Hey All Of You Church Players!

[pastorscotty]

I have used a Vox tone lab, a fender tweed deluxe, and a Kustom 36 coupe. But have found the itty bitty Champ to be the best for me. Light weight, great cleans (roll guitar volume down). Singing leads with the ts 9. Granted our band is pretty much straight ahead blues rock - no fancy tap tempos or huge production eg. Hill Song etc...

I use a MXR carbon copy and a TS9 with a strat or tele. Slap a SM57 in front of it and ask the sound guy to crank it in the monitors...

[philcoleman4]

Suhr Badger 18 watt Head into a Dr Z Z-best 2-12 cabinet.
Fender highway one strat with a suhr ssv in the bridge and rocketfire total 60's in the middle and neck.
I recommend the badger for Volume, power scaling is quite remarkable. I can play at any volume and become a sound man's best friend.

[Deadduck]

I'm looking to buy an AC-15 or an orange tiny terror to use at church.

Two good choices. I use a Tiny Terror head into an Avatar 2x12 with Weber Blue Dogs. Using a cheap Danelectro eq pedal to boost the upper mids and highs a tad, I can get get a pretty Voxy vibe out of it, particularly with my Strat. But with my Casino with P-90s, its Orange nature really comes out with a nice OD when I want it. I mainly use my guitar's volume knob to go from semi-clean to crunch.

For church playing I really like the gain and volume on the TT, and the 7 watt option. It allows me to get good sounds at the low volumes we have to run. Of course, like any other tube amp, it really sounds it's best turned up.

[rowdyyates]

Fender Super Champ XD. It's cheap, sounds good, has effects and a direct out. I leave it there. Use my Dr. X MAZ 18 for non church gigs

[dbeeman]

I am using a TwoRock Onyx thru 2 *12 oval back with a sound baffle in back of it and a plexi shield in front

[bunimoo]

Hey guys,

just a quick question. I am in the market for an amp. I play for my church(about a congregation of 4-500) and have been using my buddy's Vox AC-15 with the celestion blue speaker and it is just absolutely great but it's a pretty loud amp with our fairly small sanctuary.

I was wondering if you guys had any good suggestions for a smaller tube amp. I am going to try out the Orange Tiny Terror Combo tonight but was wondering if you guys had great experiences with other ones? We play a lot of Hillsong, Crowder, Tomlin stuff.

I am using a Gibson Les Paul btw. Thanks!!

[alexf0711]

since my church is small, i usually end up not mic-ing my fender princeton 65w solidstate amp. i do use a few pedals though, and this is my signal chain:
Boss tuner -> visualsound route 66 -> radial tonebone trimode distortion -> t.c. electronic nova delay -> visualsound H2O -> dunlop volume pedal.
could use a tube amp, but my church doesn't have the budget for it, neither do i, and prolly doesn't want me to drive the tubes into distortion and drown out everything else. :P

[OliverGuitars]

I have heard from a few church players that an awesome amp is the Port City Twelve combo.

Just loud enough, but not too loud. But you can still use the amps OD since it is only 12 watts. I love mine, but I dont play at churches.

[Nickcha]

Hey guys,

just a quick question. I am in the market for an amp. I play for my church(about a congregation of 4-500) and have been using my buddy's Vox AC-15 with the celestion blue speaker and it is just absolutely great but it's a pretty loud amp with our fairly small sanctuary.

I was wondering if you guys had any good suggestions for a smaller tube amp. I am going to try out the Orange Tiny Terror Combo tonight but was wondering if you guys had great experiences with other ones? We play a lot of Hillsong, Crowder, Tomlin stuff.

I am using a Gibson Les Paul btw. Thanks!!


If you like the AC15 (or AC30 for that matter), you should know that they will be LOUD in a combo open-back set up. Whether it's 1 or 2 12s is immaterial. But if you run an AC15 (or 30) through a closed back cab you can tame the daylights out of it. I've used lots of vintage 60s AC30s (and an AC15) in our small sanctuary. And when I pair it with either a '65 or '68 Marshall 412 the difference in volume control is significant. You can then easily isolate or baffle the 412 and play at perfect P&W levels. I do it successfully all the time. Works like a charm.

So don't give up on those VOXes if you like 'em. Change the cab and deal with the directional cone blast, and you'll be right where you need to be.

