Worship Leaders Network | Worship Leader Forum | Worship Leader Resources & Jobs
Gear & Equipment Review
I just realized one of the things I regularly search for is equipment review. New effects, new guitars, new mics, etc. I realize in the the respective groups this is done informally. Would Worship The Rock (and in turn it's members) benefit from a equipment review forum/database that would give feedback in a Worship context?
I read some reviews from Harmony-Central or Musicians Friend and sometimes I wonder, but what about in a Sunday Morning setting, is it practical? Are there pitfalls? Good for just upbeat Hillsongs United songs, bad for traditional hymn? Nails that Lincoln Brewster tone?
I do see some posts already with very direct questions, but I wonder if there are lots of people who wouldn't mind reviewing their current gear/equipment and maybe inspriing some of us to get the same stuff (or *not* get that same stuff).
Just a thought. Thought I throw that out there and see what people think.
I read some reviews from Harmony-Central or Musicians Friend and sometimes I wonder, but what about in a Sunday Morning setting, is it practical? Are there pitfalls? Good for just upbeat Hillsongs United songs, bad for traditional hymn? Nails that Lincoln Brewster tone?
I do see some posts already with very direct questions, but I wonder if there are lots of people who wouldn't mind reviewing their current gear/equipment and maybe inspriing some of us to get the same stuff (or *not* get that same stuff).
Just a thought. Thought I throw that out there and see what people think.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Lorraine Doswell on -
I for one think this is an excellent idea Wayne. I have very little knowledge and experience when it comes to this kind of thing and would value it greatly. God Bless. Lorraine
-
Permalink Reply by Wayne Pau on -
Bruce, off-topic, but I really like two of the telecasters I have with Humbuckers just in the neck position. I have a MIM Telecaster in tobacco burst that has been moded like a Andy Summers with a USA Gibson Burstbucker Pro and another partscaster with GFS humbucker, both in the neck position. I really like the combination, as I found it added a little more 'dirt' and 'grit' to the sound, and less twang. Perfect for those sets where you need more classic rock, driving feel, with the tone set low and volume on max. Originally, I couldn't really do that with the traditional single coil, lipstick pickup without it sounding thin. I didn't change out the pots (still the stock 250K, not 500K), so the neck is a little hot compared to the bridge pickup, so I don't use the middle position often.
It's still not exactly like Les Paul HH sound. I have two Squier Custom Telecasters, one with P-90s (upgraded to the USA Gibson vintage series P-90s) and one with Humbuckers that are great for a more aggressive tone. For a while I was chasing that HH telecaster sound, but the more I play with it, really I use only the neck humbucker, much less than the bridge. Just be weary of the volume difference going back and forth between the neck and bridge between songs in a worship set. The Les Paul 2x Volume x2 Tone controls I feel are much better in this case over the traditional Tele 1x Volume, 1x Tone control. (The two customs have the 4 knob, LP type controls.) But, you can still do some 'chicken pickin' with the traditional tele bridge pickup.
(I still have a Lite-Ash MIK tele with the Seymour Duncans in the traditional pick-up set-up when I need the true tele sound.)
Overall, Humbucker in the neck position in the telecaster, with the stop-tail, thru-body stringing sounds great. (I haven't tried it with top-loading, but I don't think it would sound as thick.) Very bold, decent volume and sustain. With a good humbucker, you can get a great thick, fat sound and it makes driving the tubes a little easier with a hotter signal.
Other options are more SG/Rockabilly style, going with a TV Jones/Fulltron or something like that. I've heard people having great success with that, but that didn't suit my music style currently.
-
Permalink Reply by jeremiah adams on -
yes, I think reviews would be nice. I was poking about harmony central yesterday and got off into the forums. Stumpled on a pretty nasty thread. Not sure what that thread was doing on a music site but it was there. My point is, I don't have any desire to stumple upon that sort of thing, so if we had some kind of reviews here, we'll it would reduce the likelyhood of less-than-wholesome stuff popping up.
