If you want to understand Zal Cleminson guitars gear, you first need to understand the context — because context is everything with the Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Cleminson was the guitarist in one of the most genuinely deranged live acts in the history of British rock: a theatrical, violent, darkly comedic hard rock spectacle built around the charismatic insanity of vocalist Alex Harvey, and powered — tonally, rhythmically, harmonically — by Cleminson’s enormous, riff-driven, effects-saturated guitar work. He performed in full mime makeup: white face, painted-on tears, elaborate facial designs that made him look like a Weimar-era cabaret performer who had somehow ended up in a Scottish hard rock band. Which is approximately what he was. His guitar playing matched the visuals — extreme, committed, technically accomplished, and fundamentally, joyously unhinged.
Gear Timeline
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band operated between 1972 and 1977, with a brief reunion in 1979, and in that time produced a body of work that sits completely outside the normal categorisations of 1970s British rock. Too theatrical for straightforward hard rock, too heavy for glam, too weird for prog, too accomplished for punk — they were their own genre, and Cleminson’s Zal Cleminson guitars gear setup was a central reason why. His tone was huge, his riff vocabulary was encyclopaedic, and his ability to move between menacing noir atmospherics and full-bore hard rock assault without breaking stride was one of the defining qualities of the band’s live and recorded output. This is the complete breakdown of how he built that sound.
Background
Zal Cleminson was born on May 4, 1949, in Glasgow, Scotland — the same city that produced Alex Harvey, and a city with a musical culture markedly different from the London-centric British rock scene that dominated the mainstream media narrative. Glasgow’s rock scene in the late 1960s was rawer, more working-class, more directly influenced by American R&B and soul without the art-school filter that gave London’s music its more self-conscious quality. Cleminson absorbed this environment, developing as a guitarist through the local circuit before joining forces with Harvey.
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band formed in 1972 when Harvey — already a veteran of the British music scene with over a decade of recording and touring behind him, including stints as a session musician and with his own Soul Band — recruited a group of younger Glasgow musicians including Cleminson, bassist Chris Glen, drummer Ted McKenna, and keyboardist Hugh McKenna. Harvey was already in his mid-thirties when the band formed, an elder statesman figure whose theatrical, literary vision gave the group its conceptual framework; Cleminson and the other musicians provided the technical firepower that made the vision work on stage and on record.
The band’s Vertigo Records debut Framed (1972) announced their approach immediately — hard rock, cabaret, blues, and narrative theatricality combined in a package that had no real precedent in British rock. Next (1973), The Impossible Dream (1974), Tomorrow Belongs to Me (1975), and The Penthouse Tapes (1976) developed the formula into something increasingly sophisticated and increasingly extreme. The live album SAHB Stories (1976) is the essential document of the band at full power — captured on stage with the theatrical spectacle fully operational, Cleminson’s guitar playing is at its most expressive and most ferocious simultaneously.
Alex Harvey’s death from a heart attack in February 1982 closed the chapter definitively. Cleminson went on to work with Nazareth — appearing on their albums from 1978 through 1982 — before largely withdrawing from the professional music scene. He has made occasional appearances at SAHB tribute events and has been interviewed about the band’s legacy, but has maintained a low profile for most of the post-SAHB decades. His reputation among serious students of 1970s British hard rock has grown considerably as the revisionist appreciation of the SAHB’s work has proceeded — the band is now widely recognised as one of the genuinely original and significant acts of the British rock era.
Zal Cleminson Guitars Gear: The Complete Rig
Guitars
The Gibson SG Standard is the guitar most closely and most consistently associated with Zal Cleminson throughout the SAHB period — the instrument that produced the core of his hard rock rhythm and lead tone on the classic Vertigo albums. The late-1960s SG Standard specification represents the instrument at a specific point in its evolution: the original PAF humbuckers had transitioned to the Patent Number production specification (wound to similar DC resistance values of 7.5k–8.5k ohms but with a stamped patent number on the base plate rather than the “Patent Applied For” sticker), the neck profile had settled into the slim, fast “slim taper” configuration that would remain standard through the early 1970s, and the hardware had evolved from the earlier nickel-plated components to chrome-plated equivalents. The SG Standard’s construction — fully mahogany body and neck with no maple cap, 24.75-inch scale length, rosewood fretboard with crown inlays, the deep double-cutaway giving access to the 22nd fret — produces a characteristically aggressive, mid-forward tone that differs from the Les Paul’s warmer, more compressed character in specific and important ways. Without the maple cap’s brightness and the Les Paul’s greater body mass, the SG’s all-mahogany construction emphasises the midrange at the expense of the low-end weight and top-end sparkle; the result is a tone with a distinctive “bark” in the upper midrange that cuts through a dense ensemble mix with exceptional force. For Cleminson’s role in the SAHB — where he needed to project above Harvey’s theatrical vocals, Chris Glen’s bass, and Hugh McKenna’s keyboards simultaneously — the SG’s cutting midrange character was a practical as well as aesthetic choice.
