Worship Gear - Vol. 11

Below is the brief presentation I made during my Dad's memorial service

A tribute to my dad: David Sears

There are many things that have been said about my dad.

·         Diplomat

·         Provider

·         Coach

·         Mentor

·         Protector

My dad was many of these things to me and many others.

He was always trying to keep everyone calm and peaceful while working to minimize any drama.  He traveled the world while providing a good living for our family.  He taught me baseball, soccer and the importance of car control.  He helped me learn how to build a career, follow my passions, to always do my best and to always push forward and make the most of any situation.  He fiercely protected my mom and our family to the very end.

Most of all, though, he was a lover of Jesus Christ and a great example of faith in Him.  Many times, when things seemed to working well, or working against him, Dad would point us back to the goodness of Christ and His love for us.  Even in the end, Dad wanted to focus on the grace and mercy of Christ.

Many things have been said about my dad and the type of man he was, but most of all I will remember him as a good Godly man and follower of Christ.

Worship Gear - Vol. 12

Not too long ago, Scott White, an old friend, reached out to me with some questions on programming his POD HD for some upcoming worship sets that he was planning for his church services. He wanted some help trying to nail the sounds he was hearing in the recordings.  Here’s the email exchange we had:

Scott’s request:

“Hey bro,

I need some expert advice so I'm coming to the expert.

We are finally integrating electric guitar into our group. I'm using my Gibson Les Paul along with POD HD500.

I know how to set up the foot pedal, but I'm not sure which amps, cabs, pedals and effects etc to use in these songs.

The songs I need set up advice are:
You are everything
Sing Sing Sing
Forever Reign

They sound very similar to me. I would like to keep it simple to start as far as set up.

Any help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Here is the link containing the songs

CPCOH Sunday Set List:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx75xoWWY-ia68pGjVnyCqKbDB4lWi3Nw”

My reply:

“Hey, Bro.

Hope your getting along well.  Odds are they are all using a similar “formula”

With the Les Paul and the POD, I would start with a Fender Blackface Deluxe (or something similar), Vox AC 30 (Beatles-esque), or a Marshall JTM (pre-Plexi, think Malcolm Young from AC/DC’s rhythm tone) style amp set bright.  Either should be set to just slightly overdrive, but will clean up when you back off the guitar’s volume a little bit.  This should cover 75-80% of your base tones for Comtemporary Worship music.

Pedal-wise, I would put a little boost like a TubeScreamer (sometimes Line 6 describes it as the favorite green box or something like that) in front for more gain / overdrive / distortion when you need it, and set it to taste.  You can experiement a little with different distortion / overdrive effects here to sculpt your desired sound, the TubeScreamer is pretty much the standard and most commonly used.

Other effects that I hear in these songs are some reverb, probably just a quick release plate reverb to add a little sheen over top of the sound.  I wouldn’t go overboard with effects, there’s not much here, maybe a little slapback delay (single, short repeat very close to the original in timing that sounds like a little extention of the same note), might take the place of the reverb in a few places, but that’s the only real difference I hear.

Have fun!  Let me know if you need my help.”

Scott’s response after the set:

“The tone advice worked great!!!”

My reasoning for this post and including the above exchange is that my guitar rig, Scott’s guitar rig, your guitar rig or any guitar rig does not exist in a vacuum.  That is to say that when you are chasing a sound, you need to think about the overall rig holistically and that each part of the chain from strings and picks to tubes and speakers work together to present your end product to the audience.  Some might call this an obsession, but I know, personally, I am much more confident when playing that I am getting a sound that I am expecting and it’s consistent.  To build and maintain this consistency, I tend to invest as much, or more, in time researching and auditioning components (pickups, amps, pedals etc.) as I do in money to purchase them.  Part of our goal for Crucible Guitar Works is to keep developing this conversation and continually learning as well as advising players along the way.  I invite all of you to become part of the conversation, here on the blog, on Twitter @CrucibleGuitars and on the Crucible Guitar Works Facebook page.

There are many basic “formulas” out there from which to start as you can see from the e-mail exchange, but sometimes you have try a couple to see what’s best for you.

God Bless,

D.K. Sears

Guitarist / Technical Advisor – Landmark Baptist Worship

Founder / Lead Guitar Designer / Tone Consultant – Crucible Guitar Works

Author – Worship Gear

Worship Gear - Vol. 10

This month at Worship Gear I’m going to take a break from the usual mundane talk about guitar gear and focus on some recent thoughts I’ve had on worship and life in general.

Over the past few months members of our community group have been doing a couple of different studies in addition to our pastor’s teachings on 2 Corinthians.  Some ideas have struck me during these studies and I have felt compelled by the Spirit to share them.  These thoughts are to encourage everyone out there to, as early as possible, come to terms with two things in life.

