ADA Depot - A Forum To Support Users of ADA Amplification Gear

ADA Preamps => Original MP-1 => Topic started by: El Chiguete on March 09, 2016, 05:38:06 AM

Title: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: El Chiguete on March 09, 2016, 05:38:06 AM
Ok bare with me on this one... I want to know if you would use an MP1 with all the tone controls at 0 what would you need (just using EQ) to make it sound like a Mesa Boogie?

So before you all think about what a crazy question I'm talking about if you would take a look at the EQ curve of a MP1 and you look at one from a Mesa (and by this I'm talking of the type of Mesa tone that Petrucci normally has) what will you add just on EQ to get in the ballpark?

Since I have a Rane MPE 28 (basicly an ADA MQ-1) that has 28 bands of eq to use and I would believe that with that I can shape my tone to get me on the ballpark of ANYTHING I would like... the problem is I'm not the best one on seting EQ.
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: MarshallJMP on March 09, 2016, 09:40:00 AM
Problem here is that a boogie sounds quite different (distortion wise) from the mp-1.You can use some EQ to do the mid scoop thing Petrucci uses but that doesn't make that typical grainy boogie sound.That is made in the preamp interstages and can't be replicated with just using a EQ after the preamp stage.
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: vansinn on March 09, 2016, 10:15:05 AM
I think the mod4mkII mod is the closest you'll get to the Mesa sound.
Add to this some experimentation with tubes, like the Ruby or Mullard reissued ones.

EDIT: Arw yeah, MJMP of course had to spank me, hahaha..  Yup, I was thinking of mod 3.1 .
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: MarshallJMP on March 09, 2016, 11:44:49 AM
Hey Van

Did you forget,it's the mod 3.666 that is the boogie mod  :nono: ;D,mod4 is marshall all the way.
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: rnolan on March 10, 2016, 03:42:04 AM
Hey El, as MJMP says, the tube stages are quite different in MP1 compared to mesa preamps.  IIRC mesa make an eq stomp box which replicated their "guitar oriented" eq points, so you could start there on your Rane. Or you could lookout for a triaxis.  To sound like a boogie though, just turn the mids up until your ears hurt, then turn them up some more.
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: El Chiguete on March 10, 2016, 05:11:03 AM
Quote from: rnolan on March 10, 2016, 03:42:04 AMTo sound like a boogie though, just turn the mids up until your ears hurt, then turn them up some more.

Turn them up???
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: rnolan on March 10, 2016, 11:35:44 PM
Hey El, I'm being a bit glib and sarcastic  :wave: I find all things boogie to be very midrange focused...  It's not a tone that's ever appealed to me, but then like MJMP, I'm a Marshall head from way back LoL.
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 03:50:00 AM
Hey EC,

What specific Boogie sound/tone are you after?
For that immediate response brutalz Recto sound the Mod3.1 and Mod3.666 will get you there.
The Recto preamp circuitry is just a slight alteration from Mike Soladno's infamous SLO...same as the Peavey 5150...all more or less the same typology.

The Boogie Mark (MkIIC+, MkIII, MkIV, MkV) is a completely different animal. These use a heavily altered Fender typo preamp stage where the tone controls are located within the preamp gain-stages and have a direct influence on the type and amount of gain an heavily interact with each other. These amps also most often come with the infamous 5band EQ.

As Others have said...for the Recto get the 3.1 or 3.666, for the Mk sound get either a Triaxis, a Studio Pre, a Quad or one of the heads. A simple eq or even one of the Mesa Pedals won't get you there...with the Mesa Boogie Flux 5 being the only one that could get you in that direction

I'm just the opposite of Rich and MJMP.....Mk lover through and through. Can't wait to get my Boogie JP2C ;)
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: El Chiguete on March 11, 2016, 04:46:59 AM
Quote from: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 03:50:00 AM
I'm just the opposite of Rich and MJMP.....Mk lover through and through. Can't wait to get my Boogie JP2C ;)

WOW now you are killing me with that amp!!!

