How to easily dial in a GREAT worship guitar tone

[@jerryhorton5708]

Folks who are just delving into worship guitar - this video is a great tutorial! Folks who have been playing guitar for awhile - this is a great tutorial on how to get back to the basics of building a great tone. I don’t use that much reverb myself but in my experience, you have to tweak ‘verbs and delays to suit your playing style while maintaining the integrity of the song. Well done

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Jerry 🙌🏻 Totally agree about doing what you need to do to maintain the integrity of the song!

[@adamcarbone5216]

Sam, lots of folks may not understand what we do, let alone the Why, so I appreciate your hard work on this channel lowering the barrier to "serving with excellence." Cheers - AC

[@SamWittek]

Thanks for the encouragement! ❤

[@musicman4christjesus]

Serving Jesus Christ, our King and Savior, with the very best! ❤

[@alefvieira6879]

I really thank you for this video, I'm leaving a helix and setting up my Pedalboard and this video has already helped me think of a different way to invest in pedals

[@SamWittek]

So glad this was helpful! Best of luck with the new pedalboard! 🙌🏻

[@ejw3006]

Only one thing to add is for the compressor, getting one with a blend or mix knob is great cause you can set the compressor to give some nice squash while also being able to have the dry signal so it still preserves some of that organic quality.

[@fryer6541]

is attack the same thing as a blend or mix knob?

[@SamWittek]

Definitely agree! Blend knob is so so helpful

[@SamWittek]

@@fryer6541 They're a little different. Attack is going to be how quick or slow the compressor grabs on to your signal. A blend/mix knob will blend in more or less compressed signal with your clean signal depending on how much you dial that in. Hope that helps!

[@ejw3006]

@@fryer6541 to add to what Sam said, it’s also not like intensity (or whatever they have the control labelled) which controls how much compression you want. But you’d want to use it in combination with the blend/mix control cause if you dial back the mix and also have low intensity then you won’t be doing much for your tone.

[@mjwontstop]

Its my first time using a compressor (Yellow Comp) by Mooer. And god it will be forever will be Staying In My Board! And Acoustic Too

[@scooter5005]

Yes, this is my compressor too, hard to beat for the price

[@rjuant5358]

Great stuff. You're the only KZbinr ive seen yet that has expensive (strymon) and a cheap (mosky) pedal on a board. God bless

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! Yeah there’s a lot of great budget pedals out there 🎛️

[@ookami692]

Clicked because of the mosky goldenhorse, stayed for the tones. Super awesome video man. Cant wait for the next one!

[@SamWittek]

Thank you! 🙌🏻 Seriously though, that little pedal is awesome

[@GhostofMozart]

Been searching for the right "lead line tone" for YEARS. I have a timeline, have good reverb already, it's mostly the overdrives and clean tones I struggle with and I'm just now realizing I think it's because...of my my pickups. I've watched so many videos looking for an explanation as to how they get their LEAD LINE tones specifically with overdrive and always got confused because I should be able to achieve it with the pedals I have. Never thought about the fact that my little metalhead Schechter with EMG humbucker pickups might not be the best for the tone I'm going for. Thank you for mentioning pickups at the beginning, too many people just go straight to pedals and don't even give this a thought. I'll have to see if I can experiment with other pickups and see if it helps.

[@kelboynavarro7552]

Great stuff! Surprisingly we have almost the same chain... Telecaster > Boost (TS) > Blues Breaker Clone (OD) > Tape Delay > Plate Reverb > Swell Reverb. but I add a tremolo at the start of my wet efx to add texture when I am in ambient mode. :)

[@SamWittek]

Nice! Definitely some solid options, you can't go wrong! I gotta get some tremolo on my board 😂

[@luigra123]

OMG, I saw your video before I bought my multifx so I could learn how to nail a nice and good tone. Now, KZbin tosses back your video to me, and I just found out how it helped me in my quest for a really good tone. Now I see I was dialing correctly. God bless you!

[@SamWittek]

So glad this was helpful! 🙏🏻

[@ElyVaz_]

Awesome video. Great job explaining your thought process!

[@SamWittek]

Thank you! Hope it helps 🤘🏻

[@bassyey]

Worship toan is achieved having the right amount of Strymon pedals!

[@SamWittek]

It's true! Any less and it doesn't count as worship

[@mjwontstop]

Hahaha😂❤

[@NikosKatsikanis]

been playing in church for about 2 years, dont even have a peddle yet, i just use some boss multi at church

[@scooter5005]

I use TC Electronics Flashback Delay into a EHX Cathedral Reverb. Both are versatile with lots of settings, make clean tones & often available at good prices.

