Quotes from Steve Harris interviews

[Guest]

I've just been enjoying read all these interviews:

 

2020 interview 

 

2016 interview 

 

1992 interview 

 

1983 interview 

 

and thought some people who aren't sufficiently Maiden-enthusiastic to read them might be interested in these details....

 

Basses etc  

 

(Recent)

 

I wanted to ask a bit about your West Ham bass; it’s one of your older guitars, isn’t it? 

 

It’s had a few re-sprays, yeah. It started off, actually, when I very first got it, it was white, and then I had it sprayed black. Then I had it sprayed the blue sparkly thing, which was sort of, a bit of a throwback to Thin Lizzy, really, I suppose; I had that look with the mirrored scratch plate, and then I had it sprayed with the West Ham colours.   

 

So it wasn’t the chequered bass? 

 

No, I’ve got two chequered basses; it’s not that one, I’ve still got those. No, the West Ham version that I’ve got now, that was done by the Fender custom shop, so they did it really properly. I applied officially to West Ham to ask and get permission, just because it was the right thing to do, and they said; “yeah, no problem”.  

 

(1992)

 

The first Fender I picked up was a Jazz, and then I realized that wasn't what I wanted, so I changed to a Precision, and I've used Precisions ever since. I just found the Precisions were best for me, and I still use them now. I really like the bottom end, the roundness on the bottom end of a Precision. I can get a real lot of top, and real lows, the midrange, everything, and all really solid. 

 

Anyway, in the meantime I tried out loads of different basses. I had a Rickenbacker for a while, I had a Gibson Thunderbird. You tend to try different guitars like that because of people you like. The Gibson Thunderbird was used by Entwistle, Martin Turner, Pete Way, and they're all totally different bass players, all had totally different sounds, and I thought I'd try one out because I really liked their playing and their sounds. But when I got one I hated it. It was horrible, it just didn't work for me at all. 

 

I don't put my name to anything I don't use—it's pointless. I'm not a guitar collector, I don't want loads of guitars for nothing just because I know I can get them. There's no point if I'm not going to use them. No point putting my name to something in an ad, and I don't use it, and then someone goes out to buy one because he thinks I use them. It's what I did years ago, the Gibson Thunderbird; the Rickenbacker because of Chris Squire. 

 

The Custom Shop just did a couple of jobs for me. I had a Fender before, had it sprayed black-and-white check, really liked that, so I got Fender to do me one, and they did a brilliant job. I might do that for the signature, though of course my blue one is the one I've used most. 

I use the blue Precision mainly, and then depending on whether the strings go, the sound starts to go—it really depends on the temperature at the gig and stuff—and I might have to change the guitar halfway through the set. Sometimes if it's colder I can get almost to the end of the set, and there's been cases where I've used it for the whole set. I use the blue one first, the black-and-white-check one for backup. Originally, the blue one was white, and I had it sprayed black, used it in the early pub gigs and stuff, and then had it sprayed blue, and it's been like that ever since. 

 

On this new album [Fear Of The Dark] I used about five different Precisions that I've got, for different songs, because they've all got different qualities to them. Some are a bit more middle-y, some more bottom-y. They do vary. 

 

Why do you think that happens? Is it the wood, the pickups, what? 

 

The pickups are pretty much standard. Seymour Duncan does those, he tries to make them the same as the pickups in the blue one. We thought about getting a graphic to tweak so that they all sounded pretty much the same, to even the sound out, so that if I changed guitars live it wouldn't be too much of a difference in sound. But although they're all Precisions, they all sound different. Not vastly, but enough. 

 

I think a lot of it's down to the wood, yes, the density of the wood. The blue one in particular is so heavy and dense. The Custom Shop took all the measurements and weighed it and everything and built me another one, and it does feel the same, but it still doesn't sound the same. I'm not one of these people who thinks, Oh, old guitars are best. If the guitar's well made and everything, I don't care if it was made last week. That one does sound the best out of all of them, though. If I lost that I'd be well whizzed off. 

 

(1983) 

 

I play a Fender Precision Bass from around ’72. It’s been five different colors; at the moment it’s blue. I use it on tour and in the studio. It has the original Fender pickup and pretty low action. I’ve also got three other Precisions. My 1959, which I bought recently, feels so good. It feels pretty much as good as my ’72. I also have three Ibanez basses, but I don’t really use them. I used one of them on “Run To The Hills”. It’s got sort of a grunting sound, and it’s good for playing really fast because the notes come out clean.

 

I use a DBX 164 Compressor, two Hiwatt Model 109 preamps, two Alectron preamps, six RSD power amps, and eight Marshall 4x12 cabinets with Electro-Voice speakers, which have the best sound. I like getting a lot of bullocks and a tight, driving bottom end without much rumpling. It’s got a lot of treble, as well. 

