maidencity Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Have been using the Line6 Pod XT with the extension pedal and Tuner to get the sound.I've heard that its much simpler to use the Samsamp 21 Bass Driver, and it gets the exact sound I'm looking for, the bright sound that Steve Harris Gets.Any opinions on this would be appreciated.Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I only know of Steve using a heavy precision, extremely heavy flats and trace elliott amplifiers - I've never seen him using pedals live [size=4] [/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 [quote name='Schnozzalee' timestamp='1378753486' post='2204300'] I only know of Steve using a heavy precision, extremely heavy flats and trace elliott amplifiers - I've never seen him using pedals live [/quote] Nor me I heard that he had his amps turned up so high that a roadie once strummed his bass with a plectrum and blew them I think Steve gets his sound from high volumes but just tickles the strings lightly maybe this how "his" sound is achieved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbandit599 Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I've got a set of his signature flats on my Warwick at present, they are really high tension strings. Quite nice though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 I remember reading a while back that that the only effect he has is the venerable dbx160(?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 (edited) New, heavy flat wounds every gig and strong fingers... and a P bass, of course. [b]StevieD_FenderP2009[/b] is the man you need to ask... Edited September 10, 2013 by bartelby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 10, 2013 Share Posted September 10, 2013 Don't forget the Seymour Duncan P bass pickup too - Steve now has a signature model. This will help contribute to the sound I feel. I've two P basses with the same woods and different pickups and they both sound completely differerent to each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethFlatlands Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 It's all from his fingers..... ....and the 2 flightcases full of rack equipment he has. Someone had a decent pic of it a couple of years ago and managed to identify almost everything in there but don't ask me where the thread is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 11, 2013 Share Posted September 11, 2013 It may just be that he is such an incredible player Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Don't forget to cut all low frequencies as he has almost no "bass" to his tone,he plays "mid"guitar really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Apple Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I'm glad you put Iron Maiden in brackets' so I didn't get confused with the other Steve Harris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Yes, with all due respect, a Line6 POD is not going to give you that tone when there are so many elements to it in reality. A poor approximation maybe Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 [quote name='clauster' timestamp='1378756822' post='2204385'] I remember reading a while back that that the only effect he has is the venerable dbx160(?) [/quote] According to Michael Kenney, they use the DBX for a balanced signal before the sound goes into the CA Audio pa amps, putting out about 500 watts that he uses. This goes into into 4 custom Marshall 4x12`s. He doesn`t use a bass amp as such and seemingly no effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 [quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1378926458' post='2206676'] It's all from his fingers..... ....and the 2 flightcases full of rack equipment he has. Someone had a decent pic of it a couple of years ago and managed to identify almost everything in there but don't ask me where the thread is now. [/quote] Here`s a not very good pic of his rig. [attachment=143669:SAM_0690.JPG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilsc89 Posted September 26, 2013 Share Posted September 26, 2013 To be honest despite all the fancy ness it really does come down to P Bass, Flats, a very mid focused tone, and those damned fingers of his! He plays those fast gallops with only 2 fingers, without warming up, day in and day out... I swear he must have a robotic hand sometimes. You could get a rough and dirty approximation with a Sansamp with the presence jacked through the roof and a little bit of drive. But it really is down to those fingers above all else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 There is one pedal I have found that can get a reasonable 'inspired by...' Tone. That pedal is the ehx steel leather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt on your Bass? Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 (edited) There was an article on Steve in Bass guitar mag a good few months back now they also interviewed his roadie. I think he boosts the treble a bit and referenced his fingernails as key elements to his tone from memory, in addition to that mentioned above Edited September 27, 2013 by Salt on your Bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biaeothanata-Bassist Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 (edited) [quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1378926458' post='2206676'] It's all from his fingers..... ....and the 2 flightcases full of rack equipment he has. Someone had a decent pic of it a couple of years ago and managed to identify almost everything in there but don't ask me where the thread is now. [/quote] That would of been me. I had a picture from Kevin Shirley's diary of Steve's recording and touring rig from Brave New World through to A Matter of Life and Death. as I'm a Steve Harris geek/nut/stalker, I've got