A dry Marshall picking clip, needs my MP1 magic that I'm waiting for!

[DannyjoeCarter]

Hey Harley, well that makes much more sense of it.  What happened here in Oz, I saw an advert for a programmable preamp, not the MP-1 and at the time I was using my 73 Marshall through a power soak (so you could be in the same room as it  >:D ) but I had no lead boost  .  Nunzio Gambale (Franks Brother) who owned Pro Audio asked us what we wanted him to look out for at the NAMM show he was going to, so we (I) told him I wanted a programmable tube preamp that sounded as good as my Marshall but let me have a lead boost.  He came back with the MP-1 and I was in heaven. Later on he made the split stacks/cabs etc here under licence.  So we got MP-1, MB-1 (he's a bass player), B200s, B500b and G500s and later MP-2, no effects. 

Interesting with MP-2, I get why some find it confusing, for me it was like, yeah hupp, bring it on but then I'm also a sound engineer and was running my rig like a PA and suddenly I had a bunch of other options.  Of those though, I didn't need the parallel loop as I used a mixer for that (though using it now for the first time in my cut back 4RU rig), but the cab sim outs were perfect, and the gate very much needed for the crazy amount of gain the MP-2 has. I like the wah but I use it on auto triggered and not that much, good for hendrixy stuff.  Of the RTM, I've only ended up using the stereo master vol control for (up until later) the only expression pedal I had, which I find very useful with the way I play these days, basically turn up the vol on the same patch for lead.  As I'm sure you know, you can run the MP-2 quite simply and not bother with the bells and whistles, I've rarely futzed with the graphic eq. 

I get what you mean about the macros, however I've never tried them out and the RTM combinations in them I'm sure are worth trying, or the ADA dudes wouldn't have included them.  That's one thing I've always loved about ADA gear, it's well researched and thought out as in, this is what live guitar players (and bass players) want. 

The A/B A+B pedal I have is one I built modifying a Peavey (ch/rev) amp switch pedal.  So it selects 1 or other or both output jacks for the input to go to, real simple, just 2 switches and 3 jacks wired up.  I made it to select between Marshall 50 input or Rockman X100 input (or both  >:D ).  The X100 head phone out into 2 x 1/4" jack leads with voltage divider resistors (to drop the HP signal to guitar level), 1 to Marshall 50 (2nd input) the other to Marshall 100 Artist head. That was my lead boost prior to MP-1, when I first got the MP-1 I also fed it a signal and brought back the A/B outs into the X100 stereo input (TRS input for stereo in to the X100 to play along to..), until I got the B200s and Quadverb and mixer, sold the Marshall Artist to pay for it all.

Absolutely amazing the history you have with ADA R! Thanks for sharing this!

[Harley Hexxe]

Harley, do you know when the STD-1 and TFX4 came out? These are the only anolog units I could find here in europe that had 220V. Never found the S1000 or the i series in 220V. The D4,MQ-1 and Pitchraq are also imported as 220V units.

I still really love my Digitizer, I find it to be an amazing delay unit, especially when used in stereo.

MJMP,

   I can't give you an exact date of production for those two units, but I can give you an educated guess for an approximate time frame of manufacture, and I would place this time frame from 1980-1982. Here is how I come up with that:
    Back in the summer of 1983, I found a tiny music shop run by a guy who carried a small inventory, but everything he carried was top shelf. He didn't waste time with cheap gear. He was also the guy who introduced me to ADA rack gear. ( I had my Flanger pedal that I bought in 1978, so I knew it was good). I never saw the STD-1, but he did show me the TFX4 and let me demo it. It was pretty interesting, but at that point in time, I wasn't into building racks. I had several combo amps and was using a couple of pedals through them, and felt like at most venues at that time, they weren't big enough, or better yet, not moving enough air. So I didn't buy it because then I needed to get a case, and clean power supply etc. etc. and it seemed that I was going to end up building a rack that was bigger than my Fender Twin combo rig. So I walked away from that. The effects coming from that TFX4 haunted me so I went back after a few months, after I acquired my Marshall Stack and Vox Super Beatle Stack to pick up  that TFX4, and it was gone.
   In it's place he had the 2FX and a couple of "i" series delays. That was in early 1984.

   Considering the front panel graphics of the STD-1 and TFX4, It seems like ADA, who seemed to upgrade their effects line every two years, had replaced these with their current models. So, if I'm correct, The STD-1 and TFX4, may have been ADAs first line of signal processors probably beginning around 1980-1981. They only had some interesting pedals before that, but they sounded extremely good. Around 1986, I didn't see any more "i" series delays, I was seeing the S-1000s, which had some terrific effects in them, and were a bit more simplified that the "i" series, but like the "i" series, they only did one effect at a time, so you needed several to get a variety of preset effects. Which explains why I have so many S-1000s and "i" series delays. I do have a couple of D4's too, but since they're programmable, I didn't need quite as many.