The SG Standard’s Patent Number humbuckers in the late-1960s configuration used Alnico II rod magnets (transitioning toward Alnico V on some examples, depending on exact production date), double-coil construction with individual coils wound to approximately 3.8k–4.5k ohms each (summing to the 7.5k–8.5k ohm total DC resistance), and the characteristic enamel-coated wire that gives early humbuckers their slightly softer, more rounded high-frequency response compared to the plain wire used on later production. The bridge pickup in this configuration produces a bright, aggressive attack with excellent harmonic complexity through a driven valve amplifier — the specific character of the Zal Cleminson guitar tone on tracks like “Framed” and “The Faith Healer” is inseparable from this pickup’s response characteristics.
The Les Paul Custom in its early-1970s “Black Beauty” configuration — gloss black nitrocellulose finish, gold hardware, three-piece maple neck, ebony fretboard, multi-binding on body and neck — appeared in Cleminson’s documented setup alongside the SG. The early-1970s Custom used the transitional Gibson humbucker specification — the “T-top” humbucker, introduced from approximately 1968–1969, uses a different bobbin material (a T-shaped former giving the name) and slightly different winding characteristics than the earlier Patent Number humbuckers, producing a brighter, more modern-sounding humbucker character with somewhat reduced midrange warmth compared to the PAF and Patent Number variants. The T-top’s DC resistance of approximately 7.5k–8.0k ohms and its brighter tonal character gave the Les Paul Custom a different quality from the SG’s Patent Number pickups — cleaner, more defined, with better articulation in complex chord voicings — useful for the more harmonically sophisticated passages in the SAHB’s material.
The Gibson Flying V — in its late-1960s reissue configuration using a mahogany body (replacing the original 1958 korina wood construction), mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, and Patent Number humbuckers — appeared in Cleminson’s live setup during the SAHB’s more theatrical performances. The Flying V’s visual impact was considerable in a stage context built on theatrical excess, and its tonal character — brighter and more aggressive than the SG due to the V-shaped body’s different resonant characteristics, with a more prominent upper-midrange peak and less low-end mass — gave specific material an additional edge. The Flying V’s centre of gravity is also completely different from conventional guitar body shapes, requiring a different performance stance that suited the theatrical physicality of the SAHB’s live presentation.
A Gibson ES-335 — in its early-1970s configuration with the chrome-hardware, T-top humbucker specification described above — appeared in Cleminson’s studio work for passages requiring the semi-hollow body’s acoustic warmth and natural note bloom. The ES-335’s laminated maple body with solid centre block gave a different tonal quality for the SAHB’s more atmospheric, noir-influenced passages — warmer and more resonant than the SG, with the hollow wings contributing acoustic complexity that pure solid-body instruments lack. The ES-335 also provided better feedback control at high stage volumes than a fully hollow instrument while retaining more of the acoustic quality than a solid-body design.
CBS-era Fender Stratocasters — the large-headstock examples from 1967–1971 with the “CBS” headstock introduced in 1966, featuring the enlarged peghead with the “transition” Fender logo, and fitted with either rosewood or maple fretboards — appeared in Cleminson’s setup for specific tonal requirements. The CBS-era Strat’s single-coil Alnico V pickups (transitioning to ceramic magnets from 1970 onward on some production examples) gave a completely different tonal character from the Gibson humbuckers — brighter, more transparent, with the characteristic Strat “quack” in the in-between pickup positions (positions 2 and 4 on the later five-way switch) produced by the partial hum-cancelling interaction of adjacent pickups. Cleminson used Stratocaster tones for specific clean and semi-clean passages in the SAHB’s set where the Gibson’s warmer character would have been tonally inappropriate.
