playing worship with non-British amps

[paultanderberg]

I know this sounds like blasphemy, but I was thinking the other day that almost all CCM and P&W is played with some sort of british-style amp. You have A LOT of Vox's and Marshall's being played but you rarely ever see someone playing an amp that has an "American" tonestack. Any you guys use a blackface or a brownface Fender amp to make "your sound"? And are you still playing Hillsong United/Tomlin/JCulture/U2-type songs or are you playing a different style/set of songs?

I can understand playing tweed cuz they are a little of both considering their mids and other factors. It seems as if amps of the tweed era were before "American" and "British" tonestacks divulged into brownfaces and JTM45s. I believe I saw John Mark McMillan playing a '59 Bassman a while ago. I could be mistaken.

And for those who rock Fenders, what kind of OD are you using and how are you layering gain structure? (i.e. running the amp hot with no OD, mid-gain amp settings with a TS808 as a boost, totally clean amp with FD2 drive at 2 o'clock, etc)

[Two Steps]

I play through a BF Deluxe Reverb. I run it pretty hot so as I use my volume knobby for the majority of the gain. Input One on the Vibrato channel on 6 or 7. (isolated amp in back room mic'd with sm57)

When the gain is not enough I use a OCD or Box of Rock for rhythm. For pushing a quick lead, I'll add an 808 to that...but that is just too much gain for me regularly.

I play a Goldtop LP, Gretsch Dyno equipped, or a tele.





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[bikeracr]

So my primary amp is a Tone King Imperial. It it like having two amps in the same box. One channel is voiced as a blackface Deluxe Reverb. For this channel, I typically run it clean and hit it with a Zendrive and occasionally a Timmy. The second channel can be dialed in to sound like a tweed Deluxe to an early Marshall or even into Supro territory. This channel already has a lot more gain and mids. If I hit it, the Timmy does the trick. Both channels clean up nicely with the volume knob. The primary guitar I run for that week plays a big part, as well. I usually choose between a 335, Gretsch Sparkle Jet or Strat.

We play all of the usual P&W stuff, but I don't try to emulate their tones.

[jbmando]

Blues Junior for me. If it breaks, Peavey Bandit 112. Amp is set clean, OD is MHP 72°, Compressor right before the 72 and always on, Crybaby just ahead of that, first in the chain. I don't try for the exact tones on the CCM recordings, I use what I think sounds good.

[Tim's tele]

I played through a fender hot rod for a while, before I bought my own amp. A Vox AC30HW2. This is simply because of my own taste, not because I am chasing U2's sound. I do a good amount of dotted 8th note stuff due to the songs we play, but I try to keep my tone my own. I have noticed people in churches try to sound like other people, and don't focus enough on what they think they should sound like.

I did really like that fender amp, but it was too clean with my tele, sounded to pristine for my liking.

[mrothe]

I play through a Frenzel FM-5E3 25 watter. From the name it's supposed to be a take on the Tweed Deluxes but with 6L6 tubes and a Bassman tone stack on both preamps, it winds up much more like a lower wattage tweed bassman.

It's tweed-ish if you like. Anyway it's magnificent for worship settings, though not really british sounding at all (there's a Marshall JTM45 style preamp, but I always use the Fender style preamp), it just gives a great, warm yet articulate clean tone and plays nice with all my pedals.

Yes, our band plays some CCM standard type stuff (tomlin, hillsong, mercyme, stc...) but we're not really trying to sound like the CD.

I set the amp clean-ish (where it starts to break up so there's a little bit of grit there). I use the Fulldrive (with or w/o boost), or the OCD, or both stacked for about 4 diff rhythm sounds and the micro amp is straight solo boost (don't use that much for worship, but it works at concerts )

[jonhart]

I play the usual P&W songs, but I use a Tele or Strat with my pedalboard into a 66 Super Reverb. I have the amp miked with the volume at 4 wich is pretty much clean. My board goes like this-

Boss TU-3, Dunlop GCB-95, Keeley SD-1, Matsumin Valvecaster, Boss DD-3, MXR Carbon Copy

The SD-1 is my rythym/solo OD, and the Valvecaster is pretty much a clean boost with a little grit. The SD-1 is a lot like a cranked amp, it works with my volume knob very well.

[kinggabbo]

Use my Musicmaster Bass amp occasionally. Always sounds great. If I had a SF Princeton Reverb, I would use it every week probably.

However, now, usually I use an EL 84 DR Z amp

[allen082]

Originally Posted by paultanderberg

I was thinking the other day that almost all CCM and P&W is played with some sort of british-style amp.

I don't think you're looking very hard.

[Tele-beeb]

...VHT Special 6, not British, nor American make, do I dare cringe and reveal where it's humble tonestack originates... nah, you know...

...on the bright side, and on a good Sunday (or better, a youth event) I can push that vol. knob to 2/3 or 3/4 territory...

...someday, I'll trade it for a low-watt Vox and stop using the Vox pedal.

[CAAD8N8]

I'm playing Peavey Classic 30 head through an Epiphone Valve Jr cab each week with good results. Not your traditional American or British sound, but made in the USA. I find that it covers all the basses I need it to cover just fine.

[Duncas]

just played at a large youth conference. i was using my cranked Orange TT 12" volume at full and gain halfway,

other guitarist had a marshall stack.

so um maybe? nah i know alot of guys who use Fender deluxes and hot rods

[gshep92]

I usually play with a '76 SF Twin reverb and sometimes run stereo with a '91 Blues Deville. Use a Visual Sounds Rt 66 for OD/comp and a DS-1 after that for more than enough gain. Really thinking about ditching the DS-1 for an OCD... Hmmm decisions.

[CAAD8N8]

Originally Posted by gshep92

Really thinking about ditching the DS-1 for an OCD... Hmmm decisions.

One of the best decisions I ever made (guitar gear related)

[gatimberframer]

I usually use a 5f4 clone played at pretty low volume and mic'ed (set up backstage but I still cant crank it).

I play a tele with Wilde keystones and a 4 way.

I have a Tim always on set to add just a little hair if I dig in and I use a sparkle drive for when I need some dirt. An EQ pedal last in chain is key for fattening things up since I'm having to play so quietly.

[livinblood]

I use a Mesa Boogie Stiletto Ace. Very nice.

[Esaaal]

I use a Blues Junior NOS and Blues Deluxe.

[theskypilot]

I was using a Blues JR NOS....until I bought a VOC AC-15C1 Blue. When using the Blues Jr. I was using a TS-9 and SD-1 for overdrive. Tube screamer first so I could stack the SD-1 over it. I ran the amp clean with the fat switch in (activated).

[Pickalittle]

My all-time fav sound was my Gibson ES-335 through a MetroAmp JTM-45 (I put together) + 2x12" cab w/G12-65 Celestions, with minimal OD, just a touch of delay. It was just too much to carry and set up though.

I've finally come to the conclusion that for my sound, my EJ Strat into my Fender Deluxe Reverb on about 4-5 is IT! I use a custom built OD>Box of Rock>DD-7 Delay>Korg Blackpitch Tuner...that's it. Can cover most anything I want to do and just fake the rest!

[CAAD8N8]

Shortly after boasting about my Classic 30 head's tone, I sold it for a Blackstar HT 40. I feel like such a traitor. I use the "Fender" clean setting though, does that count?