    So there you go, that's how I've come up with those time frames. It's based on when I've seen these in the shops as new gear and what Todd told me at ADA, during some of our conversations. I miss him, he was such a brilliant guy, and a super cool dude to boot.

[Harley Hexxe]

Danny,

    I'm surprised to hear the Classics were on that list somewhat, because they were as simple to edit and save as the original MP-1. But then again, I suppose I shouldn't be since Vegas is one of those towns where people follow fashion trends according to what's going on in LA. At that time Nirvana was riding the top of the charts and everyone was dumping their rack gear because racks were not the current trend.
    I even had some of the clerks at the larger music stores here telling crap like that. I would merely reply to them that racks were tools, not clothing. But then again, I was telling this to some guys who were shaving their heads, growing stupid looking zig-zag beards, and chowing down on so many doughnuts that they needed to wear Hawaiian shirts with loose fitting jeans. Sheesh. Talk about a flashback.

[Harley Hexxe]

Richard,

   Yes sir, that is why you never saw any of the ADA effects there in Oz. It sounds like Nunzio wasn't an ADA dealer per se, but since he was a dealer in Australia, he could buy gear and bring it back home to sell if he knew he had buyers for it. If he had gotten the dealership with ADA, he would have come back in 1987 with  the preamps , power amps, effects and speaker cabs, but only in a limited quantity for effects since they were gone in 1988.

   As for the MP-2, I've been using mine with the MXC, Quad Switch and CCP when I run the MP-2 as a stand alone rig. The Quad switch of course lets me cut in the various features in the MP-2 and I've always used the CCP as a manual Wah pedal, since the MP-2 has a great sounding wah circuit built into it, and the pedal functions just like a stand alone wah. Just pressing the toe down clicks it on or off with any program. With all the preset programs I've stored in the MP-2, (I have 89 programs), just having these devices on the floor lets me do anything I want. So yes, this was extremely well thought out. That's why I never bothered with the macros. They may have preset combinations stored that may or may not be useful, because they were created according to someone else's taste in effects and tone prints. It'll be interesting to see what you think of them when you try them out. I'm looking at those very much in the same way as I look at the factory preset programs they give you when you first get the preamp. Some are useful, some need a bit of tweaking, and some are just too far out there for anything I'd do.

   It sounds like you encountered the same noise issue I did when switching from amp to amp. I discovered this with the GCX units I was using with the Ground Control. The GCX works great for bringing effects in and out of the signal path like the ADA effects I have that  are non-MIDI, but it doesn't work so well with the ADA preamps that way. I'm glad you found another way to switch, that doesn't make you go Hmmmmmmm.

[DannyjoeCarter]

Danny,

    I'm surprised to hear the Classics were on that list somewhat, because they were as simple to edit and save as the original MP-1. But then again, I suppose I shouldn't be since Vegas is one of those towns where people follow fashion trends according to what's going on in LA. At that time Nirvana was riding the top of the charts and everyone was dumping their rack gear because racks were not the current trend.
    I even had some of the clerks at the larger music stores here telling crap like that. I would merely reply to them that racks were tools, not clothing. But then again, I was telling this to some guys who were shaving their heads, growing stupid looking zig-zag beards, and chowing down on so many doughnuts that they needed to wear Hawaiian shirts with loose fitting jeans. Sheesh. Talk about a flashback.

Yeah Harley Vegas go hit hard with the Grunge thing, almost overnight! I was building racks for guys in the early spring of 1992 and by Fall everything turned! Guitar World Magazine had come out with an issue that said "Shred Is Dead" and Man that was it!!!  :-[  I actually had a few fans back then and several students then at that same time everyone turned on me and and anything to do that was technical and EVERYONE started dumping their racks!!


Just a handful of guys kept their MP-1s and anything that was coming out like the MP-2 and Classic was returned. Since I posted this video also on Faceb**k probably 7-8 guys have reached out to me that are asking questions about the MP-1 have mentioned they still have them in their garage or some place and I'm telling them GET THEM OUT and get them serviced and Get on the ADA Forum!!

