Re: [Worship] Guitar Players: efx or no efx?

[Terry Ritz <t.ritz@iname.com>]

Ryan Sheeler wrote:

> Do you use any effects or not?  I must say that I am an amp player at
> heart.

If going amp-only works best for you Ryan you're not alone. Many top
players share your sentiments. As for me, effects have always been an
important part of my sound. . . 

> To you players who use effects how do you run them. Direct, through an amp,
> effects loop?  Do you feel it helps or hinders your tone?  Your ability to
> worship/lead?  This may seem to be a curious thread but I was just curious.

. . .  I use a Boss GT-5 which is a floor based processor. The GT-5
provides all of my amp sounds (amp & speaker modeling) and effects in
one package. I go direct to the board from it and to a full range
acoustic guitar amp (Peavey Ecoustic 112) for my own "monitor" on stage.

I use delays of 300ms or so to fill out the sound sometimes but I seem
to do this less and less lately. More often I will kick in a longer
delay selectively in a solo to add energy. On songs where I use my E-Bow
a long delay can be *very* effective. I use chorus or phaser on clean
patches, especially if I'm playing arpeggios. Phaser can also be very
effective on clean or lightly distorted patches when I'm doing a funky
rhythm kinda thing. I use a reverb regularly to fill out the sound.

There are a few speciality sounds I use sparingly. . .   autowah, wah
and synth. The autowah and synth have been useful in a couple of solos.
My E-Bow (electronic bowing device for guitar - you use this instead of
a pick) also fits the speciality catagory. I use it for solos and to
provide strings or flute type sounds in the background.

I use effects to add "colour" to a song, just as I do different clean
tones or different overdriven tones. To me they are all just different
timbres. If the timber used is well chosen the song is enhanced. If it's
not, you take away from the song and even cause a distraction for
people. I believe that it's important to play tastefully, both in
content and in timbre, which means that it must be appropriate for the
song. My ability to do this would be limited without effects. My ability
to express what's in my heart (worship) on the guitar would be limited
without effects. Then again there are days when I just love a sweetly
distorted singing tone and nothing more!  ;-)

Terry Ritz
(t.ritz@cableregina.com)
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
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