[@SamWittek]

These are definitely great options!

[@CornerstoneWorshipTutorials]

Wow, amazing job. Just the video that I and lots of people need! Great content bro; keep it up! 👍✊

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! 🙌🏻

[@andrewdenning1239]

Inspired me to try and dial in some patches for my Tele more. I’ve always struggled for some reason to get my Tele pushed enough for lead tones. Gonna grab your tonex presets you and tone shepard collaborated on they sound great 🤙

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! Love to hear it. Yeah sometimes the tele just needs a little more attention to get it singing 🤘🏻

[@Gary-zq3pz]

The Empress Zoia solves many problems. You can have an entire pedalboard in one small unit. It's 500 USD, but can replace everything on your board. Using it as a tone generator with a pedalboard increases your tone options to (almost) infinity.

[@SamWittek]

Those are super cool, I've always wanted to check one out!

[@baratox1]

that's pretty expensive in Brazil, like too much! something around US1,200

[@Gary-zq3pz]

@@baratox1 Yes, but it can do the work of up to ten separate pedals. So it ends up saving money and space, but it is a big bite. It's worth it.

[@kevinsalas2716]

I just got my BOSS GT1000 and I'm digging your tips.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! Glad the videos have been helpful. The GT1000 is solid! 🔥

[@erikmorgan7059]

Great stuff man. Would love to see a similar video tuned towards humbucker pickups. Tele's just fit the worship genre so easily, which is awesome if you have one!

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! I agree, I would LOVE to get my hands on a humbucker guitar eventually and make some content around using that in the worship genre

[@Micah88]

@@SamWittek PRS SE DGT? I'm getting one in a few months with a Boss Katana Artist MkII 1×12″ 100-watt Combo Amp. I'm fairly new to the guitar, a drummer converting to a guitarist lol thanks for the awesome info.

[@SamWittek]

Nice those are really solid from what I've heard! Haven't played one personally but I'm sure it's gonna sound killer!@@Micah88

[@Celticsaint777]

The iridium is such an awesome amp modeler. Love my strymon pedals.

[@SamWittek]

It really is so good ❤

[@volume9gaming]

Yes please another episode on ams! And maybe also on cabinets too

[@magicbeav]

At 10:16 (all essential effects) it sounds just like the Celebrate intro from the Soul Survivor (UK) 2006 CD, which I always assumed was multiple guitars!

[@jburdsinfuse]

I built a “generic” worship board for our church on a budget. Just swap out the boutique pedals for Joyo and Nux, and you can literally do everything you need for under $500. If you need an amp, you can get a used AC15 for $500 all day. Remember…you’re playing 3-4 songs a week, not a four hour cover gig at a bar or festival.

[@SamWittek]

Exactly! You can get some amazing tones from super budget gear nowadays

[@woutersamaey8574]

How about a Line6 Helix Stomp? That’s all in one and affordable?

[@drixmichaeliroy6390]

Great video. More deep like how you do your presets on everything will be more interesting to youth someday (Worship song players). Thanks and have a blessed day

[@SamWittek]

Thank you! Definitely want to make some more deep dive videos soon! 🙌🏻

[@jsanch4892]

Love that guitar, hate the bridge though. I own 3 telecasters (2 solid body one thinline) and all three have different pickups installed, so 3 completely different tones. Nice pedalboard too.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! That's the dream, I'd love to have a few different teles down the road 🤘🏻

[@skylarmobis4681]

Can you share your presets in tape delay?I also have timeline...you really have the best worship tones

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Skylar! 🙌🏻 Working hard on my TimeLine presets as we speak! Will be making a video soon about those 🤘🏻

[@scooter5005]

I like Mooer pedals and sometimes they are on sale on Amazon - brand new pedals

[@Cajundaddydave]

Hey nice tone and playing! My own pedalboard is a simplified version of this to get *most of these tones and effects. Boss tuner, Sonic Cakes vol/wah pedal for swells, OCD overdrive mostly for clean boost with a little hair on it for solos, Keeley Halo dual delay with several quickly selected ambience settings, and Ethos Clean II Dumble style amp modeler with eq and enough muscle for my basic tone. While I prefer to run this through a Fender Super Champ backstage I have been running direct lately and getting a satisfying result that is easily repeatable in different venues. Cheers!

[@jimqartworks]

thanks, I love the Mosky so much, it has been in my board for the longest time,

[@SamWittek]

It really is such a great pedal!

