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

ADA Preamps => MP-1 Classic => Topic started by: Dante on October 03, 2016, 01:32:56 PM

Title: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Dante on October 03, 2016, 01:32:56 PM
So...this happened a couple times before, but it keeps resolving itself. Now, it's working fine, but I guarantee that, when I get to practice tonight the damn thing will sound like crap.

What's happening: The gain patches are dull, lifeless, and there is an absence of ....gain.

Saturday afternoon, I went through my patches for a gig later in the day. They sounded great. Then, sure enough...it sounds like absolute crap when I get to the gig. I went to a couple blank patches and programmed them before soundcheck, they were MAXED out on gains and still sounded less. Today, I hook up the rig and it sounds delicious. The two patches I wrote are now unusable, totally broken up...tooooo gainy.

What gives? Any ideas?  :-\
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 03, 2016, 04:35:19 PM
Dante,

    To me, that sounds like an issue with a cable or a jack. Something isn't making a good connection or possibly a very slight short in a cable. Try just gently spinning a cable in a jack connection to see if there is any reaction at that particular junction. If a connection is solid and clear there should be no change at all. I'd start at the guitar and work my way to the speaker cabs.
    There's no guarantee this is what it is, but that would be where I'd start.

       Harley 8)

   Edit: Maybe 'spinning' isn't a good term, just try giving it a 1/4 to half turn should indicate if you found the location.
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 03, 2016, 04:52:54 PM
After re-reading your post, a question came to mind. Does this happen with your clean tube presets as well, and does it happen if you are using a SS voicing? If this happens with all of the above, then it is a connection issue, but if it only happens with your tube voices, then it's your tubes in the preamp going South.

    Just an afterthought...
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Dante on October 03, 2016, 09:49:55 PM
Thanks Harley  :bow:

I'll give that a spin (pun intended) and see if I can get it to replicate the problem. If not, I'll try different toobs. I have plenty of those.
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: MarshallJMP on October 04, 2016, 02:35:09 AM
Could be the cables,connections but I would suspect the tubes like Harley mentioned.
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Dante on October 04, 2016, 10:43:14 AM
Okay fellers,

I spun all my cables, got nothing (thank GOD). I went to one of the patches that was sounding crappy at the gig, turned the gains down a bit until I could replicate what I heard there, and saved that patch.

Then, I opened up the Classic, there were the GrooveTube 12ax7r2 tubes in there. Stay away from these toobs...far away.

I swapped them for a Chinese National and a JAN Phillips 5751 and the tone sounded immediately better. Digging around in my toob box, I found the stock no-name tubes that came in my Classic. Just 12AX7 in red letters, no branding at all.

They sound marvelous, I have no idea how old they are, but the National and the JAN are brand new and these old tubes sound way better
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 04, 2016, 12:41:15 PM
Hey Dante,

   It sounds like you found the problem, at least I hope that was it. That's really a shame though about the R-2's.

   I remember in the old Forum, I posted a full review of those tubes in the Classic because I loved how they enhanced the low mids and bass response in my Classics, without making the top end too crisp or brittle. Ever since FMIC bought out Groove Tubes, The whole product line has suffered IMHO. It appears they only focus on the tubes they want for the Fender line and associated brands, and let the QC on the rest of the line go to pot. Like you, the last go around I had with the R-2's didn't fare well for too long either, as they were short-lived, and gave similar results to my amp systems as well.
   So, the quest goes on for the right tube for the Classic. While I love how the Mullard RI's respond in the MP-2, I'm not sure I would like them in the Classic. The Mullards enhance the upper midrange frequencies as well as the low end, and that's something I don't need in the Classic. That preamp seems to be closer to a Marshall Plexi type tone than anything else, and like a Marshall, it needs help with the low end. I think if I get on the horn with Doug, at Doug's Tubes, I might be able to find what I'm looking for in his stock. ( He likes all of us at the Depot BTW  :) )
      I'm glad you got the problem out of the way. Now you can strap on your fake beard, and go do the Tube Steak Boogie all night long :thumb-up:

      Harley 8)
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Dante on October 04, 2016, 02:52:12 PM
I just got done playing a bit (without my beard) and I gotta tell ya, the stock tubes sound sofa king awesome.
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Kim on October 04, 2016, 03:40:33 PM
I just got done playing a bit (without my beard) and I gotta tell ya, the stock tubes sound sofa king awesome.

Those unbranded tubes that seem to come stock in MP-1s were the best, IMO.  Sure, one could tube roll some other cool stuff, but straight outta da box the MP-1 seemed to already have the best tubes right in.
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 04, 2016, 04:40:32 PM
I just got done playing a bit (without my beard) and I gotta tell ya, the stock tubes sound sofa king awesome.

   I remember the tone well, and remember thinking back then, it would sound better with a bit more bottom end. Since no one knows exactly what the original tubes were, what would you suggest would be a good place to look for replacements when all the original tubes are gone?
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Dante on October 04, 2016, 06:42:59 PM
I wish I knew  :dunno:

the best place I can think of is a giant shipping container full of ADA gear from the 80s...just sitting there in Oakland waiting to be opened
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: MarshallJMP on October 05, 2016, 03:45:10 AM
The early MP-1's came with National branded tubes,later on they used the ones with the red lettering on the them and these are Chinese tubes for sure.
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: rnolan on October 05, 2016, 04:13:45 AM
SC said that TADs are the closest to the original Chinese bottles he's found so far.  Hey here's an idea, I still have the original tubes from both my MP-1 and MP-2 (I suspect others do also), I've never tried a mix and match with them, could be very interesting, certainly keep you busy for a rainy weekend.  We could try various combinations in V1 and V2 (and V3  >:D for those that have a MP-1 on steroids).
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 05, 2016, 07:36:27 AM
I wish I knew  :dunno:

the best place I can think of is a giant shipping container full of ADA gear from the 80s...just sitting there in Oakland waiting to be opened

   You point me to that container...I'll do the rest. >:D
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 05, 2016, 03:24:43 PM
The early MP-1's came with National branded tubes,later on they used the ones with the red lettering on the them and these are Chinese tubes for sure.

   Yes, we do know that, but what we don't know is who made them. For all we know, Dave Tarnowski might have taken a page from Leo Fender's pre-CBS era, and bought them at a Chinese flea market in bulk quantities for pennies on the dollar. Most of the components in the ADA gear was made in China.
   I don't even want to think about how much the MP-1 and all the rest of the gear would have cost if it were made here in the USA :crazy:
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Harley Hexxe on October 05, 2016, 03:34:47 PM
SC said that TADs are the closest to the original Chinese bottles he's found so far.  Hey here's an idea, I still have the original tubes from both my MP-1 and MP-2 (I suspect others do also), I've never tried a mix and match with them, could be very interesting, certainly keep you busy for a rainy weekend.  We could try various combinations in V1 and V2 (and V3  >:D for those that have a MP-1 on steroids).
    I'm going to have to look up some of those TAD's. I wonder if Ruby Tubes is associated with that brand? I'm going to go read the thread that SC posted about that, then see what I can find out about what Ruby Tubes has currently. I think I may have one or possibly two of those red letter 12AX7's laying around, but I don't believe they are up to par. IIRC, they were just barely in the good range on my tube tester.

     Harley 8)
Title: Re: My Classic is actin' up
Post by: Dante on October 07, 2016, 08:07:11 AM
Well, I know I have a TAD in one spot of my MP-2, I don't remember what's in the other spot.

As stated earlier, I did try a National...but it was with the JAN Phillips, so that's not a great test...be better if I could find the other National (I had two) to try them in both spots. I'm leaving the stock ones in there for now.