Are you the reason why he always has such an angry face when he's playing?
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Tech 21 Steve Harris Fly Rig
- Thread starter wintremute
- Start date
It definitely compresses. Not in an obvious squishy way. But I do wonder if there is something more going on than just the expected clipping compression going on. I can set the pedal fairly clean and it still keeps the dynamics under control. The low E doesn’t jump out of the mix or fart with distortion if I bang it too hard. If you’re recording, you’ll probably want to add further post compression. But for live use (where you typically don’t compress as much as recorded), I think the SH1 has enough dynamic control on its own.
I picked up an SH-1 from the classifieds to check out and its definitely a cool preamp. I was surprised at how compact it is vs the pictures, nice surprise! There are some really good tones in there, and as the manual suggests they aren’t always super intuitive to dial in (I often find myself really liking extreme settings, and cutting rather than boosting, etc).
As others have mentioned both of the switches have pretty extreme effects and seem to initially favor being paired, but I’ve found that creative EQ’ing can make them both useable alone (some really good tones with the SIM engaged, High cranked all the way, Bass cut a bit and Mids to taste for example- these would be my fave “conventional” tones).
I thought the Bite switch was a bit too much for my taste at first, but with flatwounds it can have a very similar cutting power to how I’ve been using my Darkglass X-Ultra. With rounds I find I need to tame it to make it get into the kinda punchy clank I prefer, and with both switches engaged and some creative EQ’ing I was able to match it shape-wise pretty well to my settings on the Darkglass Alpha-Omega (though the drive characteristics are inherently a bit different).
I look forward to some full-volume tests with a band hopefully sometime soon to get a real idea of how the drive sounds- this is the area that I found fell short for me with previous Sansamps and where the DG stuff has really shone bright for me (the Alpha Omega especially is not a tone I really like at bedroom volumes- kinda fuzzy and farty how I set it, but in a band mix it slays!)
As others have mentioned both of the switches have pretty extreme effects and seem to initially favor being paired, but I’ve found that creative EQ’ing can make them both useable alone (some really good tones with the SIM engaged, High cranked all the way, Bass cut a bit and Mids to taste for example- these would be my fave “conventional” tones).
I thought the Bite switch was a bit too much for my taste at first, but with flatwounds it can have a very similar cutting power to how I’ve been using my Darkglass X-Ultra. With rounds I find I need to tame it to make it get into the kinda punchy clank I prefer, and with both switches engaged and some creative EQ’ing I was able to match it shape-wise pretty well to my settings on the Darkglass Alpha-Omega (though the drive characteristics are inherently a bit different).
I look forward to some full-volume tests with a band hopefully sometime soon to get a real idea of how the drive sounds- this is the area that I found fell short for me with previous Sansamps and where the DG stuff has really shone bright for me (the Alpha Omega especially is not a tone I really like at bedroom volumes- kinda fuzzy and farty how I set it, but in a band mix it slays!)
Also I actually really like a little Clean blended in with this pedal- with some of those extreme tones with the switches engaged just blending in a hair of Clean really tightens it up quite a bit. I don’t normally like full-range Clean blends on dirty preamp pedals, but on this one and the DG Alpha-Omega it works nicely when used in moderation.
As some others have pointed out, contrary to the manual the EQ all works on the Clean side of the Blend as well (the manual says only the Volume and one of the Mid controls work on the Clean signal).
As some others have pointed out, contrary to the manual the EQ all works on the Clean side of the Blend as well (the manual says only the Volume and one of the Mid controls work on the Clean signal).
Odd how these inaccuracies make their way into manuals -- ditto the dUg manual's mis-labeling of the pedal's mid-shift function.
Hey everyone,
I just received my SH1 today, and so far it's... interesting. I have to admit the controls did seem a little less than intuitive, and that's coming from someone very used to Tech 21 products. I didn't realize how amp-like this pedal can be and how much your attack affects the amount of overdrive. Don't get me wrong, the paradriver and vt bass had a little of that, but you could play with a light touch with those and still have a ton of overdrive. This one seems to want you to work for it, lol. The biggest issue I'm having is the EQ. I'm liking the pick tone I'm getting with my jazz (very Marshall like) but I'm having a hard time dialing in the right finger style tone. The bite button seems a bit ludicrous in the amount of high mids it adds, but I have to say I like the cab sim. I'm not really judging it too harshly right now as all I can test it with is a Rumble 25 combo that I keep around for noodling and my Q Strip for eq adjustments. It's hard to get an honest opinion because the rumble seems to have a baked in tone that I don't much care for to begin with and the little tweeter does not get along with any clankiness. I'm this weekend to give it a run with my MB Fusion and 210av to see how I really feel.
