Steve Harris (Iron Maiden) Rig

VIDEO VERSION

ELECTRIC BASSES

His main and favourite bass is a Fender Precision bass '70s from 1971. It was white, then painted black, then blue sparkle, is now white again with West Ham United Football crest.

It's the one left on the pic.

Fender Custom Shop made several copies Steve uses as backup or sometimes in the studio because they sound a bit different due to wood density variation. Steve main bass is the "heaviest".

More details :

Woods

According to Michael Kenney, former Steve's bass tech, his main bass has a Bigleaf Maple body, which is quite unusual for Fender (alder and ash are mostly used). Compared to alder or ash, it has more brilliance, highs, attack and sustain. Neck and fretboard are also maple.

Pickups : Seymour Duncan SPB-1 custom

Developped by Seymour Duncan to adapt an SPB1 to Steve's tastes and needs. It has low-mid boost that adds punch and body while maintaining a crisp and clear high-end attack. An equivalent is now marketed as Seymour Duncan Steve Harris SPB4 and also available from Seymour Duncan Custom Shop.

Various

- Badass II bridge

- Graphite nut

- Mirror pickguard

- Action set as low as it can go (harder to set because the truss-rod is rusted into position)

- Sealed Bourns pots to avoid sweat issues

- Tone control isn't wired anymore, it's full-on

- Rotosound signature series SH77 (50, 75, 95, 110) strings (he prefers flatwounds for the feel and to reduce string finger noise)

ACOUSTIC BASS

Fender Kingman acoustic bass

AMPLIFICATION RACK

His bass guitar goes into :

- Shure Axient digital wireless transmitters

- 2 * Shure Axient AD4D two-Channel Digital Wireless Receiver 

- Mike Hill Services  switching custom system

- Peter Cornish routing / switching custom system

- Alectron custom preamp

Made in the '80s by Alex Alexandrou from Cyprus. It's basically a copy from the preamp section of a Hiwatt solid-state 200W amp (probably Hiwatt NCA108).

It has a 5 bands graphic EQ.

- DBX 160 Stereo compressor/limiter

One of the original 70s VCA solid-state ones (not 160X, 160XT, 160A models...)

- Aphex Aural Exciter

Steve has new strings every show, but when it's hot and sweaty the strings begin to loose brightness before the end of the gig. Aphex Aural Exciter is used to generate harmonics to compensate.

- Tech 21 Sansamp SH1 Steve Harris

It's an analog emulation of Steve's other gear (basically Alectron Preamp and his cabs) used in 2 ways :

1. as a preamp + DI box used by Front Of House and Monitor engineers
2. to 2 * Gallien-Krueger MB800 backup amps

When touring with British Lion, Steve doesn't travel with his rack. He uses the Sansamp SH1 plugged into whatever amp is available in the venue to get a similar tone as his full rig.

- 2 * C-Audio SR707 power-amps

 

850W per side / 4 ohm

- Custom 4x12 Marshall Cabs

The plywood is denser as usual and support pieces are heavier.

Top cabs are loaded with 300W EVM12L BlackLabel Zakk Wylde signature speakers.

Bottom cabs are loaded with classic 200W EVM12L speakers.

- Korg WT-12, OT120 and DTR2000 tuners