Most guys keep fighting this volume battle by getting smaller wattage combos and it's usually the wrong way to go. By the time you've found a "little amp" that plays at the low level you want, the tone and umph is completely gone! 412s with H30s or Alnicos are perfect for small venues because you can play at LOW VOLUME and get a BIG sound, without turning the congregation into an audience.

Hope that helps. Try it out before you miniaturize and whimp-out your tone. :aok:aok

[Nickcha]

PS...

You can see one of the 2 Lexan baffles I've used with my 412s in the pic. At present I'm running 2 amps (both with 412s) and I've built sound-proof insulated boxes around them. I mic them inside and the sound is terrific in the PA. Also, the stage level is VERY low, which makes everyone happy. :)

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2001-12/6752/Group2+.jpg

[tookermel]

Tele and the occasional Strat through a few pedals, then through an Overbuilt Limey, then a JDesign 2X12 open back with a Blue/G12H30 mix.

I'll try to nab a photo or two tomorrow night...

-Tookermel

[RMS]

Custom 24 to Bad Horsie wah to Digitech GNX 4 direct to the board. Separate output to Marshall closed-back 20W Combo facing me for monitor.

The digitech is good due to the flexibility needed to play all the different styles. Though I admit it's tough to coax outstanding tone from it, it's usually very good to excellent.

If I don't need to change tones much for a set, I sometimes go with a POD 2.0. instead. I can get better tones out of the POD.

Anyway I'm having a blast praying with my guitar in hand!!

[stubbyJ]

I completely agree with NICKCHA regarding the use of the 4x12.

I've recently started using them for worship and I will never go back(Bogner 4x12 slant and straight).

I can keep it at church so hauling is not an issue.

For an amp, I use the shiva.

One thing I very much like about the shiva is the great bedroom level tones it can produce.

As the cab(s) is closed back, the spread is very minimal and easy on others. The slant does shoot a tad more highs, at a higher level, but this can be good, as you can hear yourself better when standing close to the cab.

The back of my cab is about 2 feet from the piano player and she is always asking me to turn up = our stage volume is stupid loud, but yet it is still shows how its not too much.

This rig can be blasted, yet confined to me only, or ran at very low volumes, and due the the 4,12s, the sound is rather full.

If you can, try it.

[Iceman63]

For the past several months I've been using my little Valvetrain Lexington Reverb 6watter running it into a semi openback 1X12 cab...sometimes a closed back 1X12 cab. I run my pedalboard into it. It only has a volume, tone, and reverb control...very simple and pure. I run the volume wide open, and overdrive it if I want more crunch or overdriven solo tone. It's very lound on stage and we mic up everything, so I use a Hot Plate to control overall volume. Some of the other guitar players that rotate through the church band use POD's or BOSS multiprocessors and rum'em through thier amp of choice...usually small Fenders.

[The Kid]

I've been using an Ampeg J20 Jet and mic'ing it, because the B3 is pumpin. The /13 is going to be my go to from now on though. ;) Hallelujah!

[noyztoyz]

hey greg
for me! I use a fender hot rod deville 2x12(slightly modified) and a TC electronic delay peda(no tone loss at all) in the effect loop,then an SM57 mic slightly of center from one of the speakers 5inch back.

The biggest help when playing at churches is The "AMP SHIELD" this is the same material that is use for the big drumshield but made for the guitar amp 2x12 size. What I also did was put a very thin type carpet covering on the amp shield(black color) and glue tac it,it also help absorb some of the sound as well as giving me the ability to crank the tube amp without hurting the congregation and the rest of the band. hope this helps you.

[elliott44k]

man, I need a tele, but right now it's a fender mim strat with bg pups, into my board, various delays and drives (but always a timmy :)), gmd time bomb boost, keeley 4 knob comp and tuner. all goes into an orange tiny terror combo, seems to work out great for me, perfect volume whether in a smaller room not mic'd or the 1500 person sanctuary mic'd

[tuubes]

So what are you using amp-wise when playing at church?

Are you miking a tube amp with pedals in front of it?

Are you using a POD, ToneLab, or something else?

I really don't want to haul around a tube amp + pedals twice a week, but I'm too picky about my tone to settle for just anything. I have a POD XT now. I just returned a ToneLab SE. Is the POD the best solution for this venue?

Thanks!http://www.myspace.com/rhollard..He plays in a praise band..so does the builder..

Check out the clip, Omegaamps reworked his traynor YB-4 w/HRM EL-84`s!!