Documentation of Cleminson’s live setup includes instruments with custom paint jobs and modifications consistent with the SAHB’s theatrical aesthetic. Given his mime makeup stage persona, it is entirely consistent that his instruments were visually customised to match — painted bodies, custom pickguards, and hardware modifications appear in live photographs from the period. The specific modifications to individual instruments are less thoroughly documented than his primary instrument choices, but the visual customisation of his gear was clearly an extension of the band’s overall theatrical approach.
Cleminson used medium-gauge strings — most likely .010–.046 Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys or equivalent — consistent with the demands of a hard rock rhythm and lead player who needed both string mass for authoritative chord playing and sufficient playability for the wide-interval lead work that the SAHB’s material demanded. His action was set for standard electric playing rather than the high action of a slide player, and his intonation setup was optimised for the standard tuning in which virtually all SAHB material was performed.
Amps
The Marshall 1959 Super Lead was the foundational amplifier of Cleminson’s SAHB tone — the instrument through which the SG Standard’s Patent Number humbuckers were transformed into the enormous, saturated hard rock sound that defines the classic Vertigo-era recordings. The 1959 Super Lead in the 1969–1972 transition period — moving from the Perspex (Plexi) front panel of the 1965–1969 era to the brushed aluminum panel of the JMP (Jim Marshall Products) period from 1969 onward — retained the same fundamental circuit topology: four EL34 output tubes (typically Mullard xf2-coded examples in the UK, producing approximately 100 watts RMS into a standard 4×16 ohm load), three ECC83 (12AX7) preamp tubes, a long-tailed pair phase inverter, and the characteristic passive tone stack with bass, middle, and treble controls. The aluminium-panel JMP transition models are slightly different in character from the pure Plexi — the component tolerances were tightening as Marshall’s production became more standardised, giving a slightly more consistent but marginally less variable tone than the hand-built Plexi examples. Cleminson ran his 1959 heads into Marshall 4×12 cabinets loaded with Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt speakers — the 20oz ceramic-magnet Greenback’s 75Hz resonant frequency and characteristic compressed, harmonically complex breakup at high power inputs is inseparable from the British hard rock guitar sound of the period.
The Marshall JMP 1987 — the 50-watt version of the 1959 circuit, using two EL34 output tubes rather than four, producing approximately 50 watts RMS — appeared in Cleminson’s setup alongside the 100-watt version. The 50-watt Marshall has a tonally distinct character from the 100-watt: the two EL34 tubes operating at the same plate voltage as the four-tube 100-watt circuit are driven proportionally harder at equivalent volume settings, producing earlier and more pronounced output stage saturation. The 50-watt’s compression characteristic is also different — slightly more “saggy” and responsive, with a softer transient response that many players prefer for expressive lead playing. For recording contexts and smaller venues where the 100-watt’s full output was impractical, the 1987 gave Cleminson a tonally similar but operationally more flexible alternative. The 1987 also used the same ECC83 preamp topology and passive tone stack as the 1959, maintaining the fundamental tonal character of the Marshall family while delivering it at a more manageable power level.
Hiwatt’s DR103 — designed by Dave Reeves, hand-wired to an extraordinarily high standard by Harry Joyce at the Hiwatt workshop, using Partridge transformers (both the power transformer and the output transformer, the latter being critical to the amplifier’s characteristic punch, definition, and clean headroom) and four EL34 output tubes producing 100 watts RMS — appeared in Cleminson’s documented setup. The DR103’s circuit topology is significantly different from the Marshall 1959: where the Marshall uses a long-tailed pair phase inverter and a relatively simple preamp, the Hiwatt uses a cathode follower tone stage (similar to the Fender Bassman’s approach) feeding into a more complex preamp topology with greater overall gain and a more prominent presence circuit interaction. The Partridge output transformer’s superior winding technique and higher-quality core material give the Hiwatt its characteristic “immediate” feel — the amp responds to pick attack with a directness and clarity that Marshall users sometimes describe as “surgical” compared to the Marshall’s warmer, slightly softer character. Cleminson used the Hiwatt for passages requiring maximum definition and clean headroom, switching to the Marshall for heavier, more saturated rhythm work.
