Lee Harris is the guitarist in Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, the Pink Floyd spin-off project that performs the band's early, Syd Barrett-era material with Pink Floyd's own drummer12. Before that, he gained notoriety in the industry playing for The Blockheads3. His pedalboard is built around recreating the tones of Barrett-era Floyd, and one pedal on it exists because he asked for it directly.
From The Blockheads to Saucerful of Secrets
Harris is described by Wampler Pedals as "a versatile and accomplished guitarist who gained notoriety in the industry whilst playing for The Blockheads"3. He now plays guitar in Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, which Guitar.com's Richard Purvis characterized as "basically a tribute act to Barrett-era Floyd, except with the real band's drummer"2.
For the band's world tour, Harris wanted his amp to sound like Syd Barrett's Selmer. Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX was asked by Harris to create a pedal that could do it, so that he could sound authentic on the Saucerful of Secrets World Tour45. ThorpyFX's own product page says Harris "wanted a pedal to provide him with the vintage amp tones Syd Barret used in early Pink Floyd music"6. The result was the ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic overdrive.
"We actually A/B'd the pedal and the original Selmer head, and the pedal won out because it was less noisy," Lee laughs.
The Lee Harris pedalboard
Harris previously ran a much bigger rig. "And I ended up with 14 pedals on the 'board, largely because I had about eight drives," he told Guitar World1. He has since slimmed it down.
His current board, as described in that Guitar World interview1:
| Role on the board | Pedal | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Fuzz | Electronic Orange Pig Hoof (Ram's Head Big Muff circuit)7 | Drive, alongside the Scarlet Tunic |
| Overdrive | ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic | All he needs drive-wise with the Big Muff |
| Compression | A compressor | Part of the slimmed-down board |
| Modulation | A phaser | Part of the slimmed-down board |
| Volume | A volume pedal | Part of the slimmed-down board |
| Boost and medium gain | A boost and a medium-gain pedal | Part of the slimmed-down board |
| Delay | Free The Tone Future Factory delay | Two delays in one box, so he does not need two separate delay pedals |
| EQ | Free The Tone EQ | Used very sparingly in a couple of places |
| Wah | A wah-wah customized by Analog Mike (Piera) | Produces the seagull sounds for Echoes |
The wah is not stock: it was customized by Analog Mike (Piera) specifically so it will produce the seagull sounds heard on Echoes1.
His Big Muff is the Electronic Orange Pig Hoof, a fuzz based on the Ram's Head Muff circuit, which Delicious Audio describes as "one of the best" Ram's Heads on the market and notes is played by Harris7.
Origin Effects
Origin Effects, the English guitar effects pedal specialist9, lists Harris among its artists. Of the maker's pedals he says:
"I can use any Origin pedals knowing that they are built to last."
Questions
What band is Lee Harris in?
Lee Harris is the guitarist in Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets, the Pink Floyd spin-off project that plays the band's early, Syd Barrett-era material, with Pink Floyd's own drummer Nick Mason. He earlier gained notoriety in the industry playing for The Blockheads.
Does Lee Harris use Origin Effects pedals?
Yes. Origin Effects lists Lee Harris among its artists, and he says of the maker's pedals: "I can use any Origin pedals knowing that they are built to last."
How many pedals does Lee Harris use?
He previously ran 14 pedals on his board, largely because he had about eight drives. He has since cut the board down, saying a Big Muff and the Scarlet Tunic are all he needs drive-wise, alongside a compressor, a phaser, a volume pedal, a boost and a medium-gain pedal.
What EQ pedal does Lee Harris use?
He uses a Free The Tone EQ, which he says he uses very sparingly in a couple of places.
What pedal did Lee Harris request for Saucerful of Secrets?
He asked Adrian Thorpe of ThorpyFX to build a pedal that could make his amp sound like Syd Barrett's Selmer, so he could sound authentic on the Saucerful of Secrets World Tour. The result was the ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic overdrive.
Sources (9)
- How ThorpyFX harnessed Syd Barrett's signature Selmer tones for the Scarlet Tunic, Guitar World, 2022-07-18
- The Big Review: ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic, Guitar.com, 2022-08-04
- Wampler Pedals Artists, Wampler Pedals (www.wamplerpedals.com), 2026-08-11
- ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic, Delicious Audio, 2022-10-18
- ThorpyFX Scarlet Tunic: Syd Barrett early Pink Floyd tones in a pedal, gearnews.com, 2022-06-07
- SCARLET TUNIC, thorpyfx.com
- Best Big Muff Pedals In 2025: Reissues, Clones & Evolutions, Delicious Audio, 2025-04-07
- Origin Effects, Origin Effects, 2026
- “Capture the sound, feel and quirks of one of history's favourite combos”: Origin Effects promises '50s Fender amp tones for your 'board with the Deluxe55 Tweed Recreation, MusicRadar, 2024-11-12