details of pretty much all his rigs. I'll do an era by era breakdown for you - Soundhouse tapes - Killers: Peavey Mark III bass head, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets x2 Number of the Beast: Hiwatt 100 bass head, DBX 106VU compressor, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets x4 Piece of Mind - Powerslave: Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Hiwatt Model 109 pre amp x2, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Pete Cornish switching system, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers Somewhere in Time - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son: Nady wireless system, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Pete Cornish switching system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Carvin power amp x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 No Prayer for the Dying - Fear of the Dark (inc. Live at Donnington): Nady wireless system, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Aphex Aural Exciter 204 with Big Bottom, Pete Cornish switching system, Trace Elliot GP12SMX pre amp, Carvin power amp x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 Virtual XI - X Factor: Nady wireless system, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Aphex Aural Exciter 204 with Big Bottom, Trace Elliot GP12SMX pre amp, Pete Cornish switching system, C-Audio SR707 power amps x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 (MXR phaser was used on "Blood on the Worlds Hands" intro) Brave New World - Nady wireless system, A Matter of Life and Death: Sony E100 SRP 31 band equaliser, Aphex Aural Exciter 106A, DBX 106VU x2 (side chained), Pete Cornish switching system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp, C-Audio SR707 power amp x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 Final Frontier onwards: Nady wireless system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Hiwatt Model 109 pre amp x2, Aphex Aural Exciter 106A, DBX 106VU x2, RSD power amp x6, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners ([b]2 custom 1u units I haven't identified yet but I'll update in a few minutes when I have dug out the magazine it has it in, from what I know, one of them is a noise gate though but i'll update as said[/b]), Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 For the "Steve Harris British Lion" stuff, he used a slightly different rig but this was only for the SHBL album/tour, he went back to the Final Frontier rig for the Maiden tours (eg Maiden England revisited). The SHBL studio and live rig was: Nady wireless system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Hiwatt Model 109 pre amp x2, DBX 164 compressor, Ampeg SVT4-Pro head, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Ampeg SVT810 cabinets. Basses: Mainly his 1972 Fender P bass which has seen 5 paint jobs (currently the West Ham colours but originally white, then black, then metallic blue, then black and white chequerboard but now West Ham colours), 1959 P bass in sparkle metallic red, Fender Signature P Bass, Another Fender signature P Bass with West Ham colours as a replica of the 72. Other basses he has used are a couple of Ibanez Roadsters (one was used on Run To the Hills), a couple of Lado basses (the Falcon and the Unicorn with the Unicorn being his signature Lado bass and was seen on the Aces High/2 Minutes to Midnight videos) then for acoustic basses he uses an Ovation Electro Acoustic (this is the bass used on the intro to Blood on the Worlds Hands, Clansman, Journey Man etc). A couple of other un-noted basses have been used over the years. All his Precision Basses are loaded with Seymour Duncan pick ups, Badass II bridges, chrome brass pickguards and 250k pots. All basses have been loaded with his signature Rotosound Monel Flatwound strings (SH77 model number, 50-110 gauge) and have super low action to get that clanky sound. The tone pots on all his P basses are bypassed and he taps his nose to Michael Kenney (Iron Maiden's keyboardist and Steve's long time tech) to turn the treble up or down. This is mainly seen on "Maiden England 88". He never warms up, just powders his fingers. His monitor mix on stage is just (and to quote Steve himself) "a smatterin' of toms with a smidge of me own vocals and bass". Any other questions, please feel free to ask Edited October 5, 2013 by Biaeothanata-Bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinson Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 [quote name='Biaeothanata-Bassist' timestamp='1381002077' post='2233333'] That would of been me. I had a picture from Kevin Shirley's diary of Steve's recording and touring rig from Brave New World through to A Matter of Life and Death. as I'm a Steve Harris geek/nut/stalker, I've got details of pretty much all his rigs. I'll do an era by era breakdown for you - Soundhouse tapes - Killers: Peavey Mark III bass head, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets x2 Number of the Beast: Hiwatt 100 bass head, DBX 106VU compressor, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets x4 Piece of Mind - Powerslave: Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Hiwatt Model 109 pre amp x2, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Pete Cornish switching system, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers Somewhere in Time - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son: Nady wireless system, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Pete Cornish switching system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Carvin power amp x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 No Prayer for the Dying - Fear of the Dark (inc. Live at Donnington): Nady wireless system, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Aphex Aural Exciter 204 with Big