The Orange OR120 — Orange’s 120-watt flagship amplifier, introduced in 1968 and using four EL34 output tubes in push-pull configuration, a GZ34 rectifier (on earlier examples), and Orange’s distinctive graphic EQ rather than the conventional treble/middle/bass tone stack — appeared in Cleminson’s rig during the peak SAHB years. The OR120’s circuit produces a characteristically warm, harmonically complex overdrive tone that is distinct from both the Marshall and Hiwatt alternatives — less aggressive in the upper midrange than the Marshall, warmer and more “wooden” in character, with a characteristic low-midrange thickness that gives power chords additional body and weight. The graphic EQ’s individual frequency band controls give considerably more tonal flexibility than a conventional passive tone stack, allowing specific frequency ranges to be boosted or cut independently. The Orange aesthetic — the distinctive “tolex” covering, the chicken-head knobs, the yellow-on-orange graphics — also suited the SAHB’s visual theatricality. Orange amplifiers were associated with a specific tier of the British rock scene in the early 1970s, and their presence in Cleminson’s rig placed him visually and sonically within that community.
Effects
By the time Cleminson was building his SAHB rig in the early 1970s, the Fuzz Face had transitioned from the original NKT275 germanium transistors to silicon BC108C transistors — a change that occurred gradually from approximately 1969 onward as germanium transistor supplies became inconsistent. The silicon BC108C Fuzz Face has a fundamentally different character from the germanium NKT275 version: silicon transistors operate more consistently across temperature ranges, produce a higher-gain, more aggressive fuzz character with a brighter top end and less of the warm “bloom” of germanium, and do not clean up as gracefully when the guitar volume is reduced. The silicon Fuzz Face’s DC-coupled input (unlike the germanium version’s AC-coupled input) gives a slightly different impedance interaction with the guitar’s pickup, affecting the tonal response. For Cleminson’s hard rock application — where the fuzz was used for maximum-saturation lead tones rather than the dynamically sensitive clean-to-fuzz transitions of blues playing — the silicon version’s consistency and aggressive character were advantages rather than limitations.
The Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi in its second-version “Ram’s Head” configuration — using BC239C or 2N5133 silicon transistors in a four-transistor topology with two clipping stages, producing the characteristic smooth, sustained, mid-scooped fuzz tone — was a central component of Cleminson’s lead sound. The Ram’s Head Big Muff (named for the printed graphic on the enclosure) produces a distinctively different character from the Fuzz Face: where the Fuzz Face clips asymmetrically and produces a warm, harmonically complex fuzz with significant even-order harmonic content, the Big Muff’s symmetrical two-stage clipping produces a smoother, more compressed, more “singing” sustained tone with a pronounced mid-frequency scoop (the Big Muff’s tone control emphasises this characteristic at middle settings, scooping the midrange between approximately 500Hz and 2kHz). This mid-scoop can be problematic in a dense band mix — the frequencies that the Big Muff removes are precisely the frequencies that give guitar tone its presence and definition in an ensemble context — but Cleminson compensated by running the tone control toward the clockwise (brighter) position and using the amp’s mid-forward EQ to restore ensemble presence.
The original MXR Phase 90 in script-logo configuration — four J-FET transistors (2N5952 or equivalent) in a cascaded all-pass filter producing a four-stage phase shift, modulated by a single LFO with a speed range of approximately 0.5–10Hz — appeared in Cleminson’s rig during the mid-SAHB period. The script-logo Phase 90’s warm, relatively subtle phase effect — less intense and more organic than the later block-logo version — was used by Cleminson for specific rhythm passages where a dimensional, slowly-sweeping quality enhanced the hypnotic, theatrical character of the SAHB’s arrangements. On slower material with a sustained chord figure, the Phase 90 set to a slow speed (2–3Hz) adds a dimensional “breathing” quality that the SAHB’s most atmospheric material exploited effectively.
