When it comes to Steve’s rig, surprisingly it has barely changed in almost 40 years. What has never changed is his handmade custom pre-amp, the “Alectron,” as well as his prized custom vintage Marshall cabs loaded with EV speakers. We sent the original prototype to Steve when he was out on tour with British Lion and this is what he had to say about it:
“The tour is going fantastic. And the reason it’s going fantastic is this little thing here. It’s unbelievable. [Andrew Barta] is a real boffin*. Because he’s managed to simulate my EV speaker sounds, which I love so much. And it’s in this little box. Whatever he’s done, he’s made this thing sound like my sound. So, well done, mate.” –Steve Harris
*Translation: technical expert.
While this collaboration began as a solution for touring with British Lion, as it wasn’t practical to travel with his full rig for smaller venues, the SH1 has earned a place as a component of his live sound on Iron Maiden’s Legacy of the Beast 2019 tour.