Epifani Club! I've seen the "light"!

[jmain]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to know what the differences were between the UL and UL2 series cabs. I have a UL410 and 112 and was wondering if it was worth upgrading to the series 2 cabs.

Kjung started a thread where he compared S1 and S2 UL410s. Should be able to find it in a quick search. Seems the difference is more high mids in the S1 and less pronounced in the S2. And with the most recent changes, the weight is now around 67lbs.


My new-to-me UL2-410 is scheduled for delivery tomorrow!

 

[gkbass13]

Firstly why isn't there a SA200 in Brisvegas so I can try one! and secondly, vintage isn't my thing so that sound great. I would buy the NYC but my wallet says UL, so my ears will have to live with it

Is the 310 the same box size as a 410, I need to be able to fit the cab into a '95 Mazda 121. I was kinda leaning towards a pair of 115's I really need to be able to try some of these cabs!!

the UL series cabs are considerably more expensive on the used market than the NYC cabs. if your wallet is saying to stay lower in cost, maybe consider two ps 1x15's....would run you about a grand in US dollars for the pair, and would sound amazing with a tube head im sure.

 

[jokerjkny]

Also, I tried out an Epi 410 today but not sure if it's a T or NYC. It was pretty heavy, had the signatures on the speakers, and sounded great. Couldn't make out the model # except for the 410 part. It's 4 ohms and was rated at 400 watts (seems low to me). What would be a fair offer for this cab? Rat fur is a little ratty.
Here's a pic.

so, i gave nick a call...

besides saying that the 400 watts thing is definitely a misprint of the old days, he says all the cabs back then cabs were usually just known as NYC line on the shipping manifest, but sometimes either "T" or "NYC" were written on back w/ the serial number. "T" also just stands for "tweeter" cause some of the earlier cabs didnt have one. the only way to really tell is the model number, which unfortunately, you said, was illegible.

 

[jokerjkny]

Firstly why isn't there a SA200 in Brisvegas so I can try one! and secondly, vintage isn't my thing so that sound great. I would buy the NYC but my wallet says UL, so my ears will have to live with it

Is the 310 the same box size as a 410, I need to be able to fit the cab into a '95 Mazda 121. I was kinda leaning towards a pair of 115's I really need to be able to try some of these cabs!!

nope,

FYI, the ul310 is the same box size as the ul115. and if it helps any, i can easily fit my pair of ul310's into the back of my '07 accord.

 

[jokerjkny]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to know what the differences were between the UL and UL2 series cabs. I have a UL410 and 112 and was wondering if it was worth upgrading to the series 2 cabs.

its noticible enough to my ears. the S1-UL410's seem to have alot more middle mids, while the S2-UL410 is more even and relaxed sounding. some guys loved the S1 for their fingerstyle, i thought it was a little too stuffy and thick sounding for my tastes.

as for the UL112's, i really cant tell too much of a diff. i think the older one might have been a little more relaxed, while the newer ones have a touch more midrange. but nothing to really make me think they sounded totally different.

but honestly, if you dig the sound of your current cabs, why bother? grass is green is green is green.

 

[jokerjkny]

Is anyone using a tube amp with their Epifani cabs, really interested in using a pair of single driver Epifani cabs or a UL 310 or something that size.

my sadowsky + alessandro basset hound + ul310 = OHMYLORD!

i tried my sa200 w/ my ul112 pair, and thought it sounded nice. a much better matchup was my sa200 w/ my berg hs210. the hs210's tighter bottom end and steely lower mid punch really brought the best out of the sa200.

 

[Vic]

its noticible enough to my ears. the S1-UL410's seem to have alot more middle mids, while the S2-UL410 is more even and relaxed sounding. some guys loved the S1 for their fingerstyle, i thought it was a little too stuffy and thick sounding for my tastes.

as for the UL112's, i really cant tell too much of a diff. i think the older one might have been a little more relaxed, while the newer ones have a touch more midrange. but nothing to really make me think they sounded totally different.

but honestly, if you dig the sound of your current cabs, why bother? grass is green is green is green.

I'm told the transition from S1 to S2 is not nearly as pronounced with the 12's vs the 10's. Someone even told me that was a badge change only just to avoid confusing the customer base and it's the same cab, but that needs to be confirmed/verified.

I would also say the transition is REALLY cab dependent. IMHO, the 410 is the special case where the move to S2 was beneficial. The 310, and especially the 210, IMHO, are designed such that the extra mid grunt is very helpful... just "over the top" with the 410. So at least in those cases, I think it was a negative move. I don't have a 210, but I can say I do prefer the S1 310 over the S2. However, I prefer the S2 410 over the S1 (for the same reasons you say above).

