Tech21 Steve Harris vs Dug Pinnick

A comparison between the two Tech 21 pedals, they are both similar in some regards but also completely different in others. Which one do you prefer?
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Tech 21 SH1: www.thomann.de/it/tech_21_sh1...
Tech 21 DP-3X: www.thomann.de/it/tech_21_dp_...

[@ferox965]

I have the Pinnick. Up until Covid, I gigged a lot. Had my sound no matter what rig. Best pedal I've ever bought. I gigged live and studio, any genre. Not a one trick pony at all.

[@gatordebate]

Could you tell me what else you had to round out your rig? My son just joined his first band as a bass player and he loves the sound of the Tech 21 Pinnick. Just curious what else you played with live. Thank you!

[@ferox965]

@@gatordebate Basses-1980 BC Rich Eagle deluxe bass, 2007 Rickenbacker 4003, Lado Studio Custom fretless Orange Bass Terror 500W, Orange 1x15 cab, Tech 21 DP-3X Pinnick, Dunlop Geezer Butler sig Wah. Live, I went direct to the board with the Pinnick. Bsst wishes and hope your boy enjoys rocking out!

[@gatordebate]

@@ferox965 Thank you so much! He most certainly is!

[@5stringKen]

Fascinating feature of the Harris: the high mid is pre-overdrive, while low mid is post. I love this design choice! End result: boosting low mid for more fatness will not increase overall distortion level. If low mid was pre-distortion, tone would become farty, and while that can be great for really vintage OD (Cream, Mountain, Grand Funk, etc), it's definitely not what I want from a Steve Harris sig pedal. Steve's tone has aggressive bite on top, without furry/blurry lows and low mids. Boosting hi mid does increase overdrive level, but the dirt becomes focused on those punchy mid-mids so your overdrive tone remains well defined, without low end mush.

[@flv2358]

I've mentioned it in the comments below, but here's a little secret: the SH1 does have compression which is a byproduct of the tube emulation circuit. I've found it by accident when I've cranked the Drive knob past 3PM. Sounds great!

[@kevinsturges6957]

Great video. I have both of these plus the three channel programmable preamp pedal. I keep feeling kind of guilty about having so much stuff. But every time I try to choose which pedal goes - there is no way I could let any of the three go. They do overlap a bit, but if you’re really picky about your bass sounds they each have their own distinctive character. If I had to pick one it would be the Dug Pedal.

[@cesarrodriguezgutierrez1144]

The Dug Pinnick is one of a kind !!!

[@japas]

I absolutely love the tone on the dug, but the steve harris seems a bit more usable and versatile

[@Ampher03]

My feelings exactly

[@ferox965]

Up until Covid, I gigged just about every genre. I just used the dUg. Did everything I needed it to very well. You won't lose out.

[@chrishawkins2267]

My Tech 21 RBI was the best investment I ever made! Glad to see them branch out a bit and more folks catch on!

[@Motleybru70]

The SH is a f🤬cking beast. The low end doesn’t sound as “tinny” to me. I bought them both I’m keeping the Steve Harris. 🤘

[@patricklongerbeam6421]

Both seem to be very useful pedals and. Thanks for creating this video!

[@joecastro6523]

I have the Tech 21 DP-3X on my Board along with the Geddy Lee YYZ pedal, I love the Pinnick for that great crunch tone actually sounds great playing songs from the Presto Rush era, But I have to say I really wish Tech 21 would have put in a 2nd level one for the clean and one for the crunch, the volume difference between the two is so extreme that I can't just switch between the two without having to go down and adjust the level, So now I only use it for the drive section for a few songs. Of course I'll probably be getting the Tech 21 SH1 as well ,I know I'm hopeless

[@josefrancisco6969]

The dug doesn't have a speaker emulation switch right? I assume the xlr out does have a cab sim engaged but what about the 1/4 out ?

[@holdenbrown420]

Yes, both the XLR and the 1/4 inch!