[@ramos.nitrorc]

4:47 i like those chord shapes you wer3e playing do you have a tutorial of this or reference? thanks

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! I'm just playing in the key of E and keeping the high B and E strings open so they ring out. Then I'm just playing around A, C#m, B, F#m, E chords. Hope this helps!

[@user-yk382p53jh]

Exactly what I needed to watch thanks!

[@SamWittek]

So glad this helped! 🙌🏻

[@tylergorham7301]

Great video! Informative and to the point. I totally agree with your balance of what's essential vs. nice-to-have. I've enjoyed the Walrus Audio Mako R1 reverb and D1 delay--versatile, small footprint, onboard presets, and (relatively) affordable on the used market!

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Tyler! Nice! The Walrus stuff looks awesome. I still haven't had a chance to try the R1 or D1 but it seems like there's a ton of options packed into them. Maybe I'll get a chance to try them at some point!

[@H_P_11__]

sounds so good

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! 🙏🏻

[@BrooksKidz]

What settings do you use on your iridium?

[@danmorrisss]

Great video! Thoroughly enjoyed it

[@SamWittek]

Thank you! Glad it was helpful 🙌🏻

[@benjaminmontalvo7499]

Awesome video, bro!

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! 🙌🏻

[@Samuel.Lane32]

Excellent content as always Sam 😊 i would make an argument for needing a tuner as an essential, to be able to tune quickly, quietly and efficiently between or during songs is a must in my book. Tuning by ear would get a bit messy during a church service if you couldn't hear yourself.

[@SamWittek]

HOW DID I FORGET THE TUNER 😂1000% agree with that haha

[@Samuel.Lane32]

@@SamWittek btw were you using the new ToneFactor XR IRs in your Iridiums? Sounded great either way.

[@SamWittek]

@@Samuel.Lane32 Yessir! Thanks man 🙌🏻

[@jamesgonzalez3397]

Every guitarist uses a rig that fits their profile; for our good friend here, this is his preference based on the profile of music he is involved in.

[@SamWittek]

Truth! At the end of the day all this stuff is just tools in your toolbelt to pursue the tone in your head

[@geertbos1961]

Really nice tele clean tone! I 'm playing ibanez rg humbucker high output, sound really different... But nice in another way😊

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! Totally get that, probably sounds a lot different but still super nice!

[@jesusfreakster101]

Interested in the reasoning for two Iridiums… I play worship with one… about to explore midi options as it’s shortcoming is only one preset.

[@SamWittek]

I've found that having 2 just adds way more depth and wideness in stereo compared to just the one. I actually have a whole video on it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnbLYYyurtWorZo&ab_channel=SamWittek

[@ShreddingFinn]

My biggest issue is fine tuning EQ. My tone cuts the mix but ive never been totally happy, wish it had more warmth but no idea how to get there. Using Strymon Iridium with XR IRs into a stomp

[@SamWittek]

Pickups can make a big difference with this too. What type of guitar are you using?

[@davide4917]

Hello!, great video. Could you tell us what pickup did you use through the video?

[@SamWittek]

Hey David! I'm using Porter custom tele pickups. If you meant bridge position, I'm on the bridge pickup

[@Rrouthmusic]

Aside from tones and what not.. totally random… where did you get that denim shirt??

[@chrisminor6362]

So you were using a tape delay on your TL. Was that the dual delay? It sounded stereo? I thought the dual delay was digital?

[@SamWittek]

Yep that was just the regular tape delay! I do have it in stereo but it’s still just the standard tape delay, it’s not doing the ping-pong dual delay thing.

[@rickgibson335]

why do you have 2 Iridium pedals on your board?

[@SamWittek]

So that I could run two different amp models together in stereo

[@davidoliver3589]

You’ve gone timeline! Cool. How do you find it compared to the El Cap?

[@SamWittek]

I did! Actually a little surprised how different it feels. There's something really nice about the stereo width with the TimeLine that I'm liking a lot. The el cap, at times, felt like it could clash with my playing a bit but with the TimeLine the repeats feel like they sit off to the side a bit and just creates a lot of width. I'm still dialing things in with it but super impressed so far!

[@Eosorior14]

Killer tonz 🔥 Where did you buy that Tonepress??

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! 🙌🏻 I bought it from a friend who was selling his

[@BrileyNeyenhuis]

Thank you

[@adaneinthelife]

I see some pedalboards that incorporate multi effects. How do those work with analog pedals?

[@SamWittek]

Yeah there’s a ton of ways to do it, but probably the most common (from what I’ve seen at least) is to run analog drive + modulation pedals and run wet effects like verb and delays with a multi effects pedal

[@larriveeman]

I noticed when I put any delay after the tonex, I lose some high end and a little volume, do you find this?

