Radical guitars in worship?

Saw a beautiful white explorer this weekend. I think that tops my list. He got a bunch of weird looks like he was going to bust out shredding metal licks or something... Sounded amazing though. So what about you guys?

An Explorer seems pretty tame to me. At least as tame as an SG with it's "devil" horns. No ones seems to mind SG's. If I had an Explorer, I'd play it in church. And an explorer really isn't any more of a "metal" guitar than your typical Les Paul anyway.

I've always found folks obsession with the surface appearance of things to be utterly baffling. I spent several years as a charter bus driver, and we had a church group send a red bus back to the terminal to be exchanged for a white bus, because red was an evil color and white was pure.

What they didn't know was that the air conditioning in the red bus was MUCH better!

Tim

I lost a country gig once. I told myself it was because of my pearl white BC Rich Mockingbird.

Then I faced reality and realized it was more likely due to my playing not being up to par.

Practice on that white Explorer, Teleworshipkid.

Come back home, Devil Girl, all is forgiven!

http://www.guitar-list.com/files/gearpics/ESPLTDDevilGirlGuitar.jpg

At least it was white.

I played my 10-string Rich Bich a few times in the church praise band. I didn't get too many funny looks. Well, no more than usual. I have a black and white candy striped partscaster I assembled and painted that I used to play there quite often. Nothing was ever said. It was only when I broke out the cherry sunburst Les Paul that some tool commented that it looked like a guitar that you would see a "bar band" using. Go figure...:smile:

One of the best and most authentic worship guys I know plays a white and red homemade flying V.

I just stick with teles. To each his own.

I've used an Explorer in church before. Mine sounds great -- no metal -- and looks great, too.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c300/jazz451/Explorer5.jpg

I've actually played at a church that I hadn't been to in years with one of the pointiest of guitars quite recently. It was hours away from my home and I was just visiting a friend for the weekend. On Sunday morning the worship leader asked if I wanted to play the second service since their guitarist didn't show up. I said I would love to. I went to the youth group to borrow the guitar they had for the youth band and it was one of these:
93865
Keep in mind that this was a traditional Southern Baptist Church. It was one of the weirdest times that I ever played guitar in a church (and I've had some weird experiences in worship band settings).

Also one time I was at my usual church and on one of the Sundays I wasn't playing, I saw a guy playing one of these:
93866
He had some good chops and soloed very well. But I never saw him or his devil guitar (I keed I keed) again.

The other guitarist and the bass player in our praise band are like me and have too many guitars... So it's fun to see what we'll show up with. A while back he had a white tele trimmed in black and I had my black tele trimmed in white and the bass player had a white precision with black trim. We actually looked good for a change..lol Next build may be a tele V in a tobacco burst...

An Explorer seems pretty tame to me. At least as tame as an SG with it's "devil" horns. No ones seems to mind SG's. If I had an Explorer, I'd play it in church. And an explorer really isn't any more of a "metal" guitar than your typical Les Paul anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeaBNAXfHfQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Watch Sister Rosetta Thorpe get after it with her white SG and instead of horns, you can see 'em as angel wings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeaBNAXfHfQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Watch Sister Rosetta Thorpe get after it with her white SG and instead of horns, you can see 'em as angel wings.

That's awesome. Still yet to see a V up there though... Kinda the king of radical production guitars...

I've toyed with the idea of getting one of those shark fin jobs like Tim has. On stage I'm usually buried behind the BGV folks and/or one of the keyboard players, so I could use pretty much anything. Probably turn a few heads if I played a banjo though.

Malikon posted this on strat-talk, and it would be a cool worship guitar, maybe.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx64/mu51cman/baddestcustomever.jpg

Malikon posted this on strat-talk, and it would be a cool worship guitar, maybe.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx64/mu51cman/baddestcustomever.jpg

Yeah, that's.......uh.......well.....it's uh.....one of a kind.

Malikon posted this on strat-talk, and it would be a cool worship guitar, maybe.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx64/mu51cman/baddestcustomever.jpg

Uh, rather subtle skull there. No, you need wear platform boots to rock this one.

Image is everything...Robert Johnson recorded "Hellhound On My Trail" with a Gibson acoustic...uh-oh...

