Here’s a throwback blog post I wrote for the KNGDM WRSHP Blog around 2015.

Some background: KNGDM WRSHP was the next-generation worship ministry of Global Kingdom Ministries. We’d travel across Ontario leading young people in worship at conferences, retreats and camps. I had the amazing opportunity to intern and eventually lead KW for a short period.

I got back to church on a bright Sunday afternoon from a weekend away, leading at a retreat up North. I smelled like campfire and coffee and was in desperate need of some sleep. At the time of our arrival, our Young Adult band started rehearsing for their service later that evening. I was asked, if possible to stay and hop on electric guitar. After some careful thought and a turkey BLT, I decided to stay. One problem – my pedalboard and most of my gear were in transit in another vehicle. I ran over to our storage room to see what I could assemble to get some sound going. I grabbed my Telecaster, TC Nova Delay and my boss’ Traynor YGL-1. I set up my station and got my in-ear pack only to realize my in-ears were with my pedalboard.

Tired and on the verge of losing my patience with the lack of gear I had, I hastily tilted the amp so I could hear myself and hung a mic for Front of House. I tuned with an app on my phone and dialled in a crunch tone on the amp with my Tele’s volume rolled back. When I pushed it, I’d get my lead tone.

True-bypass. Transparent. Organic. Coloured. Non-coloured. Boutique. Custom. Cheap. Expensive. Stock. Tubes. Analog. Digital. Tone.

We obsess over these words as if the quality and quantity of our pedals, the grain in the body wood of a guitar or the colour of the tolex on an amp somehow makes our worship more pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God. Before we know it, brightly coloured aluminum enclosures we stomp on become our focus. Don’t get me wrong. Gear is great. But God is greater. He always has and he always will be.

Back to the service: I barely touched my delay that night, using my Tele’s pickup selector switch to get most of my sounds, varying my pick attack and using my fingers. That night with very little gear, I pushed myself musically. Instead of stomping on different stages of gain, I had to compensate with my hands. If I wanted delay, I’d mimic it with my fingers. Volume swells came from my volume pot and not a volume pedal (oh, the humanity!). Pedals help us achieve those tones without requiring a whole lot of work on our part. No doubt they make our lives easier as electric guitarists, but the truth is, that night, I played better than I had in a long time – the signal chains had come undone.

Reflecting on this, I realized two things. One, I never want to come back to that point where I feel unable to properly play in a worship service because of a lack of gear. Second, I straight up just don’t need a ton of gear – it’s just impractical. As I continue building my board and finding my sound, these two observations guide me.

Don’t get consumed with your board, and keep it simple.

So with that, I issue a challenge to my fellow electric guitar players. Play a service with one pedal from your board, your amp and your guitar. Watch how you’re forced to find most of those sounds in your hands and spend less time tap-dancing. Gaze fixed on the Father of lights, rather than bright LEDs on an aluminum board.