 

(Recent) 

 

Tech 21 made this gadget [Steve Harris Signature SH1 preamp/DI] for me, since I can’t take my gear everywhere. It’s an amazing piece of gear. I can’t believe it. I don’t normally say things like that, but I truly believe in it. I couldn’t believe it myself when I heard it. It reproduced my E-V [Electro-Voice] speaker sound. When I toured in Canada in November with Coney Hatch, Andy Curran’s Ampeg rig is as far removed from my sound as possible, and I played the Tech 21 through it and it came out so close to my sound, I was amazed. I was like, “This can’t be real”. 

 

At first I thought maybe it was a one-off, but they were able to reproduce [my sound on a consistent basis] — so, basically, we decided to market it. I don’t mind putting my name on something that I use, and I knew I was definitely going to be using this. I’ve even been using it as a DI, as well, when Maiden tours. It’s been an absolute godsend, because it means that we’re able to tour in other parts of the world where E-V speaker cabs are not easy to rent — in some far-flung places of the earth where it’s difficult to transport any gear, I can use the Tech 21 unit. 

 

Strings 

 

(1992) 

 

Yeah. I originally used roundwounds, and if I played a quiet section it screeched so much as I moved my fingers along the strings, moving up barre chords or whatever, that I ended up using the flatwounds, for that reason. Plus you don't churn your fingers up so much. They were interested in me endorsing them, so I said yeah, I'd love to, if it works. 

 

(Recent) 

 

You use flatwound strings, and yet you’re known for a bright, trebly sound. It’s a bit of a contradiction. 

 

It is. The unfortunate part is that I have to change strings every gig. It’s because I sweat so much onstage that they just go dead. That might happen with roundwounds as well, but having said that, the flatwounds also stop all the screeching when you’re playing quieter, slower stuff. And that’s one of the reasons I stopped playing roundwounds—the screeching, and also chopping your fingers up a bit. I love the flatwounds. It’s not for everyone, I suppose. They’re such a heavy gauge that they tend to bow the neck unless you have a really solid neck, like I have.  

 

Technique 

 

(1992) 

 

Do you use the first two fingers of your right hand? And what about nails? 

 

Those two, yeah. When I'm recording, I tend to keep the nails longish, to get that treble attack on it. But I can't do that live because they just break off. You just naturally hit the thing harder. There's no point, so I tend to trim them right down. Otherwise I'd just split them and it makes things worse. 

 

Do you get much damage to the fingers themselves? 

 

Yeah, the first couple of weeks I get blisters. Then they burst. They're really, really sore for a few days, then they go really hard, and that's it. They stay like that for the rest of the tour. The only bugbear is that when you play somewhere really, really hot and get really sweaty, your hands go soft, and that completely changes your sound. Your fingers tend to sort of sink into the strings, almost. And there's nothing you can do about that, it's the temperature of the place. 

 

That's why I prefer to play in places that are a little bit colder. Also, that maintains your treble output, and the attack is more even, the fingers stay hard and solid. Very big difference: It's like someone put a muffler over your speakers. So, you just have to add more top-end to try and compensate, but there's not a lot you can do. 

 

With the blisters, have you tried putting stuff on to harden them? 

 

Yeah [dismissively], tried that. Doesn't work. I tried that Nu Skin stuff, when I've had a blister that's come open, when you're through to the skin underneath, that's really sore. But once you get out playing, get the adrenaline going, you tend to be alright anyway. It hurts a bit, but sometimes the pain—you just grit your teeth and get on with it. Weird. 

 

Do you use all four fingers on the left hand? 

 

Oh yeah, all four. Obviously I bridge a lot between the first and the last finger, and I do play a lot of bass chords, as I said. I tend to get quite hard skin on the little finger just on the outside edge, because I'm barre-ing a lot. 

 

Song writing 

 

(1983) 

 

I know 90% of what I want, and I’ll work out the melody lines and riffs, build it up layer by layer. I’ve written most of my songs on my own, the melody lines and lyrics. 

 

I know what crotchet and a quaver is but that’s about it. 

 

I don’t know what scales are. 

 

(Recent) 

 

When you’re listed as the sole writer on a song, clearly the music and the lyrics are yours, but are you also writing the vocal melodies and guitar harmonies? 

 

Yeah. I do the vocal melodies and all that stuff. Sometimes when I’m writing I might take a melody that I think is a part for a guitar and change it to be a vocal melody, or it might be both. An early song, like “Phantom of the Opera,” started off as a riff, and then I put the vocal to it, but I just do it by feel — whatever feels right. 

