Madison Divinity - funny stuff!

[cloudnine]

I dont know how many of you are HCers, but check out this thread:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1202832

Madison's a new startup company that used to sell cheap shoddy gear around the Colorado area. Suddenly, they burst into the market with a sub-$1000 head that they rave about and claim can compete with the best in the biz.

But everything is not as it seems..

A modder is charged by an owner to investigate the hum and popping noises of the amps!

Duct tape all around, fellas!

[Inearthed]

As many folks said... Duct Tape = Tone!

I'm sure it sounds decent but it is definitely overhyped. I was curious about it, but after seeing the innards and knowing about a couple of the practices, I will be avoiding it unless I can get it for really, really cheap.

[Twisteramps]

Those amps are the best value today. PRMike told me so.

[Inearthed]

Those amps are the best value today. PRMike told me so.

Yes, just as low end ESP LTD's are better than USA CS Jacksons!

[Wizard of Ozz]

Made in China, duct tape, knobs that do nothing... will it ever end???

I can't wait till JerryP gets his hands on an Engl... then we'll be in for a funtime for sure.

[lerxstcat]

The Madison PR guy is really digging a hole for his company, flaming on 5150s and not addressing the actual issue of the amp humming, or them lying about it being made in USA. I think it's funny that Jerry has found the design flaw causing the hum, but apparently Madison has not! The last thing Mike sputtered was that they don't make the Divinity anymore, they have a new amp coming out in May. So I guess that means fuck the guys who bought one!

That poor Madison endorsee who posted saying "Here you go", like he was gonna prove the amp was the shit - got slammed by EVERYONE on his tone. Give him credit, he had the loyalty to try and defend the company he's endorsed by.

What a 41-page trainwreck!

[vander]

Made in China, duct tape, knobs that do nothing... will it ever end???

I can't wait till JerryP gets his hands on an Engl... then we'll be in for a funtime for sure.

I'm curious as to why everytime I see a post from you it has an Engl slam in it...here or HCAF. It seems like you obsess about hating Engls and are commited to convicing the world they aren't built well.
If Jerry P says they aren't built well it won't change my opinion about my Savage nor my love for the Savage tone on countless well known albums. I doubt the Scorpions, Saxon, Primal Fear, Motorhead etc. would care what Jerry P thought.
I'm not trying to pick a fight..just something I have noticed for a while.

[skarhead]

so?
most of the amps nowadays ( hi gain circuits) are based off a slo/mesa with mods...

but that was funny hearing about 5150 build quality - don't get me wrong but 2 or 3 techs (one is just great) just laughed when we spoke about it "i wouldn't pay the going used market price after i saw what's inside" still we all agree it's a good sounding amp

[Inearthed]

How would you feel if you opened up an amp and found duct tape, a disconnected control from the front of the amp, import innards for an amp that was said to be a "Made in the USA amp" (check their website), other parts very similar to other chinese made amps, and you find out that this secretive amp that supposedly has so much development is actually just a copy of a TSL with a few tweaks?

Then you figure out what is causing the pop for channel switching and figure out what is causing the loud hum? How can a manufacturer miss these simple / easy to fix problems, whereas a tech can locate them within hours of looking at the amp?

[lerxstcat]

so?
most of the amps nowadays ( hi gain circuits) are based off a slo/mesa with mods...

but that was funny hearing about 5150 build quality - don't get me wrong but 2 or 3 techs (one is just great) just laughed when we spoke about it "i wouldn't pay the going used market price after i saw what's inside" still we all agree it's a good sounding amp

If they're built so badly, how do you explain Cleveland John's experience? He had 2 5150 heads get thrown 30 feet out of his car in a car wreck. Both amps fired up and worked fine - I think he said one had a slight hum afterward.

Yeah, that sounds like shitty build quality! They may not have the best components inside them, but surviving a 30- foot flight after a car wreck is a pretty good build IMO. I wonder how many other amps would hold up that well?

[skarhead]

i was thinking about parts inside while we were talking about quality - i know there are very solid, very good sounding especially in metal genres (believe me , i love 5150's tone in some applications) They are kind of "workhorse amps". But all the techs i spoke to said peavey was really cutting corners on this.
That quote wasn't coming from me i forgot to mention - it was from one of those techs.

peace lerxstcat.

[Endrik]

I'm curious as to why everytime I see a post from you it has an Engl slam in it...here or HCAF. It seems like you obsess about hating Engls and are commited to convicing the world they aren't built well.
If Jerry P says they aren't built well it won't change my opinion about my Savage nor my love for the Savage tone on countless well known albums. I doubt the Scorpions, Saxon, Primal Fear, Motorhead etc. would care what Jerry P thought.
I'm not trying to pick a fight..just something I have noticed for a while.

the construction quality and the tone are two totally different things

that being said, I think ENGL's tone stink

[lerxstcat]

i was thinking about parts inside while we were talking about quality - i know there are very solid, very good sounding especially in metal genres (believe me , i love 5150's tone in some applications) They are kind of "workhorse amps". But all the techs i spoke to said peavey was really cutting corners on this.
That quote wasn't coming from me i forgot to mention - it was from one of those techs.

peace lerxstcat.

And peace to you, Skarhead!

I know the 5150 is not gonna have the same components as an SLO - and that's why they're $1,000 instead of $3,000 new. But to me, if the amp is cleanly built, sounds great for its purpose, is reasonably priced and can survive flying out of a car after a car wreck, that's good build quality. Not the same as good component quality necessarily, but if an amp will run for 10 years under working use with basically tube changes, I think that's quality build.

You have to build an amp people can afford, and using top components every step of the way can run the materials price way up. Filter caps are gonna have to be replaced in 10 years no matter what you use, as far as I know. Buy $40 ones, or $100 ones? Times 10,000 amps. Times all the other components.

JerryP even said, yeah, 5150s have Asian caps, but not the bottom of the barrel shit the Divinity has. So they're not using the best, but not the worst either, or the amps wouldn't last 10 years. Techs I think want to build a 100-year amp, which is great, but most of us aren't gonna live 100 years and couldn't afford that amp.

[slayer]

My Peavey Ultra is built rock solid, so I imagine the 5150 is built very well also. I have questioned Madison a number of times about the Divinity and where it was built and such, they waffle alot and try to spin their answers. That head should be $500 tops, not $799 or abouts. Jack.

[zeegler]

The Madison PR guy is really digging a hole for his company, flaming on 5150s and not addressing the actual issue of the amp humming, or them lying about it being made in USA. I think it's funny that Jerry has found the design flaw causing the hum, but apparently Madison has not! The last thing Mike sputtered was that they don't make the Divinity anymore, they have a new amp coming out in May. So I guess that means fuck the guys who bought one!

That poor Madison endorsee who posted saying "Here you go", like he was gonna prove the amp was the shit - got slammed by EVERYONE on his tone. Give him credit, he had the loyalty to try and defend the company he's endorsed by.

What a 41-page trainwreck!

Do you remember what page the sound clip was on?