Tech 21 Steve Harris SH1 Signature SansAmp

The Tech 21 Steve Harris SH1 Signature SansAmp is a signature bass preamp pedal from Tech 21, developed with the Iron Maiden bassist to recreate his classic sound¹². It is built around his 1980s-era custom-made Alectron preamp and vintage Marshall cabinets loaded with EV speakers, the rig he has used for roughly forty years¹³. Tech 21 describes it as a preamp with tube amplifier emulation for bass, and it uses the company's all-analog SansAmp technology¹⁴.

The pedal has two channel modes with individual Gain and Level controls, so you can set one channel clean and one driven and switch between them²³⁵. Bass Musician Magazine's reviewer, Ty Campbell, summed up the concept: "The Tech 21 Steve Harris SH1 Signature SansAmp has 2 channels to choose from"⁶.

From British Lion tours to a signature SansAmp

The collaboration began as a practical problem. Touring with his side project British Lion, Harris found it was not practical to travel with his full rig for smaller venues, so the pedal started life as a portable version of his setup⁵¹. Tech 21 sent a prototype to Harris while he was on that tour, and he gave it his approval².

Harris's own words on the prototype, from Tech 21's press release:

Guitar World's news coverage described the finished unit as designed as a more portable version of Harris's rig for use with British Lion¹, and Delicious Audio reported that Harris "has lent his metallic expertise to help create a device that faithfully emulates his rig of forty years"³.

The controls

The SH1 gives each channel a Level control for overall volume and a Gain control for the amount of overdrive you want⁶. On top of that sits a shared set of tone controls:

The EQ is a four-band active design offering a cut or boost of 18dB, which MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley called "a very healthy cut/boost"². The fourth band of the EQ is covered by the controls above; the frequencies Bass Musician Magazine lists are Low at 50Hz, Mid 2 at 500Hz and High at 3kHz⁶.

The Bite switch is the feature most tied to Harris himself. Bass Musician Magazine describes it as activating a "Steve" boost to the SansAmp tube amplifier emulation circuitry, giving extra clank and clarity to the top end and adding definition when playing without overdrive⁶. Guitar World's reviewer went further, calling it "the secret sauce that transforms your tone from 'weekend covers band in local bar' to 'stadium'"⁴.

Power and connections

The SH1 has a 1/4-inch input and output, plus an XLR output to go direct to the PA desk or studio board⁶⁵. That XLR output is what lets the pedal work as your entire rig into front-of-house or an interface, which fits its origin as a travel-friendly alternative to Harris's full setup.

The pedal is powered by a universal power supply, with prong assemblies included for Europe, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand connections⁶. It ships in a rugged all-metal housing measuring 7.75 inches long by 2.5 inches wide by 1.25 inches high, weighing 12 oz⁵³.

Beyond the Iron Maiden sound

Although the pedal is voiced around Harris's rig, the controls are designed to provide an expansive range of adjustability so you can dial in a wide spectrum of bass tones³. Guitar World's review found the Harris sound itself convincing, listing "Accurate Steve Harris tone" among the pedal's pluses and describing it as "instantly recognizable, assuming you have the remotest interest in Iron Maiden's music"⁴.

The manual backs up the range claim with sample settings for other players' tones. MusicRadar notes settings to nail the tones of Lemmy, Phil Lynott, Geezer Butler and Cliff Burton, plus tones for Motown, Genesis around The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Deep Purple in the "Highway Star" era². Bass Musician Magazine's review lists the same set, including James Jamerson among them⁶.

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