The Vox V846 wah — Fasel hand-wound inductor, 100k audio taper pot, BC109C silicon transistor, sweep from approximately 450Hz to 1.6kHz — was Cleminson’s primary expressive filter for lead work. His wah technique was theatrical and physical, consistent with the SAHB’s performance approach: he used the wah as a dynamic, visually engaging performance element as well as a tonal tool, the rocking motion of the wah pedal becoming part of the physical language of his stage presence. Tonally, the V846’s Fasel inductor gives a warmer, more vocal sweep than later Halo-inductor replacements, and the BC109C transistor’s moderate gain characteristic preserves the dynamic range of the input signal — important for a player working between clean and high-gain sounds in the same performance.
The Maestro Echoplex EP-3 — the transistorised successor to the tube EP-2, retaining the 1/4-inch tape loop mechanism but replacing the 12AX7 tube preamp with a solid-state circuit — provided Cleminson with tape-based echo for specific lead passages. The EP-3’s delay time range (approximately 80ms to 800ms) and the characteristic tape-based repetition quality — progressive high-frequency roll-off with each repeat, slight pitch modulation from the tape mechanism’s wow and flutter — gave sustained lead notes additional dimension and depth without the sterile precision of digital delay. Cleminson used tape echo primarily for lead work on the slower, more atmospheric SAHB numbers rather than as a permanent feature of his rhythm tone.
The Sola Sound Coloursound Overdriver — a germanium OC75 transistor overdrive pedal producing a warm, relatively low-gain overdrive rather than heavy fuzz saturation — appeared in Cleminson’s rig as a front-end boost for the Marshall amplifiers. The Overdriver’s circuit topology pushes the amplifier’s input harder without radically changing the guitar’s tonal character, adding harmonic richness and sustain that complemented the SG’s already forward-midrange character. Used before the Marshall’s input, the Overdriver functioned similarly to the Rangemaster treble booster but with a fuller, less frequency-selective boost character.
The Univox Uni-Vibe — four LDRs driven by a single incandescent lamp, producing an asymmetric phase modulation that approximates a rotating speaker effect — appeared in Cleminson’s setup for specific atmospheric passages. The Uni-Vibe’s LDR-based circuit produces a warm, organic modulation with a characteristic asymmetry (the phase advance and retard are not symmetrical, giving the effect a slightly “lopsided” sweep that sounds more organic than electronically precise modulation). On the Chorus setting, the Uni-Vibe adds a dimensional quality to sustained chords without the pitch modulation of the Vibrato mode — useful for the SAHB’s more theatrical, slow-moving atmospheric passages.
The original Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress — BBD-based analog flanger using MN3007 chips, with the distinctive “Filter Matrix” mode that locks the effect at a specific phase position — appeared in Cleminson’s later SAHB setup. The Electric Mistress’s flanger effect was used selectively for specific lead passages requiring the jet-like sweep of flanging, particularly on the later Vertigo-era recordings where the band’s sound was evolving toward a more effects-saturated character. The BBD-based analog flanging produces a warmer, more organic sound than digital flanger simulations, with the characteristic BBD noise floor and frequency roll-off at higher delay times contributing to the effect’s vintage character.
Playing Style & Tone Philosophy
Zal Cleminson was a band guitarist in the deepest and most comprehensive sense — a player whose entire approach was calibrated to serve the SAHB’s theatrical, ensemble-driven music rather than to showcase individual technique. This is not to say he lacked technique: the guitar parts on the SAHB recordings are technically accomplished, harmonically sophisticated, and rhythmically complex. But they are accomplished in service of a larger vision rather than as ends in themselves, and this quality — the subordination of individual display to collective musical purpose — is one of the distinguishing characteristics of great ensemble guitarists across all genres.
His rhythm playing was the bedrock of everything. The SAHB’s arrangements were dense — Harvey’s theatrical vocals, Hugh McKenna’s keyboards, Chris Glen’s melodic bass, and Ted McKenna’s powerful drumming all competed for sonic space, and Cleminson’s guitar had to establish harmonic authority without overwhelming the ensemble. He achieved this through a combination of the SG’s cutting midrange projection, the Marshall’s natural compression at high output levels, and a careful attention to voicing — choosing chord positions that occupied their own frequency space rather than doubling the keyboard’s harmonic content or conflicting with the bass’s low-end presence.