[josh_stone]

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e52/jdoggizzle/dsc00285.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e52/jdoggizzle/70392653-1.jpg

[tsh57]

Last weekend was my HDRx, next weekend will be my new Egnater Rebel 30 head with 112x cab.

It's due to arrive next week. Cannot wait to try this out.

[russiancrowe]

A variety of guitars into this pedalboard
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k308/russiancrowe/guitars/DSC_0452.jpg
into one of these amps. Usually the Fender Bassman LTD reissue.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k308/russiancrowe/guitars/DSC_0054_edited-1-1.jpg

We don't mike the amps, just the vocalist. The sanctuary holds between 300-350 people. I consider myself more of a rythm guitarist but am now the lead guitarist out of neccesity.

[scottpic]

Using a Marshall JCM600, TC G-Major in the Serial loop, into a 4X12.
It is mic'd up too. We play in a gym that gets transformed into the Video Cafe`. Seats about 300.

I want to build a second rig. Probably a single channel clean amp with pedals. The quest is on.

[bluesboyclassic]

We play free flow, spirit lead stuff. A lot of stuff written by the worship leader. I play homemade amps paired with my /13 JRT with frankencabs and such. Great tone but the stage hum's like a swarm of pissed off bees. It a downer =(

[Joe L]

I use a TRRI and various guitars:
Heritage H555
Tele
Strat
Les Paul
ES 295

[Hulakatt]

Edwards LP
analogman KoT, Maxz Rainbow Tremolo, Aqua Puss mkII
Marsh 5e3 with Weber 12a125
mic'd with a Sennheiser e609

I really want to try an Edwards 335 but they're not exactly sitting around at GC waiting for me...

Our worship space usually contains about 120-150 people and is a half gym used by the youth during the rest of the week. Our stage is covered in sound absorption panels, the drums and amps each have a plexi shield and we mic everything [well, the bass is DI'd]. I switch between running sound and playing in the band.

Our other guitar player uses a johnson modeling amp rather than haul his Mesa or Egnater. There is a good reason Johnson never took off.

[dsimms]

Usually the PRS 24, sometimes the McNaught Single Cut, through the Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 into the open back Bad Cat or closed back Roccaforte 212 cabs. I use a TC Chorus pedal and Ernie Ball volume pedal. The other guitarists use a combination of Marshall and Fender amps. We put/mike the cabs pretty far offstage, about 50 ft behind us, and use a very cool Aviom in ear monitoring system so everyone can set up their own personal mix from about 15 channels. I usually run my Aviom guitar mix 10 or 20% louder than the rest of the instruments so I can hear myself well, and the sound guy makes sure I fit in the mix.

http://www.dnscs.com/prs/images/rig4.jpg

It's a big production, with one to two keyboards (synth and grand piano), bass, drummer (behind plexiglass), three to five vocalists, one to two acoustic guitarists and two to three electric guitarists. Sometimes we'll have a backup choir of 10 - 20. We do three contemporary services (8, 9:30 and 11) and Wesley Hall seats 2,000. The video production team uses three cameras and airs the service throughout the week on their TV channel.

http://www.dnscs.com/frazer-wesley-hall1.jpg

[mdclark58]

Pedals change depending on what we're playing (we almost always have ~2 "specials," which have been Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Extreme, Muse, Red, Mayer, Police, Kings of Leon, you get the point!).

We mic the amps- there's iso cabbies about 50' behind the stage. We run Aviom in ears, so it's pretty much a "silent stage."

Personally, I've been using a modded 67 Bandmaster, and either my PRS CE24, EJ Strat, or occasionally a Tele.

[lancerday]

I played through a POD X3 Live at church for about a year. I now have five or six pedals going through my Twin Reverb. I have to say that I like this much better. The POD was easy, but it lacks so much in comparison to an amp and pedals. I can't explain to you exactly what it is, but you notice a huge difference after playing a POD for a year and then switching to a real amp.

[whiteop]

Rivera Slavemaster / M100 and RP1000

[cbfurg]

fuchs ods 50, pedaltrain loaded with various stuff, les paul and a strat

[T.Wesley]

This thread's closed now.

To have a free & open discussion of P&W music, check out the P&W Forum - conveniently enough linked at the top of the page, but reproduced here for you: http://praiseandworshipforum.com/forum/index.php

Enjoy!

--chiba