 

First, determine spiritually what it is you believe and more importantly why.  Coming to terms with your spiritual nature will have a profound impact on your life.  It’s only been over the last few years and the teachings and mentoring by a few biblically solid people in my life that I have really come to discern why I am a Christian.  Not just that I was raised in a Christian home or attended Christian churches most of my life, but because Christ, as part of the Holy Trinity, came to earth as man to live a sinless, blameless life only to be crucified on the cross by those he came to save.  Sin called for a sacrifice to end all sacrifices and  God himself, as Christ incarnate, laid Himself out as that sacrifice.  Therefore, sin is a BIG deal.  God is just and vengeful, in that unrepentant sin will be met by His judgment in the final day.  In this day that everyone says they should all and not judge, I think it’s still important to distinguish the power of sin in our world and the hope of Christ to forgive that sin and the shame that comes with it.  As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be in accountable relationships that help us grow through loving admonition and grace.  It may not be comfortable at times, if ever, but it is an important part of growing in Christ.

Second, determine your goals in life as early as possible.  Once you determine those goals, pursue them with full throttle enthusiasm and determination.  However, also know that God’s plan for your life may not line up perfectly with yours.  Living life with few regrets, to me, is a sign of maturity.  I can choose to be regretful and bitter that I am not where I thought I would be at this stage in my life, or I can be grateful and content with where God’s providence has brought me.  God has blessed my life in so many ways, that it would not be fair to be ungrateful that I am not the “rock star”, or not living in a plush mansion near Nashville or even simply not working within the music industry where I would like to be.  There is every reason to worship Him in every circumstance, simply because of Christ’s life, death, burial and resurrection.  The hope this brings to everyone and the promise of life everlasting.

God Bless,

D.K. Sears

Guitarist / Technical Advisor – Landmark Baptist Worship (www.lbcohio.com)

Founder / Lead Designer / Tone Consultant – Crucible Guitar Works

(www.facebook.com/crucibleguitarworks) (Twitter: @CrucibleGuitars)

Author – Worship Gear

Worship Gear - Vol. 9

Kit or custom?

I have had several people make the statement to me that Crucible Guitars are basically assembled from a kit or model.  It is true that much of a Crucible Guitar is created using pieces that are either pre-formed or completed to a certain stage upon arrival, but I do not believe that “kit” really encompasses what we do.  In fact, most people would be surprised to see how much, or little, of their favorite guitar of any make is actually made within the manufacturers’ own facilities.  When someone uses the word kit or model, I think of something that has very little of the creator instilled in it when it finished.  We are all individuals and our fingerprints or techniques will leave some indelible impression on the final product of anything we create, and the purchaser of a Crucible Guitar Works creation has sizeable input into what the finished product looks, sounds, feels and plays like.

Most guitar kits on the market do not allow for the purchaser to choose the type of wood for the neck or body, scale length, pickup configuration, hardware, pickup routing options or finishes.  Almost all of these are at the clients choosing on a Crucible creation, within reason.  

Want a mahogany “strat” with three humbuckers and a string-through hard tail bridge?

We can do that.

Want to add a quilt maple top with a dyed, stained, sunburst or hand applied oil finish?

We can do that.

Want to make it with your choice of scale length, 24 ¾ or 25 ½ ?

We can do that.

We source our parts from some of the same manufacturers that supply larger companies, and many of our parts are made in the U.S.

Two things we maintain as standards in a Crucible Guitar Works creation, stainless steel frets and satin finish necks.  We like both of these features as they add to the playability and, in the case of the stainless steel frets, the longevity of the instrument.  Satin finish necks just feel better and don’t tend to feel sticky to your hand as you play for long hours.  Stainless steel frets feel smoother and are far more wear resistant than standard nickel-silver fret wire.

Is there anything we don’t do at Crucible Guitar Works?  Lots! But two in particular.  First, we don’t cut corners.  Second, we don’t do “relic” or artificially age a guitar.  Not that there is anything wrong with the concept.  In fact, some of the best overall guitars I have played recently have been aged guitars from Nash guitars.  It is just something we prefer not to do at this point in time, but never say never.

Lastly, all profits earned on Crucible Guitar Works products or services are donated to further the ministry and community work of Landmark Ministries in Batavia, OH.  At Landmark, they are concerned about the well being of not only their families, but also the community of which they a part.  Through ministries such as weekly congregational services, local community group sharing lives together, Wrapping Clermont Together, and Steel Horse Ministries, Landmark is hard at work spreading the love and gospel of Jesus Christ.

God Bless,

D.K. Sears

Guitarist / Technical Advisor – Landmark Baptist Worship (www.lbcohio.com)

Founder / Lead Designer / Tone Consultant – Crucible Guitar Works

(www.facebook.com/crucibleguitarworks) (Twitter: @CrucibleGuitars)

Author – Worship Gear