Bottom, Pete Cornish switching system, Trace Elliot GP12SMX pre amp, Carvin power amp x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 Virtual XI - X Factor: Nady wireless system, DBX 106VU compressor x2, Aphex Aural Exciter 204 with Big Bottom, Trace Elliot GP12SMX pre amp, Pete Cornish switching system, C-Audio SR707 power amps x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 (MXR phaser was used on "Blood on the Worlds Hands" intro) Brave New World - Nady wireless system, A Matter of Life and Death: Sony E100 SRP 31 band equaliser, Aphex Aural Exciter 106A, DBX 106VU x2 (side chained), Pete Cornish switching system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp, C-Audio SR707 power amp x2, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Marshall JCM 800 4x12 cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 Final Frontier onwards: Nady wireless system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Hiwatt Model 109 pre amp x2, Aphex Aural Exciter 106A, DBX 106VU x2, RSD power amp x6, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners ([b]2 custom 1u units I haven't identified yet but I'll update in a few minutes when I have dug out the magazine it has it in, from what I know, one of them is a noise gate though but i'll update as said[/b]), Marshall JCM 800 4x12 bass cabinets with Electro Voice M12L speakers x8 For the "Steve Harris British Lion" stuff, he used a slightly different rig but this was only for the SHBL album/tour, he went back to the Final Frontier rig for the Maiden tours (eg Maiden England revisited). The SHBL studio and live rig was: Nady wireless system, Electron HiWatt clone pre amp x2, Hiwatt Model 109 pre amp x2, DBX 164 compressor, Ampeg SVT4-Pro head, a couple of Korg DT-10 tuners, Ampeg SVT810 cabinets. Basses: Mainly his 1972 Fender P bass which has seen 5 paint jobs (currently the West Ham colours but originally white, then black, then metallic blue, then black and white chequerboard but now West Ham colours), 1959 P bass in sparkle metallic red, Fender Signature P Bass, Another Fender signature P Bass with West Ham colours as a replica of the 72. Other basses he has used are a couple of Ibanez Roadsters (one was used on Run To the Hills), a couple of Lado basses (the Falcon and the Unicorn with the Unicorn being his signature Lado bass and was seen on the Aces High/2 Minutes to Midnight videos) then for acoustic basses he uses an Ovation Electro Acoustic (this is the bass used on the intro to Blood on the Worlds Hands, Clansman, Journey Man etc). A couple of other un-noted basses have been used over the years. All his Precision Basses are loaded with Seymour Duncan pick ups, Badass II bridges, chrome brass pickguards and 250k pots. All basses have been loaded with his signature Rotosound Monel Flatwound strings (SH77 model number, 50-110 gauge) and have super low action to get that clanky sound. The tone pots on all his P basses are bypassed and he taps his nose to Michael Kenney (Iron Maiden's keyboardist and Steve's long time tech) to turn the treble up or down. This is mainly seen on "Maiden England 88". He never warms up, just powders his fingers. His monitor mix on stage is just (and to quote Steve himself) "a smatterin' of toms with a smidge of me own vocals and bass". Any other questions, please feel free to ask [/quote] Class Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I play a japanese Fender Precision with a maple neck & a Seymour Duncan quaterpounder pickup strung with Rotosound flatwounds & it sounds (to my ears at least) very similar to Steve Harris' sound, regardless of what amp I put it through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 [quote name='stinson' timestamp='1381003023' post='2233350'] Class [/quote] Indeed. Probably the most comprehensive, relevant and interesting reply I've seen for a while on BC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 [quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1379003765' post='2207659'] I'm glad you put Iron Maiden in brackets' so I didn't get confused with the other Steve Harris [/quote] Also class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc40hz Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I've been a massive Steve Harris fan since I was a kid - been trying to figure out how to get his sound for years, though the sound does change through the albums. Definitely more middle going on pre somewhere in time - I think he must have used his Ibanez Roadster on a few of the tracks on Piece of Mind, I'm sure I can hear a jazz pick up there. The bass pod xt has a hiwatt amp on it which I feel does a good job at emulating Steve's sound; Here a few samples, using my precision (with round wounds) Think the treble and high mid were turned to about 2-3 o'clock. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9SSR3a6PwA (The Duellists) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWL1EfHqq64 (Caught Somewhere in Time) Using my Steve Harris precision strung with 50-110 rotosound flats and an SWR SM900 amp with quite a bit of boost at 900-1Khz area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMgd4steuzo (Revelations) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E4pTHncymo (Infinite Dreams) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 [quote name='Schnozzalee' timestamp='1378753486' post='2204300'] I only know of Steve using a heavy precision, extremely heavy flats and trace elliott amplifiers - I've never seen him using pedals live [size=4] [/size] [/quote] Yeah, he is the epitome of normal rock bass . Awesome player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
still-young Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 2 year old thread guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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