Art's Formula for Worship Guitar Sound #1

I am going to call this WGS1 - because it's cool to use acronymns, and I want to be cool - someday.

I personally really go for the Vox™ sound made popular by The Edge of U2 for this type of song. The guitar sits right on the edge of overdrive without always clipping. You lay into it, and there it is – that extra noise!

I actually use a POD (1.0), but the fundamentals are the same no matter what you're on.

Here's how it works for me:

• The Guitar - I use Gretsch Nashville 1962 reissue (FilterTron pickups, using the neck pickup only). Any hollow body or semi-hollow can get great sound. For solids, dial your guitar tone in on the warm side.
  
• Optional Delay - . There are two ways to do this:
  
  • In time with the music, usually an 8^th or quarter note in delay. Using a tap-delay will keep your drummer from killing you. (Read: don't force your drummer into a groove – adjust your equipment!) If you're shopping, make sure you can access the tap feature with your foot. Line6 makes a good model for this. It's green and can be seen on almost every band's pedal-board.
    
  • You can also work on off beats. This is the way The Edge does it, and Christian artists everywhere copy it! You want the delayed sound closer to a 16^th note, but only feedback ONCE. Then when you play, play 8^th notes – you get twice as many notes! Timing is critical. You can also try triplets! Count 1-2-3 per HALF note and tap away! This is even closer to that classic sound – but harder to program on the fly.
    
• The Amp - The idea is to get the sound close to overdriven but not quite there when playing lightly. This will let you arpegiate cleanly without overdriving. Then, you can use a BOOST or just start playing harder to get a crunchier sound! It's very versatile and very "in".
  
  • If I had my way, my amp would be an Orange AD30 TC
    
  • My second choice would be a real-tube Vox AC30. This is the basic amp of George Harrison of The Beatles and U2 and is the originator of the sound in question.
    
  • Lastly, you can get a good emulation from the Line6 POD effects units.
    

Line6 also makes amp versions of the POD with the tones already built in, and in worship can be much more effective than having an amp that does all the work. (Loud backline amps should someday be a Cardinal Sin. J ) Keep your FOH engineer in mind when you're shopping!

If someone wants, I can post my actual POD settings here! Just leave a comment!