His riff writing was central to the SAHB’s identity. The opening riff of “The Faith Healer” — one of the great hard rock riffs of the 1970s, a grinding, menacing figure that builds anticipation across its repeated iterations — demonstrates Cleminson’s gift for creating riffs with theatrical as well as musical function. The riff is not merely a harmonic statement; it is a piece of drama, a structure that creates suspense and releases it in a way that served Harvey’s theatrical performance approach perfectly. This integration of musical and theatrical function — where the guitar part does emotional and dramatic work rather than merely providing accompaniment — is one of the SAHB’s most distinctive qualities and one of Cleminson’s most significant contributions.
His lead playing drew from the British hard rock vocabulary of the early 1970s — pentatonic-based phrasing, expressive bending and vibrato, controlled feedback — but applied it with a theatricality and physical commitment that matched the band’s performance approach. He played leads as if they were acts of violence, with the kind of commitment that transcends technical proficiency and communicates something direct and visceral to the audience. The wah pedal was a crucial tool in this theatrical lead approach — not used subtly or sparingly, but deployed as a physical performance element, the rocking motion becoming part of the visual language of his stage persona.
It is also worth noting that Cleminson’s tonal palette was wider than his reputation as a hard rock riff machine suggests. The SAHB’s catalogue includes passages of genuine delicacy — atmospheric interludes, semi-clean rhythm textures, and lead lines with a melodic sensitivity that demonstrates a player of real dynamic range. The transition between “The Faith Healer’s” grinding main riff and its more spacious, atmospheric sections required Cleminson to deploy completely different tonal approaches within a single performance, switching between the Marshall’s driven aggression and the Hiwatt’s cleaner, more transparent character for those quieter passages. The Hiwatt’s clean headroom was essential here — a Marshall at the same volume settings would have been too saturated for the contrast the arrangement demanded. The Big Muff Pi’s mid-scoop, conversely, was an advantage in those contexts: cutting through the dense mix while simultaneously carving out a frequency space that the keyboards and bass didn’t occupy. Understanding Zal Cleminson guitars gear means understanding that the rig was built not just for volume and aggression but for a specific kind of theatrical musical storytelling that required the full dynamic range from near-silence to maximum assault.
Tonally, Cleminson’s philosophy was built on maximum impact rather than maximum nuance. His tone was designed to be enormous in a live context — to fill the physical space of a theatre or arena, to project above a loud band, and to communicate urgency and energy even at the back of a large room. This required the SG’s cutting midrange, the Marshall’s natural compression and harmonic complexity at high volume, and a signal chain that added sustain and saturation without obscuring the fundamental rhythmic clarity that the riff-driven SAHB arrangements demanded. The effects — fuzz, wah, phase, echo — were deployed as expressive tools rather than as a consistent tonal environment, enhancing specific passages rather than continuously colouring the sound.
How to Sound Like Zal Cleminson
Guitar Approach
A late-1960s Gibson SG Standard or a high-quality equivalent is the essential starting point for Zal Cleminson guitars gear tone. Modern options: the Gibson SG Standard with ’61 humbuckers (voiced to approximate the Patent Number specification), the Gibson SG Special Faded (fitted with 490R/498T pickups), or — for a budget-conscious approach — an Epiphone SG Standard with aftermarket humbuckers (Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB in the bridge and SH-1 ’59 in the neck is a classic combination that captures the forward-midrange, aggressive character of the Patent Number pickup). Set the bridge pickup volume full up and tone at 8–9 for the characteristic SG bark; roll back to the neck pickup for warmer, more sustained lead passages.
Pick attack is crucial — Cleminson’s rhythm playing was authoritative and physically committed, using a heavy pick (1.0mm–1.5mm) with a firm but controlled attack. The SG’s light body and resonant neck make it physically responsive to pick attack in a way that heavier instruments aren’t — dig in, and the guitar responds with immediate tonal aggression. For the theatrical lead passages, loosen the pick grip slightly and let the pick drag across the strings for a warmer, more singing lead tone.