Also, just for another datapoint, at least in the case of the 310 (since I had one of each for a while) the mid bump in the S1 over the S2 was right around 380-400Hz. If I bumped that freq on a parametric using the S2, they sounded very close, except the S2 still had a little more going on in the high end (treble, not mids).

The S1 410 mid bump does seem a little higher to me, but not much, and I haven't done the parametric test to try and figure it out.

 

[KJung]

I'm told the transition from S1 to S2 is not nearly as pronounced with the 12's vs the 10's. Someone even told me that was a badge change only just to avoid confusing the customer base and it's the same cab, but that needs to be confirmed/verified.

I would also say the transition is REALLY cab dependent. IMHO, the 410 is the special case where the move to S2 was beneficial. The 310, and especially the 210, IMHO, are designed such that the extra mid grunt is very helpful... just "over the top" with the 410. So at least in those cases, I think it was a negative move. I don't have a 210, but I can say I do prefer the S1 310 over the S2. However, I prefer the S2 410 over the S1 (for the same reasons you say above).

Also, just for another datapoint, at least in the case of the 310 (since I had one of each for a while) the mid bump in the S1 over the S2 was right around 380-400Hz. If I bumped that freq on a parametric using the S2, they sounded very close, except the S2 had a little more going on in the high end.

The S1 410 mid bump does seem a little higher to me, but not much, and I haven't done the parametric test to try and figure it out.

Hey Vic,

I can't believe they would still be using B&C's in the 112's and Eminence in everything else. I'm pretty sure they just stopped using B&C's and started using the Eminence drivers. I think the confusion was that the Eminence drivers started showing up in the cabs LONG before the badge was changed and the change to S2 was announced. That did create some confusion.

+1 on your description above. The 410 had enough mid presence that the change to the S2 drivers didn't 'hurt' it (and I understand that some even feel it helped). For literally all the other cabs, to me the change was a negative. And, now with the next round of changes that increased the weight (singificantly so on the larger cabs IMO), I'm not very jazzed about this brand anymore.

Hard to believe

 

[jmain]

Hey Vic,

I took your advice and jumped on a UL2-410. Ed at Bass Central weighed it for me to confirm it was a 1st generation. 57.5 lbs of 410 Epifani goodness. Tracking shows that it should be arriving tomorrow.

 

[Vic]

Hey Vic,

I took your advice and jumped on a UL2-410. Ed at Bass Central weighed it for me to confirm it was a 1st generation. 57.5 lbs of 410 Epifani goodness. Tracking shows that it should be arriving tomorrow.

Well, if yours scores with you as mine did for me, you should be VERY VERY happy. I LOVE that cab!!!

BTW, nice grab on that. I'd imagine finding brand new ones would be a bit challenging these days. You can also tell from the grill... tiny holes = 1G, big holes = 2G. It'd be real interesting, after there's more of the 2G's out there, if the weight varied much.

 

[Vic]

Hey Vic,

I can't believe they would still be using B&C's in the 112's and Eminence in everything else. I'm pretty sure they just stopped using B&C's and started using the Eminence drivers. I think the confusion was that the Eminence drivers started showing up in the cabs LONG before the badge was changed and the change to S2 was announced. That did create some confusion.

Yeah, that certainly makes the most sense.

 

[jmain]

Well, if yours scores with you as mine did for me, you should be VERY VERY happy. I LOVE that cab!!!

BTW, nice grab on that. I'd imagine finding brand new ones would be a bit challenging these days. You can also tell from the grill... tiny holes = 1G, big holes = 2G. It'd be real interesting, after there's more of the 2G's out there, if the weight varied much.

Yeah, it's used. Couldn't find any new ones that were 1G.

I told him to look at the grill and he just went straight to weigh it so there would be no questions.

I really dig the UL310 S1 but need the extra thump and want that "pillow" under the band that Ken talks about; especially for the Urban Gospel gigs that I picked up. Some of the tunes are even Christian Hip Hop.

 

[Vic]

Yeah, it's used. Couldn't find any new ones that were 1G.

I told him to look at the grill and he just went straight to weigh it so there would be no questions.

I really dig the UL310 S1 but need the extra thump and want that "pillow" under the band that Ken talks about; especially for the Urban Gospel gigs that I picked up. Some of the tunes are even Christian Hip Hop.

Yeah, good call on the 410 then.