I've actually played at a church that I hadn't been to in years with one of the pointiest of guitars quite recently. It was hours away from my home and I was just visiting a friend for the weekend. On Sunday morning the worship leader asked if I wanted to play the second service since their guitarist didn't show up. I said I would love to. I went to the youth group to borrow the guitar they had for the youth band and it was one of these:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/attachments/worship-service-players/93865d1314153542-radical-guitars-worship-warlok-jpg
Keep in mind that this was a traditional Southern Baptist Church. It was one of the weirdest times that I ever played guitar in a church (and I've had some weird experiences in worship band settings).


I always see these kind of threads in this forum: "Is this guitar ok? can I use an overdrive pedal? etc.." Its quite funny if not ridiculous. (no offence to the OP) I'm not religious so maybe I don't get the thinking but what is it about pointy guitars that make them "less suitable" - I mean explorers are cool guitars, and owe their design more to the fervour around Russia launching sputnik and the dawn of the space race in the late 50's then to anything nefarious or that otherwise that would challenge the Christian dogma. I mean it wouldn't even be ironic to use an explorer, just research what else was happening in design during that period. Like fins on cars, it was all about looking "futuristic."

These visual tropes and whatever associations they induce are all fictions that originate in popular culture anyway. For example, if all death metal bands played strats you'd be asking the same question: are they appropriate in a religious context.

I'd say, if you like the way it plays/sounds then that should be enough. Its ok to challenge peoples preconceptions. Indeed its good for them.

I'd say, if you like the way it plays/sounds then that should be enough. Its ok to challenge peoples preconceptions. Indeed its good for them.

There are plenty of posts here about team members who dared question something, however politely -- servant's heart and all that -- only to have their a$$ handed to them on a plate by the worship leader.

I always see these kind of threads in this forum: "Is this guitar ok? can I use an overdrive pedal? etc.." Its quite funny if not ridiculous. (no offence to the OP) I'm not religious so maybe I don't get the thinking but what is it about pointy guitars that make them "less suitable" - I mean explorers are cool guitars, and owe their design more to the fervour around Russia launching sputnik and the dawn of the space race in the late 50's then to anything nefarious or that otherwise that would challenge the Christian dogma. I mean it wouldn't even be ironic to use an explorer, just research what else was happening in design during that period. Like fins on cars, it was all about looking "futuristic."

These visual tropes and whatever associations they induce are all fictions that originate in popular culture anyway. For example, if all death metal bands played strats you'd be asking the same question: are they appropriate in a religious context.

I'd say, if you like the way it plays/sounds then that should be enough. Its ok to challenge peoples preconceptions. Indeed its good for them.

I don't think there are too many guys around here who really think a guitar can make someone more or less "holy". And the completely over the top guitars aren't likely to end up in our rigs regardless. It still depends on why you've chosen that guitar...and if it's to draw attention to yourself, that's probably a bad thing. There's a time and place to draw attention to yourself, and a worship service isn't really it.

That said, it doesn't mean you can't look good and play a guitar that you love during worship.

There are plenty of posts here about team members who dared question something....

:twisted:

I don't think there are too many guys around here who really think a guitar can make someone more or less "holy". And the completely over the top guitars aren't likely to end up in our rigs regardless. It still depends on why you've chosen that guitar...and if it's to draw attention to yourself, that's probably a bad thing. There's a time and place to draw attention to yourself, and a worship service isn't really it.

That said, it doesn't mean you can't look good and play a guitar that you love during worship.

Yes. I agree with this. Personally, I would never own a Warlock. However, if someone else wants to rock them, or cargo shorts, or toe shoes, or a clip-on tuner, I have no problem with that.

FWIW, I think Explorers are cool. So are Flying V's. The vintage/retro 'futuristic' guitars have always caught my eye

FWIW, I think Explorers are cool. So are Flying V's. The vintage/retro 'futuristic' guitars have always caught my eye

A white Explorer, the guitar in the original post, looks all that plus classy to me, if you, yourself are well dressed.

Yes. I agree with this. Personally, I would never own a Warlock. However, if someone else wants to rock them, or cargo shorts, or toe shoes, or a clip-on tuner, I have no problem with that.

FWIW, I think Explorers are cool. So are Flying V's. The vintage/retro 'futuristic' guitars have always caught my eye

Absolutely...they're not my thing, but far be it for me to take something from someone else who loves them.