Amp Approach
A Marshall 1959-type amplifier — JMP-era (1969–1981) for the transition-period sound Cleminson used, or a Marshall 1959HW reissue for a more vintage-accurate option — into a 4×12 cabinet with Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt speakers is the foundation. Run the input volume high to push the preamp into natural saturation. The Orange OR120 alternative (or a modern Orange Rockerverb 100 MKIII, which uses a similar EL34 circuit topology) gives the warmer, thicker, more compressed alternative for specific material.
| Control | Setting (0–10) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Input Volume | 7–9 | Hard preamp drive — the SG’s midrange through a driven Marshall is the core SAHB sound |
| Bass | 5–6 | Firm low end — enough body for power chords, controlled enough for riff clarity |
| Middle | 7–8 | Forward mids — the SG/Marshall combination is naturally mid-forward; don’t fight it |
| Treble | 5–7 | Higher for the “Faith Healer” riff aggression; lower for atmospheric material |
| Presence | 5–6 | Moderate — adds articulation and edge to the SG’s bridge pickup character |
| Master Volume | 6–8 | Push the output stage — natural EL34 compression is non-negotiable for this sound |
| Big Muff Pi (leads) | Sustain 7, Tone 2 o’clock, Volume unity | Ram’s Head spec — smooth sustained fuzz, tone pushed clockwise to compensate mid-scoop |
| Phase 90 Speed | 3–4 | Slow dimensional sweep for atmospheric chord passages |
| Tape Echo (leads) | 200–300ms, 1 repeat, 20% mix | Depth without clutter — enhances sustain on long lead notes |
Add the silicon Fuzz Face (Dunlop JHF2 BC108 silicon version, or a DIY BC108C build for maximum authenticity) for maximum-gain lead work — set the Fuzz control to 8–9 and Volume to unity, use the guitar’s volume to back off to semi-clean territory. The Vox V846 wah (or a Dunlop 535Q with the range set to approximate the V846’s 450Hz–1.6kHz sweep) for theatrical wah-driven lead passages — set the Q control to give a narrower, more vocal peak. Tape echo (Fulltone Tube Tape Echo or Strymon El Capistan in tape mode) at 200–300ms for lead depth.
Influence & Legacy
Zal Cleminson and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band occupy a unique and underappreciated position in the British rock narrative — a band that did something genuinely original at a moment when British rock was producing genuinely original things, and that has been consistently undervalued by the mainstream critical narrative precisely because they didn’t fit neatly into any of the available categories. The SAHB’s combination of hard rock, theatrical performance, literary narrative, and dark humour was a genuinely novel synthesis, and Cleminson’s guitar work was the sonic architecture on which that synthesis was built.
His influence on the generation of British hard rock and heavy metal players who followed is real but underacknowledged — the combination of SG-driven, mid-forward hard rock tone with theatrical stage presence and riff-centred songwriting that Cleminson embodied in the SAHB was absorbed by a generation of Scottish and British players who went through the SAHB’s live experience and took lessons from it. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s — many of whom shared geographic and cultural roots with Cleminson — owed something to the template he established, even if the specific connection is rarely explicitly cited.
The most direct comparison in the context of Zal Cleminson guitars gear and playing approach is with Bernie Marsden — another British hard rock guitarist of the same generation who used similar Gibson/Marshall combinations to build enormous ensemble guitar tones in service of theatrically ambitious rock music. The parallel with Mick Ralphs — the Bad Company and Mott the Hoople guitarist who shared Cleminson’s commitment to riff-driven hard rock songwriting and Marshall-driven tone — further illuminates the network of British hard rock guitar thinking in which Cleminson’s work sits. And the broader connection to Leslie West — the American hard rock guitarist whose Mountain work shared the SAHB’s commitment to enormous, physically impactful guitar tone in a theatrical rock context — places Cleminson in the transatlantic hard rock tradition that was defining the parameters of heavy guitar music through the early 1970s.
Frequently Asked Questions: Zal Cleminson Guitars & Gear
What guitar did Zal Cleminson play in the Sensational Alex Harvey Band?
Zal Cleminson’s primary guitar throughout the SAHB period was the Gibson SG Standard — specifically late-1960s examples with Patent Number humbuckers, the slim taper mahogany neck, and the characteristic double-cutaway body that gives the SG its aggressive, mid-forward tonal character. The SG Standard’s all-mahogany construction (no maple cap) produces a distinctively barking upper-midrange tone that cut through the SAHB’s dense ensemble texture with exceptional force. He also used a Gibson Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” (early 1970s, T-top humbuckers), a Gibson Flying V (late-1960s reissue), and CBS-era Fender Stratocasters for specific tonal requirements.