I think I like more the Mk tones that Petrucci uses than brutal low notes distorted tones... I'm just an old school tone lover :)
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: rnolan on March 11, 2016, 05:26:59 AM
I think SC has really nailed it here, the way the tone controls (heavily) interact within the gain stages make the boogies a very special beast. I played with a guy for many years who always used boogie, me Marshall then ADA.  He had a 22 and then caliber 50 etc it really suited his sound but I remember how sensitive the tone controls were. But by now I was in MP1/2 heaven..  That said, it's a good contrast when you have 2 guitars (though crap boogies are loud!!), you don't necessarily want them to sound the same.

So MJMP we need to Marshall up either side of SC with his new toy (JP2C), bring earplugs.... LoL but it would sound great  >:D
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 06:03:46 AM
Quote from: El Chiguete on March 11, 2016, 04:46:59 AM
Quote from: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 03:50:00 AM
I'm just the opposite of Rich and MJMP.....Mk lover through and through. Can't wait to get my Boogie JP2C ;)

WOW now you are killing me with that amp!!!

I think I like more the Mk tones that Petrucci uses than brutal low notes distorted tones... I'm just an old school tone lover :)

Even with JP you gotta differentiate...large parts of Metropolis Pt.2, all of Six Degrees and Train of Thought are all Dual Recto (Road King), Octavarium is both Mk and Recto, Systematic Chaos is MkIV, Black Clouds & Silver Linings is MkIIC+, IV and V, same as A Dramatic Turn of Events....the new Album is JP2C.
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: MarshallJMP on March 11, 2016, 08:39:36 AM
wow Sc you know your DT guitar tones  :thumb-up:

Say didn't you have a jcm800?
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: El Chiguete on March 11, 2016, 09:18:20 AM
Quote from: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 06:03:46 AM
Even with JP you gotta differentiate...large parts of Metropolis Pt.2, all of Six Degrees and Train of Thought are all Dual Recto (Road King), Octavarium is both Mk and Recto, Systematic Chaos is MkIV, Black Clouds & Silver Linings is MkIIC+, IV and V, same as A Dramatic Turn of Events....the new Album is JP2C.

His tone on the live DVD/CD of Metropolis 2000 Live From NY is what I think of his tone.  :metal:

(http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l225/mesaboogie285/petrucci_rig.jpg)
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l4/Octavarius/jpmainracks-1.jpg)
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: Kim on March 11, 2016, 10:29:14 AM
Quote from: rnolan on March 11, 2016, 05:26:59 AM..  That said, it's a good contrast when you have 2 guitars (though crap boogies are loud!!), you don't necessarily want them to sound the same.

Just chiming in here...the last band I was in the other guitarist ran a Les Paul into a 5150 head/Marshall 1960B while I had my Kelly into the 3TM/Peavey Classic 120/Marshall 1960A cab.  Sounded amazing together.

That said, I seem to have a love/hate with Marshall rigs.  I like them as long as I'm not hearing that "honk" tone in there that they seem to always favor. 
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 12:07:53 PM
Quote from: El Chiguete on March 11, 2016, 09:18:20 AM
Quote from: Systematic Chaos on March 11, 2016, 06:03:46 AM
Even with JP you gotta differentiate...large parts of Metropolis Pt.2, all of Six Degrees and Train of Thought are all Dual Recto (Road King), Octavarium is both Mk and Recto, Systematic Chaos is MkIV, Black Clouds & Silver Linings is MkIIC+, IV and V, same as A Dramatic Turn of Events....the new Album is JP2C.

His tone on the live DVD/CD of Metropolis 2000 Live From NY is what I think of his tone
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l4/Octavarius/jpmainracks-1.jpg)
Lower left: Dual RACKtifier, used for higain rhythms
right: MkIIC+ and MkIV, Triaxis, used for leads
Right: Triaxis, Formula Pre, used for cleans
Title: Re: adding external EQ to make a MP1 have a a Mesa tone???
Post by: Kim on March 12, 2016, 03:07:33 AM
Dang that's a lot of gear.    :o   

You know you've "made it" when you have a couple of rack cases nearly as tall as you....and someone else to move it for you. 

JP could name his rig "Thousand Dollars a Pound"  (sorry, I don't have a metric version of that)

Is that Godzilla's feet sticking out from under the first rack and King Kong's feet sticking out from under the other?
What? This isn't "caption the photo"?  Ok, sorry I'll stop.  :)