 

How do convey those ideas to others? Do you play an idea on bass or sing it to them?  

 

I work it all out. I play bass chords as well, but I’ll usually whistle or hum the melody for the vocal, write the words out, and then I’ll show Bruce what it’s to be sung like. 

[Chaosanator]

I'd like to see a black-and-white checked signature bass 🙂

[Doctor J]

Even though the main bass has had the West Ham colours for about 30 years, he'll always be associated with it being sparkly blue and the mirrored plate in my mind.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Chaosanator said:

I'd like to see a black-and-white checked signature bass 🙂

 

1 hour ago, Doctor J said:

Even though the main bass has had the West Ham colours for about 30 years, he'll always be associated with it being sparkly blue and the mirrored plate in my mind.

 

Maybe, to go alongside the sparkly blue signature Precision, some black and white checked signature trousers?

 

[Chaosanator]

3 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

Maybe, to go alongside the sparkly blue signature Precision, some black and white checked signature trousers?

Yeah, or the striped ones 🙂

[Guest]

I've just realised something about that photo....

 

 

....that's Blue Steel.... 😳

[SH73]

Steve Harris is the main is the biggest influence on me picking up a bass. Always dreamt of having a sparkle P bass as a youngster. I do own one now, but I never researched whether his original bass has the same chunky almost baseball like profile neck as the Japanese made Steve Harris sparkle Royal blue signature bass. I have played the Mexican made West Ham signature model a couple of times but the neck is slimmer and very comfortable.  Even the body feels different. Steve claims it's the same bass so if they build replica of his basses why don't they keep it the same.

[SH73]

1 hour ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I've just realised something about that photo....

 

 

....that's Blue Steel.... 😳

I wish they did live recordings. That era was somehow neglected. They were knackered from the World Slavery Tour. Such a shame. I remember SIT album release. I was getting ready for school when the played Caught Somewhere in Time on radio. That album along with SSOTSS  are a totally different dimension, technically advanced.

Edited October 27, 2021 by SH73
.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, SH73 said:

I never researched whether his original bass has the same chunky almost baseball like profile neck as the Japanese made Steve Harris sparkle Royal blue signature bass. I have played the Mexican made West Ham signature model a couple of times but the neck is slimmer and very comfortable

 

The specs of the MIJ blue sparkle does sound a bit more likely for a 1972 P than the MIM Hammers bass .... seems weird to slim down the neck at the same time as putting in the backbreaking maple body.

 

Here's a review from 10 years ago of the MIJ bass. It has a couple of entertaining moments

 

 

[SH73]

1 minute ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

The specs of the MIJ blue sparkle does sound a bit more likely for a 1972 P than the MIM Hammers bass .... seems weird to slim down the neck at the same time as putting in the backbreaking maple body.

 

Here's a review from 10 years ago of the MIJ bass. It has a couple of entertaining moments

 

 

Thanks pal, I've seen it doesn't he slap the bass too😟

[Guest]

1 minute ago, SH73 said:

Thanks pal, I've seen it doesn't he slap the bass too😟

 

Yeah, I didn't imagine *you* needed showing that. And, yes, he does quickly demonstrate that all styles are possible on it, even with the SH flats.

 

I've just amused myself by comparing the tensions of Rotosound's Funkmaster set with their Steve Harris set: 107 lbs vs 252 lbs.

[SH73]

8 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

Yeah, I didn't imagine *you* needed showing that. And, yes, he does quickly demonstrate that all styles are possible on it, even with the SH flats.

 

I've just amused myself by comparing the tensions of Rotosound's Funkmaster set with their Steve Harris set: 107 lbs vs 252 lbs.

The only bass that can handle the Steve Harris signature flats is my sparkle blue bass. The other bass has Fender flats , they last longer and are cheaper.

[Dood]

I always loved (and wanted) a red precision like one of the spares Steve had/has. 

 

[SH73]

24 minutes ago, Dood said:

I always loved (and wanted) a red precision like one of the spares Steve had/has. 

 

When I saw the British Lion gig he played his West ham bass. I've seen photos of a blue bass with lightning effect

[MacDaddy]

I liked his Lado signature.

 

[Guest]

21 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

I liked his Lado signature.

 

 

He didn't so much:

 

"The Fender Precision is my instrument, my beloved Precisions," sighs Harris. ''I've tried lots of different guitars, including some Lados, and they felt great and were really well made, but the sound just seemed to lack richness in the bottom end."

[AndyTravis]

“Tendinitis city” - great name for a band.

[SteveXFR]

I think the sentence he says most often is "he's a great guitarist, he played with us for a short time"