What amplifiers did Zal Cleminson use?
Cleminson’s primary amplification was the Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100-watt head — the JMP transition-period version (1969–1972) with four EL34 output tubes, three ECC83 preamp tubes, and the long-tailed pair phase inverter, run into Marshall 4×12 cabinets with Celestion G12M Greenback 25-watt speakers. He also used the Marshall JMP 1987 50-watt head (two EL34 output tubes, earlier output stage saturation), the Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 (Partridge transformers, cathode follower tone stage, exceptional clean headroom), and the Orange OR120 (120 watts, EL34 output, graphic EQ, characteristic warm/woody overdrive character).
Why did Zal Cleminson wear mime makeup on stage?
The mime makeup — white face with painted-on tears and elaborate facial designs — was Cleminson’s contribution to the Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s theatrical stage presentation. Alex Harvey’s concept for the band was explicitly theatrical, drawing on cabaret, music hall, and performance art traditions as much as rock music. Each band member had a visual persona: Harvey himself performed in character-based costumes, and Cleminson’s mime makeup gave him a distinct stage identity that complemented Harvey’s theatrical direction while establishing an individual visual language. The character suggested a melancholy, slightly sinister clown figure — consistent with the SAHB’s dark, carnivalesque aesthetic.
What effects did Zal Cleminson use?
Cleminson’s core effects included a silicon BC108C Fuzz Face (more aggressive and consistent than the germanium NKT275 version) for high-gain lead work; an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi Ram’s Head (four-transistor smooth sustained fuzz with mid-scoop, BC239C transistors) for lead sustain; an MXR Phase 90 script-logo (four-stage J-FET phaser) for atmospheric rhythm textures; a Vox V846 wah (Fasel inductor, BC109C transistor) for expressive theatrical lead work; a Maestro Echoplex EP-3 (tape-based echo) for lead depth; and a Coloursound Overdriver (OC75 germanium) as a front-end boost for the Marshall. The Orange OR120’s graphic EQ also served as a sophisticated tonal shaping tool beyond the Marshall’s passive tone stack.
What is the Sensational Alex Harvey Band’s most celebrated guitar track?
“The Faith Healer” — from the album Next (1973) — is the essential Cleminson showcase and the SAHB’s most celebrated guitar performance. The opening riff is one of the most dramatically effective hard rock guitar figures of the era: a grinding, building, menacing figure that creates theatrical anticipation before the song’s explosive development. The combination of Cleminson’s SG Standard through a cranked Marshall, the Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi for the lead sections, and the physical commitment of his performance on the live versions (particularly the reading on SAHB Stories, 1976) makes “The Faith Healer” a masterclass in guitar-as-theatre rather than merely guitar-as-music.
What happened to Zal Cleminson after the Sensational Alex Harvey Band?
Following the SAHB’s breakup after Alex Harvey’s death in February 1982, Cleminson joined Nazareth — the Dunfermline-based hard rock band — appearing on their albums Malice in Wonderland (1980), The Fool Circle (1981), 2XS (1982), and Sound Elixir (1983). He left Nazareth in 1983 and subsequently withdrew largely from the professional music scene, working in non-music industries. He has made occasional appearances at SAHB tribute and anniversary events and has been interviewed about the band’s legacy, but has maintained a consistently low profile for most of the decades since the SAHB period.
How does Zal Cleminson’s playing style differ from other 1970s British hard rock guitarists?
The primary distinguishing characteristic of Cleminson’s playing within the 1970s British hard rock context is its theatrical integration — the guitar parts were written and performed not merely as musical statements but as dramatic contributions to the SAHB’s overall theatrical vision. Most British hard rock guitarists of the period were working within a straightforward concert performance framework; Cleminson was working within something closer to musical theatre, where the guitar’s role was to create dramatic as well as musical effects. This gave his riff writing a literary and narrative quality — riffs as dramatic devices rather than purely musical ones — and his lead playing a theatrical physicality that was distinct from the more conventionally musical approach of contemporaries like Bernie Marsden, Mick Ralphs, or Brian Robertson.