-
Permalink Reply by Stevo on
-
How about if we do reviews and and links to any other reviews that are relevant and decent? I'm just concerned that the breadth and depth of reviews in this forum and context may be rather small given our relatively small universe of worship leaders who are interested.
Also, I'm surprised and saddened that you found such a thread. Sorry to hear that bro.
-
Permalink Reply by Stevo on
-
Another thing to add for all you gear heads - one of the best places to find out about various pedals is proguitarshop.com. We could include links from there. Almost every product page has a great video from "Andy of Proguitarshop.com". He does a great job of demoing the gear, such that you can tell if you're going to like the product or not. Just one thought.
-
Permalink Reply by jeremiah adams on
-
Yes, this type of info is very relevant. I come from a metal background, last tube amp I had was a mesa boogie dual rectifier. Can you imagine such a thing in worship setting? That's the direction I think of concerning tube amps, which is completely wrong for worship.
Now I'm looking to invest in a good tube amp in the next 6 months. I need something that both sounds good and won't drown out everyone else. Knowing ahead of time I can get buy on less than 15 watts is helpful.
-
Permalink Reply by Stevo on
-
Really? You wanna talk about tube amps? My favorite subject!
Hey, I had a Mesa F50 in church for years!
I really don't think 15 watts is usually for good clean headroom.
My recommendation for anyone who wants to spend only $400 on a tube amp is a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. It sounds blackface clean on channel one, overdrives nicely on channel two, has great tube-driven reverb, is reliable and the bias is user adjustable. Just a great all around tube amp that sounds very appropriate in worship settings. I played through one for a long time. I still wonder why I spent so much money moving around from amp to amp.
My path:
Hot Rod -> Mesa F50 -> Fender Pro Reverb Reissue -> Laney VC30 -> Mesa Subway Blues -> Fender Blues Junior -> Allen Encore. The Encore is rich and warm with enough sparkle in the upper end to lay out some nice arpeggios and fill parts.
-
Permalink Reply by Stevo on
-
Bruce, I tend to be the opposite of you - I can't stand solid state amps. They make me feel sick to my stomach when I turn them on.
Did you notice that a 15 watt solid state amp is really quiet compared to the 15 watt Haze? Tube amps get more power to the speaker for sure.
I haven't played a Haze, but how is it too loud? Isn't it a master volume 2 channel amp? You should be able to get clean and overdriven tones a just about any volume. And given that it's a 6v6 amp, I would expect fairly warm tones. Is it not warm? Kinda harsh or what?
-
Permalink Reply by Lorraine Doswell on
-
Soooooo, what's a tube amp then? A haze amp?? Is that the make, or the kind of sound it makes?
I love my amp, but I don't really have a clue how to get the best out of it, never had any advice and tend to stick to settings I am comfortable with, which is why I would love to be a bit more adventurous and learn from others.
This is a serious question, is this knowledge of gadgets a male thing then, or is it just me personally that is clueless - on second thoughts, don't answer that : )
-
Permalink Reply by Lorraine Doswell on
-
Hi Bruce, thanks for info.
A phaser? Isn't that what Captain Kirk uses to stun the baddies with, what kinda sound does that make then?
-
Permalink Reply by Stevo on
-
Lorraine,
Here is a phaser. You might instantly recognize a familiar sound from some popular recordings.
http://proguitarshop.com/store/phaser-pedals-mxr-phaser-pedals-c-11...
It's a bit like a chorus, but a little less whacked out. Like Bruce said so well, it sounds like something is being swung around your head!
Providing worship leaders with a worship leader social networking community of worship pastors, worship leaders and team members. Worship leader resources on WTR include worship set lists, worship leader forum, worship groups, worship leader jobs, popular worship songs, worship blogs from worship pastors, worship events, festivals and conference listings, a place to chat about all things worship related, videos and photos. WTR aims to resource worship leaders in the best possible way - by providing free worship leader tips and training resources.
© 2010 Created by Phil Williams.
