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Steve Harris - bass rig / sound
- Thread starter NZBassman
- Start date
+1
they sure didn't
Off wikipedia again, as for "Fender Japan"
Fender Japan was officially created in March 1982 and consists of two Japanese Music companies that handle the ordering and distribution. The two companies are Yamano Gakki (Gakki means musical instrument) and Kanda Shokai. Yamano are a musical instrument wholesaler/retailer with their own retail outlets and Kanda Shokai are a musical instrument wholesaler with no retail outlets of their own. These two companies do not manufacture guitars, they order them from Japanese guitar factories such as FujiGen Gakki and then they distribute them through retail outlets. Yamano distributes them through its own retail outlets and also various other retail outlets and Kanda Shokai distributes them through various retail outlets including the Ishibashi chain of music stores in Japan. The Japanese guitar factories that have made Fender Japan guitars at various times are FujiGen Gakki (MIJ), Tōkai and Dyna Gakki (CIJ).
Cheers,
Wallace
I should also add that contrary to popular belief, he plays with quite a light touch, not hammering the hell out of the bass. This is how he has the stamina to last a 2 hour gig, and is mentioned in the Flight 666 film.
Yes...he uses another basses, but he usually uses an blue pbass (body finish like thunders an electric effects ) and a red pbass.
The white bass,i thing that it is a signature model.
Y play Maiden with a roundwound strings (EB power slinky ) And it sounds so well,but for make slides
are better the flats, but the EB power slinky run so well, bright and slinky 
Yes...he uses another basses, but he usually uses an blue pbass (body finish like thunders an electric effects ) and a red pbass.
The white bass,i thing that it is a signature model.
If we are talking about the same instrument: The white bass is the same bass as the blue
refinished
If we are talking about the same instrument: The white bass is the same bass as the blue
Yep, and not MIJ.
I might be repeating what others are saying, but here's what I know about his setup:
He uses .110 steel flat wound strings, but I don't think this is 100% required for a similar sound. However, a tight, high tension string that is bright is required.
From what I've read in interviews he plays with his action pretty low. If you use lighter gauge strings you don't need the action to be as low.
Some kind of passive single coil pickup at the neck position is absolutely required! He uses Seymour Duncan pickups now, but in the early days its a little harder to know. A Jazz pickup in the neck position with enough bark can do a pretty good job, but Steve Harris' sound is a classic P-Bass, wide open, tone.
To my ear and in my experience I think a maple fretboard gets a more similar tone than a rosewood. People will fight me on this, but I do believe fretboard wood matters.
My personal opinion is that you can't replicate his sound properly with a pick. I have nothing against using picks, I do it plenty, but the cadence of his playing, the gallop, really requires finger playing.
I have a US made 80's BC Rich with a maple neck and Dimarzo DP126 pickups in it, and it sounds very close to his sound on Number of the Beast.
He plays Roto's Flats, his own! The Fender Precision Steve's signature bass, got a Badass Bridge and Seymour Duncan's PUPs! He said himself, he saw people with the same set up he's got, not sounding the same, just for the fact the way he attacks, the way he plays! The guy is unbelievable! Awesome player! You learn a lot from Steve!
According to Jason at Bassstringsonline his signature strings are not the same as regular Rotosound 77 Monel Flats.
I've seen a few pics that show his EQ and he basically pushes everything up to about 75% and scoops out the middle slider almost all the way down. This will achieve different results with different amps/preamps of course, but he does not bump the mids or highs as has been mentioned.
Also, he does change out a new set of strings every day. He likes that little bit of zing that still comes out of the heavy-guage flats when they are fresh out of the package and IMO that's where a lot of that rollicky sound comes from. That, and a finger style that utilizes fret noise as an effect rather than develop a clean style that avoids it.
Also, he does change out a new set of strings every day. He likes that little bit of zing that still comes out of the heavy-guage flats when they are fresh out of the package and IMO that's where a lot of that rollicky sound comes from. That, and a finger style that utilizes fret noise as an effect rather than develop a clean style that avoids it.
You are right! they changed his signature strings last year. So now thay are a little different. Smoother surface. I guess he dont need to use the baby powder anymore. However.. they should sound exactly the same. He used the Roto77 set for 30 years. I have read that Rotosound at one point wanted to stop selling flats, so Arry asked them about the signature set in order to promote them. I guess he could have bought the whole factory if he wanted.
If we are talking about the same instrument: The white bass is the same bass as the blue
but, if i saw 4basses in backstage:1 olímpic white
2 other white but not white (xd) it's like a rey but un white(i'm spanish and i don't speak tour language well
)3 blue with thunders
4 red basa
When i find this vídeo i show you it