Now that our praise band is moving upstairs to the choir loft behind the congregation, I could probably play this and wear leather pants.

http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/281/933/DV016_Jpg_Large_512926.jpg

Now that our praise band is moving upstairs to the choir loft behind the congregation, I could probably play this and wear leather pants.

http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/18/001/281/933/DV016_Jpg_Large_512926.jpg

That's the spirit!

That's the spirit!

I don't know if "spirit" is the right word choice here...

I led worship with a black Explorer when I was a teenager. Everyone was intimidated by the guitar but it had such wonderful cleans!

I would use a Warlock just to tick people off.

I would use a Warlock just to tick people off.

Ha! Ditto, we were taught in ministry school that "Jesus offended the mind to reveal the heart."

Yes. I agree with this. Personally, I would never own a Warlock. However, if someone else wants to rock them, or cargo shorts, or toe shoes, or a clip-on tuner, I have no problem with that.

FWIW, I think Explorers are cool. So are Flying V's. The vintage/retro 'futuristic' guitars have always caught my eye

Ya, agreed....except for the cargo shorts. Just, no.

I led worship with a black Explorer when I was a teenager. Everyone was intimidated by the guitar but it had such wonderful cleans!

Exactly!

Since I buy and sell so many guitars on craigslist, just to try them out, I don't think anyone would even notice a Dime guitar or RR. I was out with a back injury for a couple months. During that time, I bought and sold 5 strats. I later realized that I have never played a strat during service because I haven't owned one long enough to bring it. I've never held back a guitar from playing at service. I tend to figure out the most appropriate guitar to fit the songs (by tone/pickups, not by looks) and use that.

Malikon posted this on strat-talk, and it would be a cool worship guitar, maybe.

http://i742.photobucket.com/albums/xx64/mu51cman/baddestcustomever.jpg

That'd be great in the Sedlec Ossuary ...
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_N15Vl97rekM/THKikLD--_I/AAAAAAAAADs/l1pvSoYoXSI/s1600/santamaria4.jpg
http://www.thehorrorzine.com/Bone%20Church/1_1245786716_sedlec-ossuary-the-church-of-bones.jpg

^Wow^!!!! :shock:

U7oaOu-ppyE

That's awesome. Still yet to see a V up there though... Kinda the king of radical production guitars...

You rang?

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i270/escerbe/W09/FlyingV.jpg

I played a blue sparkle Squire Super Sonic for a while at church & all the little old ladies LOVED it :lol: said it reminded them of the cars in the 50s

Sent from my iPhone using TDPRI

I traded for this and one other guitar today. Reportedly owned by Stryper guitarist Oz Fox, but who knows. I'll play it in church sometime. I also got a Jackson Dinky Rev in the stone finish with some SD pickups that sounds good. I guess I'm getting better at diagnosing guitars as I did a bit of a floydectomy and raised the action a bit, tilted the nec slightly and tweeked the truss rod a bit. Plays and sounds nice.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r127/Jackffr1846/esp.png
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r127/Jackffr1846/Jackson.png

Here is my "Jesus Guitar" which is a Vantage Avenger (Japanese model from the 80s?). Somebody decorated it like this and I use it in the sunday school P&W team. It actually sounds great but it plays horrible. After it was decorated, they covered it with a laquer including the neck and fretboard. Ouch. But it looks cool and sounds great. The kids love it. That's the Lord's Prayer on the back by the way!

Here is my "Jesus Guitar" which is a Vantage Avenger (Japanese model from the 80s?). Somebody decorated it like this and I use it in the sunday school P&W team. It actually sounds great but it plays horrible. After it was decorated, they covered it with a laquer including the neck and fretboard. Ouch. But it looks cool and sounds great. The kids love it. That's the Lord's Prayer on the back by the way!

Didn't think I'd ever see another Vantage Avenger...it was my first guitar, and I still have it. Like yours, it sounds great and plays TERRIBLE. We carved up the headstock, sanded down the body and painted a picture of Canadian rock icon Kim Mitchell on it. Here's a VERY old picture of me playing it.

Sorry this was terribly off topic...next time I play in church I'll use it, making this post back ON topic.

http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg306/mrjordan55/sl2.jpg

i used to play a custom made green guitar with a perforated metal pickguard that was almost like a strat but with humbuckers and 2 really big round horns or "hooks", in church, that was green. no one seemed to mind, in fact people liked it.

Great pic! You really can't go wrong with a guitar named Avenger no matter what the playability. I always feel I need a cape and a mask when I play it. Long live the Caped Avenger!!