[rnolan]

Hey Harley, Pro Audio (Nunzio) was the Australian distributor, also had spares and serviced the units etc. but didn't bring in the effects.  Initially he also brought in cabs but then started making them here, to save on shipping no doubt.  My first 2 slant split stacks were made here and I got to choose the speakers, I wanted 4ohm cabs, so they put 90w 8ohm boogie celestians in them for me. He was also the Boogie, Anderson and Alembic distributor.  Later I picked up a single slant split stack (made in the US) from a pawn shop, some numpty had used the speaker grate screws to affix one of the speakers WTF, so I fixed that up, wired it to be either stereo or mono and I use it for small gigs/rehearsal to save on lugging. It's got 16ohm Celestian GT75s in it (which I don't think were standard ADA configuration)  . 

@DJC, I've been an ADA die hard from the moment I heard the MP-1  >:D , and many years later found the ADA Depot  :whoohoo!: . So great to find others who liked them as much as me.

[MarshallJMP]

@Harley

I had a look around at the schematics dates.
S1000  '84
I series  '83
D series  '83
STD-1  '82
TFX  '82
2FX  '84

So your history of ADA effects is correct 

[Harley Hexxe]

Richard,

    I'm not sure if those Celestions were original either, it doesn't sound like it.
    It's been a long time since I was in the back of my split stacks, but I do know they are 50 watt Celestions. They could be G12Ms, but I would have to open the back of one of my cabs to verify that since all of my split stacks are stock ADA.

[Harley Hexxe]

@Harley

I had a look around at the schematics dates.
S1000  '84
I series  '83
D series  '83
STD-1  '82
TFX  '82
2FX  '84

So your history of ADA effects is correct 

Thank you sir! As I said, it was just an educated guess with the earlier effects, and the later ones were from what I was buying and using, then discussing with Todd various ways of using them in my rig. He also helped fill in some of the blanks about the discontinued effects.

[DannyjoeCarter]

@DJC, I've been an ADA die hard from the moment I heard the MP-1  >:D , and many years later found the ADA Depot  :whoohoo!: . So great to find others who liked them as much as me.

Yes Sir Richard I feel special to be apart of this club! I'm hoping I can get several years out of my current MP1!

[rnolan]

Hey Harley, I thought they were stock until some posts on here re speakers and the vintage cabs etc. and also checking the old site's gear pages which all said they were 50w speakers.  So while I know that the single cab I bought is US made and has a slightly different back plate (which you can take off from behind, the cabs they made here have the back plate mounted from the inside and you have to access it by taking out a speaker) it has 75w speakers.  So seems someone swapped the out along the way (and as I said used the wrong screws for one of the speakers).  Also it was strange to find a single split stack, normally you'd expect a pair  .  But it was a pawn shop (Cash Converters is the chain).  Anyway, it's been a handy cab albeit the G12T 75w celestians aren't may favourite. 

@DJC it's great to have you back my friend  :wave: and I hope your current MP-1 serves you well, it's looking very positive so far  :whoohoo!: .

[Harley Hexxe]

Hey Richard,

     It seems the cab you bought did have the speakers swapped out at some point. I've also run into the single Split Stack cab situation here from time to time. A few months ago, a guy on Reverb had a pic of a bottom cab and listed two cabs in the ad, but when I contacted him about it, I found out that he only had the one bottom cab, and the other one was a top cab with only one speaker in it. People do weird things  Naturally, I passed on that one. I would still like to find a pair of bottom cabs, so I keep looking.

   I'll get into one of my Split Stacks this weekend, and see if I can get a Celestion model number off the speaker. I know it's NOT a Rocket.

   Why would you mount the back of the cab from the inside? That's weird too.

[rnolan]

Hey Harley, yeah people do strange things with gear.  I don't mind the G12T75s.  The additional power handling and being 16ohm makes them a good fit for running off my B200s or Carvin DCM200L in stereo. 

So since the cabs are sealed, and the only way into them is taking out a Speaker, mounting the connection plate internally probably made the construction easier.  The connection plate in the Oz ones is just a flat plate (which would look tacky screwed to the back from the outside, whereas the US connection plate is pressed, a more complex piece made to mount from behind and fit into the small rectangular hole.  So you can remove the plate to get at the connections without having to take out a speaker.  I didn't really notice or think about it until I got the single cab a rewired it.  Initially for may years I was using a Yamaha quad box I wired stereo or for smaller gigs I had an open back 2 x12" cab with fender twin speakers in it, also wired stereo.  It was a long time until I could afford the slant split stacks, they gave me a great price, $800 for the pair.  I ended up with the 90w boogie celestians because they were the only 8ohm 12"s they had at the time and I wanted 4ohm cabs to match the B200s max output.  I also liked having 180w power handling per cab, having blown up a speaker here and there over the years.