Favorite "worship" guitar

[smalltownpoet]

I'm a worship leader and am looking for a different acoustic guitar (currently go between a Taylor 110 and a Watkins) - something that can go from fairly hard strumming to fingerpicking, Hillsong to hymns. What are your favorites? What has worked well?

Thanks!
Kevin

[cdkrugjr]

For me? Collings OM-size with some sort of Spruce top.

Taylors sit well in the mix, but I've never enjoyed the feel of the neck. Were I shopping now I might want a Martin 000-18 or similar.

[MartinGibsonFan]

I've used a Gibson Dove (1972) for Gospel Songs.

All Gibsons can handle light to medium strumming (IMO)

But if you are a real hard strummer, probably need to go with a Gibson AJ maybe?

If you've got a pickup in the guitar, i don't see why you'd have to go hard strumming, unless of course that's your style.

Sitka and Mahogany work best for me on Gibsons

I also like Maple as a back and side wood, but that's probably not going to cut it if you don't have a pickup, course, if you have a pickup, anything goes.

I stay clear of Rosewood on the Gibson side, more and more, i am less inclined to enjoy Rosewood as much as Mahogany or Maple, must be old age.



J

[llew]

I've played all of mine at church. The norm for us (if there is such a thing?) J-45/D-18/D-28 with the occasional 000/OM included. The latter usually for funeral/memorial service or possibly a wedding when that sort of gathering was still a possibility.
Maybe try a J-15/35/45 or D-18/28.

[SuperB23]

I really like the Goodall Standard model or the Concert Jumbo! I use my standard with a K&K pickup into a LR Baggs Venue DI straight into the PA and I get an awesome sound. Our church seats 1100 and I get no feedback at high volumes with a full band and 50 voice choir.

[Shadowfox]

Originally Posted by smalltownpoet

I'm a worship leader and am looking for a different acoustic guitar (currently go between a Taylor 110 and a Watkins) - something that can go from fairly hard strumming to fingerpicking, Hillsong to hymns. What are your favorites? What has worked well?

Thanks!
Kevin

Hey Kevin! I think the biggest question would be your budget, and then sound preference.

For instance, a lot of the worship folks are going towards the Parlor Style guitars.

For my taste, I always want a great sounding acoustic first, then one that I can mic second. My current guitar is a Custom Furch Grand Auditorium Alpine Spruce/Cocobolo. (Furch is kinda like a nicer Taylor in Quality Control imho).

If you want a small guitar, I played this amazing Eastman the other day at Chicago Music Exchange: https://www.chicagomusicexchange.com...tural/26862169

If that's too rich for your blood, PRS just released a $500 Parlor.

If you want a sweet Furch, I can vouch for this seller, and these are demo models so slightly used: https://reverb.com/shop/sgichicago

And if you want a dread, Taylor just released the new "American Dream" series of 17 series.

[David Eastwood]

I thought it was considered heresy to play anything other than a Taylor or MacPherson in church.

I should know - I played a Variax on a praise team for 7 years, and hardly a week went by without someone giving me the stink-eye, and that look that says “I know where you’re headed, sonny”.

[Rosewood99]

Pardon my ignorance, but how is a worship guitar different form any other guitar?

[FLRon]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Pardon my ignorance, but how is a worship guitar different form any other guitar?

Yes. I play guitar every Sunday in church. I rotate guitars depending on what I feel like playing that day. I use all of them for every type of music.

I never bought in to the "best guitar for worship" mindset. Like country, rock,or blues, when people start seeing a preponderance of a specific guitar maker on stage the idea is born that "I need that guitar" .

Play what you like. After all, it's not about your preference anyway, is it?

[Jeremy]

Originally Posted by smalltownpoet

I'm a worship leader and am looking for a different acoustic guitar (currently go between a Taylor 110 and a Watkins) - something that can go from fairly hard strumming to fingerpicking, Hillsong to hymns. What are your favorites? What has worked well?

Thanks!
Kevin

Pretty much anything from a 000/OM and larger with a decent pickup will probably satisfy your requirements. I've seen the Hillsong folks play a variety of guitars large and small from Martin, Taylor, and Gibson.

[musicman1951]

Lots of guitars work well, depending a bit on the situation.

Are you the only guitar?
Are you the only instrumentalist? I like a 000/OM size with grand piano.
Mic or pick-up?
If pick-up: amp or PA? Pre with volume control?

[mc1]

Welcome to the forum - good luck finding a suitable guitar!

[Jeremy]

Folks, if you can't be constructive please ignore this thread and move on.

[David Eastwood]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

Pretty much anything from a 000/OM and larger with a decent pickup will probably satisfy your requirements. I've seen the Hillsong folks play a variety of guitars large and small from Martin, Taylor, and Gibson.

Exactly. As long as it doesn't give the sound person fits, pretty much anything that you are comfortable playing will work. All joking aside, appearance can also be an issue, depending on how traditional your church and congregation are. I remember a gorgeous bright pink Jackson electric making its first (and only) appearance in the band - it sounded great, especially in that player's hands, but stuck out like a sore thumb on the platform. Stuff like that does matter, however petty it might seem to a more secular view, but as a musician on such a team, you're really not there to draw attention to yourself.

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

Folks, if you can't be constructive please ignore this thread and move on.

Message received. In all seriousness, it's not the gear but the level of comfort you have with it and how you try to capture the "feel" of the congregation in order to lead worship.

FWIW I played in my church for 10 years. During that time I "made a joyful noise" on a Larrivee OM-03R with a K&K Pure Western Mini. I loved playing Aaron Shust, Chris Rice, Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Casting Crowns, etc. At our praise and worship band's heyday there were 4 of us on guitars playing Fender, Yamaha, Epiphone, even a Rogue. We rarely played through the PA, saving that for the microphones only. I used an electric tube amp and often I didn't even have to use the preamp as I never turned the amp above "2" in deference for the vocalists who had enough trouble hearing themselves.

I have to say that in a congregation of less than 100 people we didn't need the glass box for the drummer (we went through more drummers than Spinal Tap BTW) or the slide show on a big monitor or a smoke machine. All we needed were staffs and microphones. The rest we brought in and brought back out at the end of the service. I found that the PWM paired with the bright tone of my Larrivee OM allowed me to add just enough bass to project without sounding boomy and rolling off the mids made it sound less harsh. Everything else was in the moment and I relied on technique and listening to what I could discern of the mix (as we had no monitors.)

Would I have loved to play an OM-10 like Aaron Shust? Not really. I kind of liked how "modest" the 03 series looks - and IMO if the -10s sounded like the 09 series I'd played then I'd take the satin finish of the 03 series every time.

PS: sometimes I'd play my Martin D-16GT but it lacked the "clarity" of the Larrivee. Maybe it had to do with how I'd installed the JJB 330 in that particular guitar but the trebles don't seem to project as well or convey "warmth."