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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[ferox]

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.

[flv]

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!

[stringKen]

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.

[kevinsturges]

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.

[Koldunya]

Industrial music called, and it wants to borrow your pedals after hearing those extreme settings

[robertsands]

I have the DUG and I love it! But then again, I much prefer Doug Pinnick's tone to Steve Harris and thus it makes sense. lol

[japas]

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

[Motleybru]

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. 🤘

[chrishawkins]

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

[NodakSavage]

The early manual for the dp-3x has the mid shift button description backwards. With it up it's low mid, with it pressed in it's high mids. So many early reviews have it wrong because of this.

[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.

[astral_spectre]

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.

[mikesorbassguitar]

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

[joecastro]

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

[stringKen]

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.

[josefrancisco]

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 ?

[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+

[badger]

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

[frankortega]

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

[larsetom]

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.