Worship band guitar fashion(?) and the Michael Guy Chislett signature guitar

[mRtINY]

Well, just not to be a snob, I've been playing the Lawsuit Hohner Tele Deluxe that I rebuilt. The XL500s are pretty inexpensive and nobody will notice the stainless frets I just had installed....

Maybe later this fall, I'll get out the Chinese neck-through Strat I rebuilt. But, it's got a beautiful fretboard inlay and expensive hardware. So, maybe I shouldn't play that at church....

 

[Lineville65]

I think of every guitar as a tool. Whether some sort of custom shop or a partscaster. The guitar at the beginning of the thread doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but if it does to someone and inspires them to play better, then good on them.

I don’t remember a thread about this:

https://shop.fender.com/en-US/elect...lincoln-brewster-stratocaster/0116502778.html

Now admittedly, it is half the price of the Grestch, but it is probably less than half as much to make. And if LB authorized a CS or a Masterbuilt Strat, would we be having the same conversation? IDK.

I had finally gotten to where I wasn’t looking at this guitar every day and checking prices. And now.....NOOOOOOO

 

[CapnCrunch]

I think of every guitar as a tool. Whether some sort of custom shop or a partscaster. The guitar at the beginning of the thread doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but if it does to someone and inspires them to play better, then good on them.

I don’t remember a thread about this:

https://shop.fender.com/en-US/elect...lincoln-brewster-stratocaster/0116502778.html

Now admittedly, it is half the price of the Grestch, but it is probably less than half as much to make. And if LB authorized a CS or a Masterbuilt Strat, would we be having the same conversation? IDK.

I agree that guitars are just guitars, but they aren't created equal at least when it comes to their level of pretense. I am still asking myself why it would bother me to see someone march out a gold trimmed white Gretsch onto a worship stage. I admit that it shouldn't, so I have to figure out why it would.

As far as the Brewster Strat goes, apples and oranges. It's a Strat. I think the majority of worship players see Strats as mostly unworthy. I can count on two fingers how many Strats I've seen on worship stages over the past ten years and one of those was mine.

 

[scooteraz]

I had finally gotten to where I wasn’t looking at this guitar every day and checking prices. And now.....NOOOOOOO

Your welcome...

 

[scooteraz]

I agree that guitars are just guitars, but they aren't created equal at least when it comes to their level of pretense. I am still asking myself why it would bother me to see someone march out a gold trimmed white Gretsch onto a worship stage. I admit that it shouldn't, so I have to figure out why it would.

As far as the Brewster Strat goes, apples and oranges. It's a Strat. I think the majority of worship players see Strats as mostly unworthy. I can count on two fingers how many Strats I've seen on worship stages over the past ten years and one of those was mine.

Strats are always in my rotation. I have two that I love despite their colors. The first is tangerine and the other is pepto-bismol pink.

 

[Lineville65]

Strats are always in my rotation. I have two that I love despite their colors. The first is tangerine and the other is pepto-bismol pink.

Yep! Sonic Blue Roadhouse and a Squier CV 70’s HSS I modified for a lockdown project.

 

[PastorJay]

As far as the Brewster Strat goes, apples and oranges. It's a Strat. I think the majority of worship players see Strats as mostly unworthy. I can count on two fingers how many Strats I've seen on worship stages over the past ten years and one of those was mine.

I bought a strat for my last church gig. I wasn't sure if i wanted humbuckers or Fender noiseless pickups, but i needed something that would help reduce the noise in a very noisy room. Kind of thought I'd buy a high end Tele (I think they called it the Ultra?) but played one and hated the way it felt and sounded. Eventually bought a strat with noiseless pickups. It's become my number one electric.

My current church position doesn't include playing music. Our guitarist plays a strat with a HB at the bridge. And sounds great.

 

[PastorJay]

As far as the Brewster Strat goes, apples and oranges. It's a Strat. I think the majority of worship players see Strats as mostly unworthy. I can count on two fingers how many Strats I've seen on worship stages over the past ten years and one of those was mine.

That may change soon. Sweetwater has a G & L strat type on the cover of its latest worship gear catalogue.

 

[CapnCrunch]

Maybe the venerable old Strat is in the midst of come back in worship circles. I haven't seen any in the churches I have been in locally, but maybe soon. I use mine whenever it fits what we're doing.

 

[Lineville65]

Played a Strat last Sunday. Songs were “Raise A Hallelujah, Graves Into Gardens and Holy Water.” Seemed to fit, but I started as a Tele guy (I dont count the 67 Teisco and the 66 Fender Musicmaster, lol) and they get the majority of my time. Love them! Wish I could figure out how to post pictures. Time for family portraits.

 

[TeleGASter]

I think that if we're honest, all of us care at some level, what others think of us. Even people who work hard to have others hate them care what others think of them, maybe just in a 180 degree opposite way from most of us.