[@SamWittek]

I think that’s normal! With your wet fx before the amps, they’re contributing to pushing your amps more, and it’s normal for there to be a little more brightness the more you push your amp. So by running them after there’s probably less high end since you’re pushing the amps less. That would explain the decrease in volume too. Hope that helps!

[@Ted1845]

What kind of guitar strings do you recommend? I’m having a hard time

[@SamWittek]

Why are you struggling with your current strings? Personally I really like d'addario NYXL 11 gauge strings, but it's pretty subjective. I know some people prefer lighter gauges, but the 11s are my preference

[@mattcarreon95]

I have a fender ultra strat I'm wondering if its a little to much clarity. Do you think I should possibly add a single coil sized humbucker to have the versatility?

[@SamWittek]

Good question! I guess my question would be what do you mean by "too much clarity?" Is it too thin? If you're looking to thicken things up some more then moving towards humbuckers could definitely help!

[@yimethan]

Would you recommend compressor before or compressor after overdrive? And what is your reasoning behind it?

[@SamWittek]

Good question! Totally depends what you're going for. For me, I like my compressor before my overdrives because I do want a little more dynamics. I like having a bit of a volume increase when I engage my drive pedals, and you wouldn't get that as much with the compressor after

[@rayganadamson2005]

Im curious to know why you are running two iridium’s when the walrus acs1 could do the job? No hate, just curious

[@SamWittek]

Yeah good question! Honestly I'd be super interested to give the ACS1 another shot, especially after the newest update. I tried one several years ago and preferred the iridium, and have just stuck with it ever since. I will say though, for the two iridiums, I really like the benefit of being able to see all the knobs for both amps at a glance, and make easy tweaks when needed. It was a little more cumbersome to navigate my stereo settings with the ACS1

[@thegoodfightbro]

this is great. thanks!

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! Glad this was helpful! 🙌🏻

[@davidjeremiahb.salvacion1360]

Is it okay to pair the mosky with a kot clone?

[@SamWittek]

Absolutely! I'm sure the two could sound great together

[@isaiperez1983]

Do you sell, big sky and timeline delay presets?

[@SamWittek]

I do! You can check them out here: samwittek.wixsite.com/store I also have a couple videos on the channel showing them in action. Let me know if you have any questions!

[@isaiperez1983]

@@SamWittek i have a doubt, the timeline and big sky bundle for 25 if i buy both? Its been hard for me to deal with both especially with the timeline.

[@anotherone9219]

What amp do you use?

[@SamWittek]

I use 2 strymon iridiums for my amps

[@adriansoto1820]

Get the boss gx-100 . Can find it on reverb for less than 500. Does everything shown here and much more. That’s $1500+ savings. You’re welcome!

[@viauf]

....🤣🤣🤣

[@baratox1]

what a board! God bless. really appreciate it 🙏🏼🇧🇷

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! God bless!🙌🏻

[@mjwontstop]

This set up is cost more than my rent 😀 good though god bless brothers Worship On!❤️

[@SamWittek]

Well it definitely didn't all come together overnight! I've been slowly building this board for 10+ years. You definitely don't NEED these pedals either to get a great tone. I'm thinking that I'd like to re-create this video at some point with very cheap pedals to get that idea across more tangibly

[@koitka2037]

You inspired me again.. I asume this will work for worshipping Satan too.. Cheers to You!

[@ryanvergara3603]

Does it even matter if you have a great tone in this kind of events? If you say yes because you believe it helps the congregation and you will feel better and worship better, is that more inward looking and self-serving? Is the focus of the praise and worship really oo satisfy what you or the congregation wants, or your Higher Power.

[@SamWittek]

Hey Ryan, couple thoughts on this: 1. From a corporate worship perspective, I always want to pursue the best tone I can for the purpose of blending well the band so that we’re bringing attention to the words we’re singing. If I’m showing up unprepared, or not making an effort from a tone perspective, that could be distracting for the congregation. 2. Whether I’m playing live, or alone in my room, I’m striving to give my best to God in tone and technique because I want to glorify Him through that. I’m so grateful that He’s given me a love and a passion for music, and I want to pursue excellence as an outpouring of that, not to be self-serving. 3. And that is why I make these videos. I want to help other guitarists continue to improve their craft and be inspired to glorify God through that same outpouring. Is it any less glorifying if the tone is bad? Heck no. But I do think that it is a good thing to want to improve so that you can glorify God with your best efforts.

[@theaaronimal]

Say hi to your dog for me!