[@5stringKen]

I own both and love both. The dUg is a sentimental favorite because it's so easy to dial in the "clang" that I love for rock, and as mentioned by others it's not just a one-trick pony: by dialing back passive tone on my bass I can soften that clang to a purr that works for oldies. The dUg is a bit mid-scoopy, which works great with my P-style basses, but I would agree that the Harris is a bit more versatile. There's definitely some overlap, but both are keepers in my pedal collection.

[@stefanoribas]

Awsome vídeo!!! Thanks

[@badger4361]

They both sound great, I'd choose the SH, thats just a personal preference, with either you cannot lose.

[@bazZzment]

The trick with the DP-3X for clean sounds is to use A LOT less drive and also compression and then bring in the chunk ever so gently for better highs. SH-1 works better when you want to have two sounds. With the DP-3X, the tone pot on your bass is your friend! Thanks for the good video.

[@OliverTobyn]

Yeah, they are two very different animals, yet similar in very ways. Takes time to adjust to each one. Thanks for watching!

[@stevendugger3722]

Yes, I've found that as well. The clean channel alone is very dark and lackluster, imo. Still a great pedal though! I love mine!

[@ferox965]

I've gigged the Pinnick hard, any genre I'm paid to, live or studio. It's great and not a one trick pony.

[@bazZzment]

ferox965 agreed! I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to play a show yesterday and the DP-3X cut through. I even rolled back the bass knob and had a fairly low comp and drive setting as well. Perfect mixready clean tone.

[@ferox965]

@@bazZzment Yep. The last album I was on, I just used my 1980 BC Rich Eagle and the DP3X. No rig. Worked great.

[@mikesorbassguitar]

Which pedal would you say would best approximate a Chris Squire tone? I’m thinking the Dug.

[@andrewkeats8247]

Tech 21 DI-2112

[@SevanStick]

No pedal at all

[@JamesMoore-un3cu]

Might have been nice to hear something other than a dubbed track played back endlessly to hear the difference in the sound. Monotonous, to be sure. I was thinking that I'd pick one of these up, but honestly, my Ampeg SVT and a few pedals produces quite the gamut of sounds, especially if the volume is up. And I've already got all MXR Distortion, Carbon Copy, Chorus and other boxes.

[@NtWarlock]

Bella demo, ci voleva. Il preamp steve harris mi sembra più versatile ed utilizzabile, però per quanto riguarda la distorsione il dug sembra molto interessante

[@frankortega4280]

Good comparison. I prefer the versatility of the Steve Harris model.

[@guatobean2869]

I wonder if the tech 21 geddy lee 2113 di would beat these? These sounds great!

[@AJ-yi6hg]

2113???!! 😁

[@chrishawkins2267]

The tone pot is definitely integral to a versatile experience with Tech 21

[@kultiras4978]

sh is just perfect

[@larsetom1]

I have the DP pedal. The only thing I don't like about it is the tuner does not tune my low B very well. I everything it does sounds good. Although, I don't use it much without the full Dug effect on.

[@OliverTobyn]

I really like some of the "in between" sounds you can get by backing a little the full Dug effect on, nice solid rock tones. Weird that doesn't tune the B string! If I'm not mistaken Dug himself uses BEAD tuning

[@holdenbrown420]

I’ve noticed that on my basses with active pickups, it picks up the low B very well. But with passive pickups, it can get dodgy on the low B. Ooof, but my jazz bass sounds so good with the DP-3X

[@dafoof]

I'm going for a slap sound. Which one do you think would be more suited?? I'm leaning towards sh to get that top end tightness but what do you think????

[@OliverTobyn]

I'd probably lean towards the SH1, but also the VT Bass DI can help in getting a nice slap tone

[@dafoof]

@@OliverTobyn cheers!!!

[@astral_spectre2586]

You got the DP mid shift button backwards. "Out" is 325hz and "in" is 700hz. Tech 21 has admitted to this mistake in the owners manual.

[@OliverTobyn]

Right, I was using it right now, and it does seem that way. Thanks! There was also a mistake in the VT Bass pedal where the mids where 500Hz in the manual, but it's actually 1k

[@kennethquiroz5066]

Hard to say!! damn tech 21!!

