lozbass Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 (edited) Following some deliberation (and a violent robbery on NYE!), I'm selling my Epifani Quest II Bass Preamp. It's in absolutely mint (entirely as new) condition. The unit is around 18 months old with less than 30 hours use (I was so impressed with the Quest that I bought a ul502 from 6stringbassist on this very forum - thanks!) When I selected this, I was looking for a high-end, modern, hi-fi pre-amp and auditioned the Epifani alongside an Aguilar DB680, Avalon, Alembic, and Glockenklang (all borrowed). To be honest (and in my opinion) at this level, there's no 'best', it just comes down to personal preference - each of the preamps was superb but there was something about the Epi that made it stand out for me. The sound is very immediate, articulate, present and warm (with a high-end valve-like quality) - the clarity is stunning and the unit sounds fabulous straight out of the box with the eq flat. All settings and facilities are incredibly usable and well thought through. The voicing is the best I've heard and as a recording tool, the Quest is peerless (again IMO) - the DI is beautiful (every bit as good as the Jensen in the DB750). You can find numerous glowing reviews on Talkbass (and elsewhere) and full specs on the Epifani website (www.epifani.com). The unit is in 'as new' condition - it's been looked after very carefully. There's a real class about the Quest that's evident before you even power-up - the construction and attention to detail is very pleasing: the knobs appear to be turned aluminium and the smoothness of travel on the pots is a joy (I get quite excited about this kind of thing). Components are all top of the range and the design is as good as it gets. The unit weighs just around 8lbs. The Quest is now out of production (other than as the front-end of a ul502 or 902), and I've only found one for sale in Europe at around £600 (Station Music in Germany). As far as I can recall, the original list price was over $1200 (prior to the Music123 blow-out) and there aren't many units outside the US (from where I imported mine). The Quest will be supplied with its aluminium rack ears and three of the four ear mounting bolts (I haven't a clue where the fourth went - I've requested one from Epifani and will include it if it arrives in time - however, it's just a small bolt and doesn't prevent racking). I can also include a photcopy of the operating instructions. I'd prefer local pickup and cash on collection in central Manchester but can post (well-packed) and next day insured if required. I'm looking for £300 for this and can't really go below this price (I think it's pretty reasonable). Please let me know if you have any questions or require further photographs (or if you want to chat). Edited March 13, 2008 by lozbass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 Price with next day postage (to UK) - £310 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyl Posted March 7, 2008 Share Posted March 7, 2008 An almighty BUMP for this fabulous preamp. Lozbass kindly lent it to me this week to try out. It didn't do quite what I need which is to mix two double bass signals (the two Epi channels are switchable) so I had to give it back. However, the sound with electric was just awesome - very clear, but warm and punchy too. I can't justify more gear until I have sorted out the upright, but I was really tempted to buy it anyway. (Epifani now well on the "future" GAS list!) Loz is a lovely bloke, and anyone looking for a pre should seriously check this out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Thanks Guy for the very kind words (and thank you too for the very kind bottle on return of the amp - lovely!) I'm sorry that the pre didn't work out for you and hope that you find a solution soon. Good luck with the gigs and I hope we'll have another chance to meet soon. I can reciprocate the recommendation here - Guy is a fantastic bloke to deal with - really friendly, accommodating and utterly trustworthy. On the Epi Quest - it's still available to any interested Basschatters - the price is £310 including carriage (£300 if you want to collect). I don't expect to have it around much longer - I'm planning to take it down to London next time I'm there so it may be appearing in a bass shop in the captial soon. Let me know if you're interested or want to discuss. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 This was on my list of preamps when I was looking for one. I have since bought the SVP PRO from Dood, as I wanted the sound of my old SVT 2 but this combined with a nice, lightweight and clean power amp would be incredible. I never thought I would say this but if I had seen this three weeks ago and Dood wasn't selling the SVP, fully revalved, then I would have bought this with no hesitation. If my wife had been born in Stepford, then I would now be sending a cheque for it. 6stringbassist, Kev, has great taste. £300, snap it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted March 10, 2008 Author Share Posted March 10, 2008 Haha - thanks for the above - combination of this Quest with a light, clean pre would indeed be a bit lovely! You're right about Kev too (a man of impeccable taste and a gear list to make most of us green with envy!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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