The A/DA MP-1 is an A Da preamp pedal, currently around $285. Close alternatives include the Citadel Particle Drive preamp and the Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil. It pairs well with the Fjord Fuzz Berserk and the Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz.
A/DA MP-1
A Da · pedal
The A/DA MP-1 is a 1U rack-mount guitar preamp released in 1987 combining full analog tube circuitry with digital MIDI control. It features 12AX7 tubes, three channels including solid-state clean, tube clean, and tube distortion, 128 MIDI-programmable presets, a built-in stereo chorus, and its signature blue vinyl casing with red LCD. Voiced with a Marshall-like midrange emphasis and heavy saturation it defined the recorded guitar sound of 1980s hard rock and metal albums. Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, Skid Row, and White Lion used it on defining records of the era.
What stands out
“Saturated compressed midrange-heavy 1980s tone — the community consensus is that the MP-1 is a time capsule of processed rack-era hard rock and glam metal”
— from the community notes
“da mp-1 is a 1u rack-mount guitar preamp released in 1987 combining full analog tube circuitry with digital midi control”
— from the listing
“voiced with a marshall-like midrange emphasis and heavy saturation it defined the recorded guitar sound of 1980s hard rock and metal albums”
— from the listing
“The built-in stereo chorus aged better than the distortion character and remains well-regarded”
— from the reviews
“A noise gate is essentially mandatory as the noise floor is notorious”
— from the community notes
- midrange
- midi
- hard rock
- distortion
- stereo chorus
- noise gate
- noise
Good for
- Live
- Silent Recording
- Studio
- Silent Stage
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the A/DA MP-1 is commonly used in
- Metal
- Hard Rock
- Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Black Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Death Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the A/DA MP-1
Fjord Fuzz Berserk
Fjord Fuzz
21% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Put Fjord Fuzz Berserk in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward fuzzy
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz
Wren And Cuff
21% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz layers high gain onto an already mid-forward signal
Comes earlier in the signal chain
MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase
MXR
13% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase after A/DA MP-1 in the signal chain, clear of A/DA MP-1's own gain stage
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Artec SE-NGT
Artec
10% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What A/DA MP-1 brings here leans toward mid-forward — that's worth building a pairing around
Comes earlier in the signal chain
Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Boss
7% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Boss DD-3 Digital Delay after A/DA MP-1 in the signal chain, clear of A/DA MP-1's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Boss DD-2 Digital Delay
Boss
6% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Boss DD-2 Digital Delay after A/DA MP-1 in the signal chain, clear of A/DA MP-1's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Comes later in the signal chain
Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion
Tone City
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and A/DA MP-1 delivers it
Dunlop MXR® Wylde Audio Overdrive WA44
Dunlop
tonal matchComes earlier in the signal chain
Dunlop MXR® Wylde Audio Overdrive WA44 is voiced for Marshall-style amps — A/DA MP-1 gives it exactly that
Cheaper alternatives
Electro-Harmonix Tone Tattoo
Electro-Harmonix
59% similarityShared character: chorus, metal, distortion
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
59% similarityShared character: noise gate, noise, metal
Source Audio Soundblox Pro Classic Distortion
Source Audio
58% similarityShared character: digital, distortion
MXR Fullbore Metal
MXR
55% similarityShared character: noise gate, noise, metal
NUX Metal Core Deluxe
Nux
55% similarityShared character: noise gate, metal, digital
Friedman BE-OD Deluxe
Friedman
55% similarityShared character: two channels, noise, hard rock
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Citadel Particle Drive preamp
Citadel
58% similarityShared character: noise gate, noise
Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil
Gamechanger Audio
57% similarityShared character: noise gate, distortion
Universal Audio Uafx Anti 1992 High Gain Amp
Universal Audio
52% similarityShared character: noise gate, digital
Dean Markley Overlord
Dean Markley
52% similarityShared character: noise gate, solid state, noise
Friedman Box of Doom Distortion
Friedman
47% similarityShared character: hard rock, distortion
Joyo British metal
Joyo
93% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the A/DA MP-1 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the A/DA MP-1?+
The closest matches in character are the Citadel Particle Drive preamp, the Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records Plasma Coil, the Universal Audio Uafx Anti 1992 High Gain Amp. Budget picks: Electro-Harmonix Tone Tattoo, Wampler Dracarys, Source Audio Soundblox Pro Classic Distortion. Boutique upgrades: Tone King Imperial Preamp.
What pairs well with the A/DA MP-1?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fjord Fuzz Berserk, Wren and Cuff Box of War Small Foot Fuzz, MXR ZW90 Wylde Phase — Put Fjord Fuzz Berserk in front and the mid-forward tone leans further toward fuzzy.
How much does the A/DA MP-1 cost?+
Around $285 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).