRS I played, they are very nice guitars, I loved the whammy bar, and dimarzio do astound us from time to time...(some PUs' ok/good, some to die for (like the early SDK bass PUs')) What tubes are in your MP1 ?

Cheers Richard
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trader144

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #6 on: Time Format »

Hi Richard
I put in a matches pair of Ruby's from Doug's tubes at his suggestion after telling him what I was looking for (which at the time was not contemporary Christian rock)
12ax7ac5 hg+

My tubes were probably the originals and my mp-1 is stock.

Yes once I picked up the PRS a few months ago I liked it in an instant. I am a strat guy and I tried several guitars which were either good only for chords below the 12th fret, or just not enough effort put into the fretboard to sound good everywhere. When the guy handed me the PRS my first thought was "whatever I will try it" and then the fast fretboard, good sustain, and great action all over the board won me over in about 5 minutes--all for about USD700. I would say its hard to get this much value in the US for under USD2,000.

David



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Guitars: Malmsteen strat, Fender '62 reissue
Rig: Avid 11 Rack -> ADA MP-1 (stock) ->  ADA Microtube 100 -> ADA split stack

rnolan

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #7 on: Time Format »

Hey David, I'm also a strat guy, well super strat these days, I've got one of the first Tom Anderson Pro Ams with Ultrasonic PUs, mmmm.  The first PRS I played was like $3500 AUD but that's a long while ago, crap it was nice...  I was building guitars back then, now I play them, again and again  ;)   Good score on your PRS  :thumb-up:
How are the new tubes sounding ?  (the original tubes in ADA preamps had no brand just (in red) 12AX7A and maybe Made in China), not bad tubes though!!!

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trader144

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #8 on: Time Format »

Richard
The TA sounds really great. Sounds like a great guitar.

I am very happy with the ruby's, they work well for my purpose. After reading how often MarshallJMP changes his tubes I am too embarrassed to say how old my tubes were.

I could tell I needed them when the mids were a little more fuzzy than they should be, but not a good kind of fuzz, it was a slight fuzz that was like adding a solid state 60's fuzz pedal in front and it just didn't match.

On the PRS, I think you were playing something much higher end!
I have a Korean built PRS which I would have said No Way until I played it. I came close to investing a lot more cash into a guitar to get past the marketing/name cost to get a great instrument; but decided I was going to make mods to any instrument so this was good enough for now and I should invest in my gear.

The PRS wood is much darker sounding than my '62 strat but the resonance is much better. I think the stock capacitor in the PRS is too high or the stock pickups need to be replaced with something of more highs like I did. I really like the thin classical-flat fretboard and the frets are set up well so that out of the box the action can be low and you can play well all over.  This is the only new commercially produced guitar I have ever played that did not need substantial fret work (leveling)

I sure miss the response from the evh wolfgang bridge pickup in my old kramer. With the air classics I have to play much better than in the past as I don't have the EVH pickup overcompensating for me with distortion. Nothing like buying new gear to have it tell you how bad you are every time.

I was surprised that i had to set the neck air classic very far away from the strings to avoid popping sounds.

David
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Guitars: Malmsteen strat, Fender '62 reissue
Rig: Avid 11 Rack -> ADA MP-1 (stock) ->  ADA Microtube 100 -> ADA split stack

rnolan

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Re: Using an MP-1 for contemporary Christian Rock
« Reply #9 on: Time Format »

Hey David
The TA is the only high end guitar I've bought (these a bigger picture in this topic http://adadepot.com/index.php?topic=243.msg1423#msg1423), took me ages to pay for it but it's been a good investment as I've played it constantly for over 20 years now, love it, we're kind of part of one another (If you know what I mean).
There's some pretty good instruments coming out of Asia/Mexico etc these days, particularly for the price, very different to when I started playing in the early 70s although I know what you mean about the fretwork, often quite poor and obviously the hardware is cheap, has to be for those price points.  When I bough my Epiphone SG it had a bent fret and the bridge wasn't wide enough to do the intonation without having some bridge pieces the wrong way around (i.e sloping toward the neck). Also nut slots too deep etc.  I started to fix the nut and it disintegrated under the file, so new nut, new frets, new wider bridge, new machine heads, neck shave (V), respray neck...  Great guitar now oh and some Gibson 57 re-issue PUs bridge & neck...

(I was surprised that i had to set the neck air classic very far away from the strings to avoid popping sounds.), that is surprising, maybe some new PUs are in order, maybe put in a wolfy :whoohoo!:
Glad the rubys worked out well, I don't change tubes that often either although I understand why MJMP does in his 3TM, a bit like new strings albeit not quite as often as strings, I used to change strings every 2nd gig (third gig I'd bust a D and, on a floating whammy guitar....pick up the spare mid song...).
Cheers Richard
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