BTW, I got a set of the removable casters on mine, and what's cool about those is, if you just remove the rear casters, it kicks the cab back about 15 degrees or so, which is enough to really help on smaller stages, but yet not be so angled back you gotta' worry about your amp sliding off... especially with the carpet cover and rubber amp feet. They're kinda' expensive, I think like maybe $70/set including the rubber feet, but IMHO worth it.

 

[jmain]

Yeah, good call on the 410 then.

BTW, I got a set of the removable casters on mine, and what's cool about those is, if you just remove the rear casters, it kicks the cab back about 15 degrees or so, which is enough to really help on smaller stages, but yet not be so angled back you gotta' worry about your amp sliding off... especially with the carpet cover and rubber amp feet. They're kinda' expensive, I think like maybe $70/set including the rubber feet, but IMHO worth it.

Yeah, those sound really cool. I'm going to play it for a bit to make sure its the one for me and then I'll get the castors. (and a padded LeCover) I think it will be exactly like you guys have been saying: easier to move than a cab on a cart. With our narrow doorways and front steps, the cart can be a pain sometimes with my 310.

And if I have to use the cart for some reason, then I can just remove the castors. Little pricey, but probably the option I'll go with.

 

[jokerjkny]

I'm told the transition from S1 to S2 is not nearly as pronounced with the 12's vs the 10's. Someone even told me that was a badge change only just to avoid confusing the customer base and it's the same cab, but that needs to be confirmed/verified.

I would also say the transition is REALLY cab dependent. IMHO, the 410 is the special case where the move to S2 was beneficial. The 310, and especially the 210, IMHO, are designed such that the extra mid grunt is very helpful... just "over the top" with the 410. So at least in those cases, I think it was a negative move. I don't have a 210, but I can say I do prefer the S1 310 over the S2. However, I prefer the S2 410 over the S1 (for the same reasons you say above).

Also, just for another datapoint, at least in the case of the 310 (since I had one of each for a while) the mid bump in the S1 over the S2 was right around 380-400Hz. If I bumped that freq on a parametric using the S2, they sounded very close, except the S2 still had a little more going on in the high end (treble, not mids).

The S1 410 mid bump does seem a little higher to me, but not much, and I haven't done the parametric test to try and figure it out.

good stuff, vic!

 

[petersenbass]

anyone use a LMII with Epifani Cabinets?
Specifically a PS115 and a 2nd cab , like a 2x10

 

[Vic]

anyone use a LMII with Epifani Cabinets?
Specifically a PS115 and a 2nd cab , like a 2x10

Yes, and no, respectively. I use mine mostly with a S1 UL310 and an S2 UL410, though sometimes with a mixture of UL110/UL112 cabs. Sounds great.

 

[petersenbass]

I'm wondering if a PS115 would be enough for most of my gigs. I'd get a 2x10 for big gigs.

 

[jmain]

I'm wondering if a PS115 would be enough for most of my gigs. I'd get a 2x10 for big gigs.

I sometimes use a PS112 with my LMII (have a UL310 also). It’s great for stage volume and small rooms.

There have been a few folks that have had or still have a PS115 that you may want to contact. Currently Robear22 has a PS210/115 stack and DiaperGeni had a PS115. Also, if you haven’t already, you may want to check out the Bass Player review (it’s on the Epifani website too).

Personally, I would get the PS210 first and add the PS115 later if going that route; but that’s just IMO. There was a PS410 for sale here too.

 

[Robear22]

I sometimes use a PS112 with my LMII (have a UL310 also). It’s great for stage volume and small rooms.

There have been a few folks that have had or still have a PS115 that you may want to contact. Currently Robear22 has a PS210/115 stack and DiaperGeni had a PS115. Also, if you haven’t already, you may want to check out the Bass Player review (it’s on the Epifani website too).

Personally, I would get the PS210 first and add the PS115 later if going that route; but that’s just IMO. There was a PS410 for sale here too.

I love my PS115. Even more so than my PS210 even though it has been gaining on the 115. The speaker that they use has a lot of versatlity. I can slap, tap, and play fingerstyle and still get some punch from that cab. The tweeter is sweet sounding also so that helps the equation. One of the best 15's I have ever played and after playing 12's I swore never to go back to 15's. This cab paired with the PS210 is the perfect stack for deep bottom and clean punchy tone. The 210 goes deep but not as deep and pure as the 115. For a blues or jazz gig where you will not be doing a lot of slapping or need tons of hi-end sizzle then the 115 is where it is at. For amplification I use a GB Shuttle 6.0 and it kills IMHO.