[@NodakSavage]

Recently bought the dUg, I've had it for 3 weeks or so now. Still constantly trying to find my sound. I really think I should have gotten the SH instead. Most reviews and most forums say the Pinnick is the best pedal many have ever used, that's why i made my choice. However, in this vid i think the Harris sounds so much better. Just turing it on with everything at noon was night and day. Whereas you turn dug on at noon and volume is nonexistent. Not so much in your vid but in real time. I get it it's voiced to emulate Pinnicks sound and the massive mid scoop is the whole point. IDK, it's not meshing well with me and my Mesa D800+

[@bosher11]

I literally cut all the mid when the overdrive circuit is on. With my p bass dialed in like this, it is epic!

[@AndreySedov]

Seems xlr and jack sound different... do they not?

[@OliverTobyn]

Shouldn't really. XLR just has slightly more output and is a balanced signal, but that's about it

[@davedecker1725]

dUg!! If you plug your mic into it You'll SING like dUg😆

[@PushSueAside]

Still can't really decide. The difference was pretty wide, I thought. It almost sounded like the difference between tube and solid state or fresh strings vs. worn in. SH was definitely brighter and the DP was warmer. I think it would have to come to what your amp does and what it can't give you. Great video, thank you.

[@OliverTobyn]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, they overlap in some areas, but the can also go in very different directions. Personally I prefer the SH1 as I feel its easier to work with and get great sounds. The DP has more of a learning curve, and I feel it has less variety of sounds

[@PushSueAside]

Oliver Tobyn thanks fo the video and experience. I was kind of thinking along the same lines. It seems to ad more clarity and punch. I think I can get the tones of the dp wit stuff I already have but the sh seems to have tone that is a little harder to get naturally from the equipment I already have. And that should be why we add stuff to what we have, to reach sounds we can’t already reproduce. Cheers and thank you

[@OliverTobyn]

@@PushSueAside you're welcome. The unique features of the SH1 are the 12" speaker simulation and that ultra high frequency filter on the bite switch, definitely hard to get those sounds somewhere else

[@ibrahemkhames2298]

I like the dug pinnick preamp much heavier But im into steve harris style but i always boost things up 😁

[@Bcwilderness]

fulltone aby and both no fear of stereo here ampeg or trace 8x10 init

[@nicoloderossi3888]

Mi pare che il DP abbia un suono molto più chiuso, ovattato... Però per lo sporco funziona dannatamente bene! Per me SH per me vince sul pulito ma fa comunque bene sul distorto, mentre il DP mi pare vinca a mani basse sul distorto... Poi quel pulsante "carogna" sul SH da una notevole quantità di suoni con cui giocare... Penso di preferire lo SH che mi convince di più sul pulito e fa cmq un buon distorto anche se diverso

[@alessandrop.5131]

concordo.

[@NtWarlock]

Idem

[@Metalbass1979]

I seriously wish the Harris pedal had a compressor on it. If so, I'd be grabbing one right now.

[@OliverTobyn]

I was thinking the same thing when I first got it, as I knew Harris compressed his sound a lot. But honestly, I tried using a compressor with it and it kinda chokes the sound, I don't feel it sounds as good. Maybe by using the DBX as he does you can get better results. Though Micheal Kenney confirmed on his Facebook page that they're not using the compression as much as they used to.

[@stefanoribas]

@@OliverTobyn Brother I love your channel!!! Thanks a lot for all your reviews. And is that true, Harris is not conpressing his bass anymore?

[@kenneymusic]

@@OliverTobyn Steve's compressor isn't doing anything at all, besides providing a very good balanced signal for the power amps. That's why we didn't think about putting one in it. I don't think there was room for one, anyway.

[@OliverTobyn]

@@kenneymusic happy to see you on my channel! Thanks for all the insight you've given me, it has been really helpful in replicating Steve's sound in my Maiden tribute band!

