Why I Bought A Kemper

In this video I discuss the process which led me from traditional amps to a digital platform like the Kemper Profiling Amp

 

Gear Thoughts: JHS Pulp N Peel V4

I love compressors! I love the Pulp N Peel!

It’s a compressor, a DI, an EQ, a gain pedal and so much more!

This is a great pedal for not only electric players but acoustic guitar and bass as well!

Check out my thoughts here:

Titan Guitars KR-1 Review

 

My review of the Titan Guitars KR-1. It’s a fantastic guitar, handmade here in the USA by bearded wizards. With its swimming pool body route, the KR-1 can be anything you need it to be by switching out loaded Pickguards.

Check out Titan Guitars and see what I’m so excited about!

Gear Thoughts: Walrus Audio RED

I firmly believe that higher gain pedals aren’t used nearly enough by church players. We have a tendency to to gravitate towards “clean” tones for very understandable reasons, but then in the moment when we need that crunch or searing lead line, we try to make our gear work in a way it was not designed to work. If you throw multiple stacked overdrives in front of a clean amp is that the best way to achieve your goal? Wouldn’t it be better to use one pedal that was designed for that purpose instead of using two or three that were not?

Well, that’s some of what I talk about in this video:

 

Gear Thoughts: Klon KTR

 

a few quick thoughts on the Klon KTR overdrive for church guitarists and worship settings.

My Worship Pedalboard

Every so often I get asked in the comments what kind of gear I use on a Sunday morning. While certain things change from time to time, I’ve been consistent over the years with a Fender Telecaster and a Tube Amp (currently my beloved Benson Monarch.)

Below is a quick rundown of my main rig. It’s a rig made up of compromises. Since it’s not the biggest in size, I can’t have everything I want, so these pedals are compromises that allow me to get the sounds I need within the constraints I have set before me.

Backing Tracks: What I use and How I Got There

What I use and How I Got There

Multi-tracks, Backing Tracks, and Pads have become more and more mainstream in music in recent years. It’s not just in the church, but its not uncommon to go to shows and concerts and see well known bands with Pads or Backing Tracks going on in the background. I remember 2004 hearing it with Coldplay and over the next few years later I started noticing it with smaller bands in at clubs in the Seattle area.

Programs like Abelton and the easy of Apple’s Garage band have put this technology in the hands of church musicians as well. But it’s not just the mega-churches that are doing this. Walk into churches of ranging in size from 50-150 and you could easily hear some form of backing track going on.

I started using ambient Pads in the background about 6 months ago. I want to walk you through my process, how I got here, and why I use what I use.

Where Do I Put My Volume Pedal?

Where to Put the Volume Pedal?

Now, we’ve talked about signal chain before on the blog (HERE). There’s no right or wrong, only guidelines. Generally compression goes towards the front and reverb goes to the back. But some effects can find a home almost anywhere along the line. Where’s the best spot in your signal chain to put a Volume Pedal (VP)? What are the pros and cons? Is there one VP that’s better than the rest? Let’s talk about it.

Spring Q&A: What’s the Best Thing and Other Questions

Every so often I look over the search terms from engines like Google and Yahoo that lead people to this blog and turn them into a sort of Q&A. This one is pretty guitar and musical gear heavy but hopefully it’s helpful to someone. (warning, if some of my comments seem like I’m being snarky, it’s because I am 🙂 )

Should I Use Effects With My Acoustic Guitar

Honestly, I wish this was the question being asked. Should I? But the question is usually phrased more along the lines of “which effects should I use?” This assumes that any should be used at all.

To that end, I want to first ask the question “should I?” and use that to answer the “which ones?” question.