Welcome to Worship Gear.
I would like
to use this space a way to inform those who want to know about some of the guitar
gear used in a weekly Christian corporate worship setting. My personal focus will be on electric guitar
gear, but I do hope to have guest columnists from time to time on other topics and
I invite your feedback.
Why
am I writing this? What makes me
qualified to tell anyone anything about guitars?
For a little background, I am not
writing this because I am superstar, gifted musician, or anything other than an
average guitar player. I write this
because I am a simple everyday person that God has gifted with a passion for
music, a sense of what sounds good and a desire to worship and grow closer to
Him. I have been playing and collecting
guitars as a hobby for the last 20 years (more collecting than playing at
times). I have played some really amazing
instruments and some pretty poor instruments along the way. I have also used some items that simply didn’t
fit either my style or the situation.
Early on, I thought: “Great!
This is my ticket to stardom. I
can pick up a guitar, learn a few chords and be on my way to rock royalty.” After all, it looked so easy on that MTV
thing in my college dorm room. Little
did I know then, that God would take me through the path that would lead me
from that college dorm (and playing bass in a band at frat parties for free drinks
and mostly to impress the girls), to this point of working for one of the
largest insurance companies in the world and playing music for the glory of
Christ. That’s a long way from the
bright lights and big stage of being a “rock star”. Along the way, I learned little bits and pieces
of playing the guitar, never really stringing them together well until a few
years ago when I joined my current church and musicians here, who have become
family to me, started helping me with more than just how and what to play, but
also why. God has had His hand on my life
all along, even in times of impatience and frustration to the point of wanting
to quit, bringing me to a place where I want to make music that honors Him and
do so in such a way that He shines through, not me.
Moreover, I have been blessed with the
opportunity and responsibility to serve on a regular basis with the worship
team at our local church, Landmark Baptist Church in Batavia, Ohio
(www.lbcohio.com). It is here that I am
in the trenches regularly, working to craft guitar tones to help deliver God’s
message through our music. We are an
average congregation in a suburban setting southeast of Cincinnati, Ohio. Like many others throughout the country, we
have made many transitions in the styles of our worship music over the last few
years. We have gone from basic, classic
piano based hymns lead by single individual; to an acoustic guitar player with
a couple of singers taking lead roles; to incorporating a full five or six
piece band including drums, bass and electric guitars in addition to keyboards
and acoustic guitars. Along the way, I
have encountered many growing pains as I try to assimilate electric guitar into
this role. I know that electric guitar
is not a new instrument to some worship groups, but I am willing to bet that it
is or will be to a vast majority, especially many small congregations. My hope is that my family of musicians and I
can pass along some the wisdom we have learned and continue to learn in this
process.
If you have been around either guitars
or worship music for any amount of time, I am sure that you have read or heard
a multitude of opinions about this item or style is so much better than this
other one over here, or read glowing reviews of a particular items works so
well only to try it out in your situation only to find that you didn’t like it,
or it just didn’t live up to the hype. Better
yet, you have a commissioned sales person trying to convince you that this $200
thing over here will work better for you than the $100 one that is in your
budget and does essentially the same function.
Others may tell you someone famous played a particular type of
instrument or amplifier and you should, too.
That is great, if it fits your situation, but seldom will an average
corporate worship service require the use of a massive 100 watt fire breathing
(insert your favorite famous name brand here) tube amp. I may not tell you anything new or earth-shattering,
but I will tell you my honest opinion and do my best to guide you through the
ins and outs of what I have experienced.
I have quite a few instruments in my
collection ranging from a budget priced First Act guitar that was plucked out of a trash can
by a close friend that I refinished and replaced the electronics in and made
into a nice player through a Gibson Les Paul and nearly everything in between, including
building my own instruments recently.
So, I know the value of a great guitar and the value of doing things on
a budget. I also have always been
fascinated with the workings of the guitar and much of my knowledge runs closer
to the technical side than the playing side, so forgive me if I get a little
geeky; it’s just how I am wired.
(Remember, I am an analyst for an insurance company 40 hours / week)
My musical influences run the range
through early Petra, Stryper, Casting Crowns, Kutless, Building 429, Lincoln Brewster,
Jeremy Camp and Third Day to Bon Jovi, Journey, Def Leppard and other such
‘80’s rock bands. Much of this you will find
has influenced my decisions on gear and settings through the years.
My philosophy on electric guitar in
worship is threefold. First, be
consistent and versatile and find gear that will give you consistency in its
tone and or function. Second, provide
rhythm support to the bass and drums in most situations. This seems like a very basic assumption, but
it can make a difference between serving the song and the situation or going
off on some tangent that hinders the worship experience of the congregation
that you are there to serve. Lastly, inflect
points of interest through textures that serve the songs and help move songs
along. These textures can come through a
playing style, like picking or strumming patterns; others come through the use
of some effects that alter the sound of your guitar.
Lastly, if you are a manufacturer or
retailer that has a piece of gear that you would like to submit for review, I invite
you to do so. We will provide an honest assessment from myself or a
member of my family of musicians and add it to the blog. This will give us new things to talk about. Plus, we’ll eventually exhaust my
collections.
Next time we’ll begin our series through
the various parts of my personal rig, including some pieces of my personal collection.
Until then, whatever you play, play it
unto the Lord in great praise for what He has done for you, for in His life,
death and resurrection Christ has come to set you free of sin and lead you to
His side.
- Psalm 115:1 – “Not to us, O Lord, not
to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness!”
God Bless,
D.K. Sears
Guitarist / Technical Advisor – Landmark
Baptist Worship
Founder / Lead Guitar Designer / Tone
Consultant – Crucible Guitar Works
Author – Worship Gear
Batavia, OH
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