[@flv2358]

Fun fact: the SH1's tube emulation actually makes it compress quite a bit (confirmed in an email conversation with Tech 21), although more in a cranked tube amp way than a separate compressor i.e. when you dig in. But here's a little trick: try pushing the gain past 3PM and compensating with the level knob. It actually squashes the signal real well and gives you a modern, compressed drive!

[@relaxingsounds1386]

If you're a bassist who plays with a lot of grind all the time, get the Pinnick. If you're an engineer who needs a versatile pedal for the studio, get the Harris.

[@ferox965]

I have the Pinnick. Up until Covid I gigged just about every genre, the Pinnick does all of it. Metal, country, blues folk, didn't matter. My last blues record (the day before Covid went public no less) with with the dUg straight in, no rig. Worked just fine.

[@CulDorcha1]

Steve Harris wins for me.

[@romino666]

tech21 SH1

[@patricklennox9572]

It's not Dug vs Harris. No need to choose either/or. One of each. I couldn't spend all day in the Dug, but I could have a lot of fun with it.

[@Loki_FPV666]

After watching this I definitely like the Steve Harris one better

[@marijandesin8226]

Try my DP-3X settings Drive 2 O'clock (Depressed) Comp MAX Bass MAX (turn down to suit the mix) Mid 2 O'clock High 2 O'clock Chunk 2 O'clock SHIFT (Depressed)

[@OliverTobyn]

Definitely will give that a try, thanks!

[@JLeppert]

I'll check it out tonight, thanks!

[@JorgeRodriguez-ml8jk]

Los dos son grandes pedales, pero el de Dug Pinnick se lleva la victoria, y eso que es mas barato.

[@KevinSmith-wb4ju]

S. Harris. More bite, brighter& louder!😮😊

[@PerezBroz-p5o]

Steve Harris

[@Klaus80804]

I think the main difference is. The Dug Pedal is more or less a one trick pony. You can have a great distortion sound, or if you want a good clean sound (but that's not the focus of the pedal) . The Steve Harris is at least a one and a half tricks pony. You can have a great clean sound and a usable distorted variation of that sound, thanks to the second channel with individual gain and master knobs. Also, I like the more mid focused EQ of the Steve Harris better, plus the speaker simulation on the SH-1 is absolutely awesome.

[@OliverTobyn]

Yeah I agree, though the SH can be quite versatile if you mess around with the mid controls, they really offer a wide range of sounds! The DP is definitely more focused on a specific sound, but it still has a few cards to play I believe.

[@JeffreyTheTaylor]

I think you can get a variety of great cleanish tones with the SH and your knobs on a multi pick up bass. The 4 band EQ and 2 channels just makes it stupid easy to get useful sounds. Love Dug, his playing, and that device for a much narrower range of uses. If you want that very liquid, boiling 90s tone that ranges into industrial and you DON'T want to drop $1500 on a head and cab, yeah you can't go wrong. I can imagine it on atmospheric soundtrack work, for example.

[@ferox965]

I gig all genres, at least up until Covid. Metal, country, folk, blues, funk. Your comment isn't correct. I have the Pinnick and gigged it hard.

[@ferox965]

@@OliverTobyn No. I have the Pinnick and I gig just about every genre you can think of.

[@williampierini8207]

Steve Harris Top

[@FinstaDaMinsta]

Dig the Dug Dude

[@lobotomy007]

DP troppo scavato sulle medie nel distorto, almeno rispetto al suono che voglio io

[@jonsidell3338]

I am subbing before watching just to remove the 666 from next to your user name.

[@OliverTobyn]

Hahaha well, I didn't get to enjoy it. The numbers last a few hours at most, not that I complain about it 😁

[@NodakSavage]

Should have left it, at least someone can rest easy knowing that they were probably 666. Thats good luck

[@NelsonMontana1234]

Stop fiddling with the knobs! Get a setting and leave it so the listener can compare!

[@SevanStick]

As long as I now walked the earth yet, there hasn‘t been a pedal that improved the dry sound of a bass. Useless.