[@SamWittek]

He says hi back! 🐶

[@Taidaishar]

You've got a LOT of focus hunting going on... your camera keeps focusing on your microphone and then back to your face. If your camera doesn't have face detection, you should consider moving your microphone out of the foreground.

[@AlbertoMartinez-zb8rq]

"Easily" and later shows a more than $2000 pedalboard :v

[@SamWittek]

Hey man, I'd encourage you to watch the video! Throughout the whole video I explain what you need, and actively point out that the pedals that I have are absolutely not necessary, and that you can easily nail this sound with a simple setup

[@81realtime]

$2k adjusted for inflation is historically cheap for a pro quality rig. What other activities cost $2k to play at the top? Photography? Nope. Motocross? Nope. Weightlifting? Maybe.

[@bromporke]

I got really close to that with a $1000 rig (guitar+amp+board)

[@lukesmith5816]

You can get some sweet tones from affordable pedals!

[@jasperbunton6015]

But a unit like the headrush mx5 have everything effects and amplifier you would need for under $500

[@buddyryeSE]

It’s sad to me that worship has boiled down to such materialism.

[@jamesbusch282]

This is a bad joke. It takes thousands of dollars of pedals to get a good tone?

[@SamWittek]

Hey James, not at all! Throughout the video I tried to give as many disclaimers as possible saying "you absolutely do not need this gear." I'm just showing the effect categories that can get you there. I am, however, planning on releasing a similar video soon though with budget pedals to help hammer home that point

[@JohannesLabusch]

Can one of you "worship" guys explain to me how that's somehow supposed to be a style of music? Did Jesus chip in for your pedals or something? It's music, MFers, and there's only good or bad music. I'm not trying to define my music by my political beliefs, either. "Here's a great pedal board for Democrats" 😬👎

[@SamWittek]

"Worship music" is mostly music that's been written with the intent to be played/sung at church on a Sunday morning. There's all kinds of genres that can be "worship music", since it's more about the purpose rather than the style of music. But over the last decade or so it's essentially become kind of it's own sub-genre and generally has a pretty distinct sound and style. So the hope for this video is to talk about what a church guitar player might need as they're prepping to play at their church, in the same way a "how to dial in a blues tone" would help a guitarist who primarily plays blues music.

[@JohannesLabusch]

Thank you for your calm response to my snark. @@SamWittek

[@tatyanalovyeremuk1133]

You are talking too much,

[@SamWittek]

Thanks!

[@rabidgoon]

god is make believe fyi

[@danield888]

Not an atheist chatroom but whatever! lol

[@scooter5005]

Okay, I won't be asking you for sermons

[@funfreq9282]

Im still waiting for the worship music world to stop slathering their tone in effects! I challenge any to just play without any effects!

[@jkirks8]

Sounds boring lol

[@funfreq9282]

@@jkirks8 At least you would be able to tell that it's a guitar !😁

[@ByTheSpirit84]

It's true that too many effects can be bad, but lots of praise and worship songs need at very least some type of time effect like verb or delay. Perhaps an OD too but those are bare essentials I feel

[@funfreq9282]

@@ByTheSpirit84 I feel they are being used to heavily, I get that there are songs that need them for atmospheric vibe, after a while it seems every song is clogged with cloud verbs and buckets of delays it just getting really old.

[@SolaChristus]

I use minimal time based effects for my main rhythm tone at church (although my clean and lead tones use them) Of course , my tone is not the same old stereotypical that 99% of guitarists use… My main amp tone is a Peavey JSX on channel 2 to create a classic rock AC/DC Plexi-ish tone…

[@joeleeuse]

talk too much

[@SamWittek]

lol

[@PerryCodes]

WTF is "worship" guitar and how is it different than "guitar" guitar?

[@SamWittek]

Lol it really is the same as "guitar" guitar, I'm more referring to it as a genre, similar to if I did a video about dialing in a great "blues guitar" tone or "funk guitar" tone. A lot of contemporary worship music has similar guitar tones and has kind of evolved into its own genre over the last decade or so.

[@PerryCodes]

@@SamWittek Ah... I never knew there was a specific tone for that. Guess I haven't been to church in over 20 years, so the "organ in the corner" has probably been long replaced ;)

[@SamWittek]

@@PerryCodes Haha there are still plenty of churches with the organ in the corner, generally most "contemporary" churches nowadays have a pretty distinct sound that the band goes for. Kind of that U2 "Edge" type of sound as far as the guitar tones go

[@mcream6]

You almost almost have my guitar, the difference is the year and the pickguard, otherwise they are the same nice🫡

[@SamWittek]

Nice man! You have good taste in guitars! 🤘🏻