Overly flashy guitars like the one in the OP just scream "look at me, LOOOOVE me". It is something that I'd expect to see someone like Bono "play" for the start of a single U2 song. Mostly a stage prop. Anyway, I also have to admit that I would be judging someone pretty hard if they walked out onto stage sporting that guitar. If they weren't right up there with Brian Setzer skill wise, I would judge even more, probably (almost certainly).

I have seen a couple of young worship guys play $3-$4,000 Deusenbergs, and they really should have been playing First Act starter guitars. I used to play on a team with a guy that had well over $5,000 into his Martin acoustic and high end acoustic pedal board. Dude could not play without a capo, and couldn't play any chords up the neck, and didn't know how to arpeggiate a chord or even palm mute while playing rhythm and had no interest in learning. Complete waste of money and time.

I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be judgmental in your real life example, but most of the congregation probably wouldn't know that it's a $4000 guitar. On the flip side, there are plenty of very nice guitars around the $1000-1500 range that can be just (or almost) as flashy, like my Gretsch 5410T Rat Rod (in "vintage white") - which really appealed to me for a number of reasons- the chimey Gretsch Filtertron sound - but with a Mid range growl for rock n roll - and great playability with the narrower body depth and med U-shaped neck. The overall look and color really spoke to me as well (i.e. the inspiration aspect). I think in the end, it's achieving a balance, and at the end of the day, if your heart is in the right place and you're earnestly seeking God, that's the most important thing.

 

[SBClose]

I'm a contrarian and a committed individualist.
Brand names notwithstanding, if it has someone else's name on it, I ain't buyin' it.

 

[Rick Towne]

Black is better anyway

You're using a B bender in church? Man Cred right there. We need a "bow down" emoji

I’ve used a Glaser double bender in services for 26 years. It works for all styles.

 

[Rick Towne]

Wow, weird. I keep hearing that name. I think I saw maybe three rig rundown vids on YT this weekend and someone pulled one of those out of the stack. Hmm.

Popularized and made fashionable by several guys at Bethel. Low output humbuckers, Bigsbys, and rosewood fretboards. Made in Portland.

 

[CapnCrunch]

I’ve used a Glaser double bender in services for 26 years. It works for all styles.

Both styles? Country, and Western.

 

[Rick Towne]

Both styles? Country, and Western.

Praise & Western. With a little Jerry Donahue and Mark Knopfler and James Burton.

 

[CapnCrunch]

Praise & Western. With a little Jerry Donahue and Mark Knopfler and James Burton.

That was a Blues Brothers joke. I love your list, by the way. Pretty hard to beat that group of players.

 

[Ascension]

How much you spend on your guitar is your own business. I tend to not chase after really pricey guitars, but I do have some nice ones in the stable. Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that bling doesn't make them sound any better.

Whatever you play, the focus should be on worship, not on you. I've played with guitarists who have deluxe, costly instruments and lots of skill, but they were really into themselves.

I've also played with amateurs who have what I would consider crappy guitars, but their heart is into worship and their desire is not so much to be noticed for their guitar playing.

I would much rather make music with the latter group.

My point exactly. I have no issue with using expensive guitars and amps or an inexpensive one in worship settings if that's whats works for the player. What I do have an issue with is the gear snobbery cliquishness and arrogance in the modern worship circles. Never seen it so bad anywhere else as I do in the modern worship circles today. Been in the worship community since the late 1980's and it wasn't always like this. Unfortunately it's just a symptom of something much deeper in modern so called Christanity.

Today I don't associate with many there anymore because of it. Funny though have reconnected with quite a few I knew in the past from the White Metal community I was one a big part of over the last year or so and see much more reality there from those I know.
Like these guys

 

[PastorJay]

I've been thinking lately about what counts as expensive. Maybe because I'm trying to justify to myself buying a ES-335? I don't know?

I've never spent more than about $ 1500 on an electric guitar. And that only once. All the others have been under 1K.

But I've got two acoustics and a mandolin that were north of 3000. And it didn't bother me a bit. I just bought the instrument that sounded right (and in two of those cases that my wife talked me into).

Is it the price or the the bling on the guitar that bothers us?

 

[Ascension]

I think of every guitar as a tool. Whether some sort of custom shop or a partscaster. The guitar at the beginning of the thread doesn’t particularly appeal to me, but if it does to someone and inspires them to play better, then good on them.

I don’t remember a thread about this:

https://shop.fender.com/en-US/elect...lincoln-brewster-stratocaster/0116502778.html

Now admittedly, it is half the price of the Grestch, but it is probably less than half as much to make. And if LB authorized a CS or a Masterbuilt Strat, would we be having the same conversation? IDK.

Those are pretty nice guitars. However they are IMO horribly overpriced for the quality. A Kiesel Delos is about $800 less and is another world in quality of fit finish and workmanship for example. This is the Delos and the $1200 base Delos with no options will bury this Fender head to head. (link removed) I was curious about the LB Strat and thought it had some cool features so went over and tried one. Good sounding and playing guitar if it were a Grand but it's not it's a $1900 guitar. There are a lot better guitars for that $ out there! Like my Kiesel DC this one with the options I got was just under $1800 and is sheer perfection!