How are you guys EQ'ing this bad boy and would you suggest running my Q Strip before or after the SH1? I tend to use the Q strip for it's low/high pass filters and to tailor the mids. I'm trying to go for a nice thick bass tone with a little snarl.
I just received my SH1 today, and so far it's... interesting. I have to admit the controls did seem a little less than intuitive, and that's coming from someone very used to Tech 21 products. I didn't realize how amp-like this pedal can be and how much your attack affects the amount of overdrive. Don't get me wrong, the paradriver and vt bass had a little of that, but you could play with a light touch with those and still have a ton of overdrive. This one seems to want you to work for it, lol. The biggest issue I'm having is the EQ. I'm liking the pick tone I'm getting with my jazz (very Marshall like) but I'm having a hard time dialing in the right finger style tone. The bite button seems a bit ludicrous in the amount of high mids it adds, but I have to say I like the cab sim. I'm not really judging it too harshly right now as all I can test it with is a Rumble 25 combo that I keep around for noodling and my Q Strip for eq adjustments. It's hard to get an honest opinion because the rumble seems to have a baked in tone that I don't much care for to begin with and the little tweeter does not get along with any clankiness. I'm this weekend to give it a run with my MB Fusion and 210av to see how I really feel.
How are you guys EQ'ing this bad boy and would you suggest running my Q Strip before or after the SH1? I tend to use the Q strip for it's low/high pass filters and to tailor the mids. I'm trying to go for a nice thick bass tone with a little snarl.
I recommend starting with the presets and seeing if any of those get into the ballpark of tones you are looking for then tweaking from there. The cab-sim and bite controls are both pretty extreme shapers, so your settings from there aren’t likely to look like you would imagine. I’m used to amps that require non-intuitive settings so it doesn’t bother me too much, and there are some great tones to be found in the SH-1. My favorite tones so far are with both switches engaged, Mid 1 boosted, Mid 2 cut a bit, Low flat-ish and High cut a bit. Try a bit of Clean blended in when the Bite switch seems extreme- just a tad of Clean seems to tame this noticeably for me.
The bite being extreme piques my interest. Often it isn’t enough for me on its’ own on some pedals.
The Bite and Speaker Sim are extreme but I understand the reasoning behind the voicings.
Steve plays finger-style, which can get muddy through over-drive/distortion. So the Bite gives a very strong boost to the higher frequencies before the gain stage. The keeps finger-style sounding crisp through over-Drive.
The Speaker Sim is at the end of the signal chain and plays double duty. It cuts the fizzy high frequencies out so over-driven tones can sound good going direct. And it also boosts the lows post gain to compensate for the Bite’s high frequency boost.
So the Bite and Speaker Sim work well in tandem. But they usually require extreme EQ settings to sound good individually.
The SH1 isn’t very high gain. Most of its range is in the “pushed clean” zone, which is where I like bass to be. It only starts sounding distorted at around 3o’clock on the gain knob.
I’ve been boosting 200hz and cutting 500hz and leaving the highs and lows centered.
Steve plays finger-style, which can get muddy through over-drive/distortion. So the Bite gives a very strong boost to the higher frequencies before the gain stage. The keeps finger-style sounding crisp through over-Drive.
The Speaker Sim is at the end of the signal chain and plays double duty. It cuts the fizzy high frequencies out so over-driven tones can sound good going direct. And it also boosts the lows post gain to compensate for the Bite’s high frequency boost.
So the Bite and Speaker Sim work well in tandem. But they usually require extreme EQ settings to sound good individually.
The SH1 isn’t very high gain. Most of its range is in the “pushed clean” zone, which is where I like bass to be. It only starts sounding distorted at around 3o’clock on the gain knob.
I’ve been boosting 200hz and cutting 500hz and leaving the highs and lows centered.
Having 2 different rigs myself I can tell you it will sound vastly different through your MB. That is probably an obvious statement. I am leaving all my amp eq flat, a Markbass 210 combo with a 212 extension, then eq'ing with the SH1. As Sunbeast says, the settings in the manual are the best place to start. I am using the Steve Harris settings with a bit of the high end rolled off from how the manual shows it. I use a Ric and a pick so needed to dial the highs back a bit. But I am after the "clank" so mission accomplished.
Personally I find it to be a powerful little box. While a lot of the manual settings are on the aggressive side, which I think is the design of the box given the endorser, the Phil Lynott setting does take most of the real edge off.
Love it.
Good to hear. I was able to get the Lemmy tone in spades (pun intended) and I really dig the Genesis setting on my jazz with the back pickup rolled off just a tad.
The Bite is best coupled with the Cab Sim, and I found it useful to dial back treble EQ. That Bite packs a lot of that 800hz-2kh, which I've heard tell is a popular boost freq range
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I just wish it had a dedicated headphone out. 
I just wish it had a dedicated headphone out.
If there ever is a version 2, I'd love to see a dedicated headphone out and perhaps adjustable bite knob, like the character control on some of their other pedals. Maybe a full DI box like the new 2112 DI?
I've been distracted with other pedals for awhile, but had to get back to the SH-1 because it's so great. 
I don't recall whether the questions about the mid controls were ever resolved, but I experimented last night, and it seems obvious to me that Mid 2 (500Hz) is pre-drive, and Mid 2 (200Hz) is post-drive. This is what I did:
*Yes, cutting Mid 2 will decrease overall distortion level, but I thought that was less obvious
I don't recall whether the questions about the mid controls were ever resolved, but I experimented last night, and it seems obvious to me that Mid 2 (500Hz) is pre-drive, and Mid 2 (200Hz) is post-drive. This is what I did:
- Set up a dirty tone with EQ flat (I had Bite and Speaker Sim engaged, so not flat, but whatever)
- Turn Blend all the way up
- Mid 2: Listen when cut (or flat). Then turn all the way up: more distortion*
- Mid 1: Listen when cut (or flat). Then turn all the way up: a lot more lows, which are not clean because the pedal is set dirty (this is not a multi-band pedal), however boosting Mid 1 does not increase overall saturation level. 200Hz is higher energy than 500, so (if pre-drive) it should actually increase overall distortion more than Mid 2 does, but it clearly doesn't.
*Yes, cutting Mid 2 will decrease overall distortion level, but I thought that was less obvious
Cutting at 500hz after distortion is always a way to cut harshness out, and I think maybe that is what you are actually hearing. I can crank a distortion pedal and almost make it sound low gain by putting an EQ with a big mid scoop at 500hz after the distortion or make a tame distortion sound extra nasty by putting a hump at 500hz. I don’t personally hear a change in drive with either mid control (but I’ll try again tomorrow just to see!).I've been distracted with other pedals for awhile, but had to get back to the SH-1 because it's so great.
I don't recall whether the questions about the mid controls were ever resolved, but I experimented last night, and it seems obvious to me that Mid 2 (500Hz) is pre-drive, and Mid 2 (200Hz) is post-drive. This is what I did:
Note: both mids function whether Blend is set full or zero. So, unlike the Presence control on the RBI, the SH-1 mids are outside of the dirt circuit. But as explained above: Mid 2 is pre-dirt, and Mid 1 is post. Cool design, IMO.
- Set up a dirty tone with EQ flat (I had Bite and Speaker Sim engaged, so not flat, but whatever)
- Turn Blend all the way up
- Mid 2: Listen when cut (or flat). Then turn all the way up: more distortion*
- Mid 1: Listen when cut (or flat). Then turn all the way up: a lot more lows, which are not clean because the pedal is set dirty (this is not a multi-band pedal), however boosting Mid 1 does not increase overall saturation level. 200Hz is higher energy than 500, so (if pre-drive) it should actually increase overall distortion more than Mid 2 does, but it clearly doesn't.
*Yes, cutting Mid 2 will decrease overall distortion level, but I thought that was less obvious
I think the best way to tell: never mind cutting; start from flat with a moderately dirty tone. Compare what happens when boosting 500 versus 200. Overall dirt level increases when boosting 500, but not when boosting 200. The 200Hz boost is much cleaner by comparison... it doesn't result in fuzzy low end as one would expect if it was pre-distortion.
Of course I am not Tech 21, and don't claim to be the authority. If your ears hear it differently than mine, well, we can agree to disagree!
So I went back and tested again with a critical ear and am still pretty certain that both Mid bands are after the Gain circuit, as suggested in the manual. Raising the 500hz band definitely raises the prevalence of the gain as would be expected as most of the added harmonics from the gain circuit are in this mid region, but it does not seem to boost the amount of gain at all to my ears. Any input @tech21nyc ?!!
How about just turning the controls until you get a sound you like. That's how I use my '66 Fender Bassman. 
Mid 2 is before.
Mid 2 is before.
