Cool thread!!! So, at 63, I was raised heathen for 30 years and have been a believer in Christ for 33. Teach adult Sunday School, fill in for the pastor when he vacations, and run the sound room which has dove head first into Facebook Live streaming every service (Sunday morning and Wednesday eve). Been playing for 50 years now. More so some years than others. (I'm figuring you might as well know my testimony for Christ before I jump in...right?
We're a small church. Maybe 50 on a good Sunday morning. Our keyboard player is phenomenal. Now, he's 75 years old...West Point grad in the day...STILL runs full marathons. But, don't let numbers fill you. His rock days were Doobie Brothers, Allman Brothers...he's a Mississippi guy. My era was Led Zepp, Blue Oyster Cult, Boston, Skynyrd, etc. So we're both open to a LOT of new music. Our worship band has been going for 7 years now.
So, yes, I play my '09 Sunburst 22 most every week. Just got the '04 Singlecut 10 top and it will be worked into a rotation. The band plays 1, sometimes 2, worship songs a week....nothing lengthy. The keyboard player can read, but we all typically play by ear. We had a drummer & bass player. Drummer left, and the bassist is overcoming health issues. That said, the keyboard player is triggering midi drums and well acquainted with running 2 Korg Triton's doing 100+ gigs a year...he's versed on being a three piece solo act. :O
My setup is: Sunburst or Singlecut -> ElectroHarmonix C9...wet signal to volume pedal for swelled in B3 style organ...dry signal into a Strymon Riverside -> HXFX (loaded with DeLaune/Britt presets and some of Worship Tutorial presets...all tweaked to taste). The HXFX is pushed into a Peavey Studio Pro 40 (w/ Sheffield) and it fills the sanctuary. Keyboards go into a JBL Eon G2. Both face me and I match the level of the keyboard...that works great!
Mic setup...after the Mackie 1604VLZ died, I put a Yamaha board in that works fine. Amp is a QSC USA900 series STILL running fine into a quad of Cerwin Vega V152's and doing well after 23 years. No in-ear monitors...live mix works great for all and no stage monitors. That's our "house system".
That's the nuts & bolts of it. Well, for a song repertoire, we do 1-2 of the following every week...
Raise A Hallelujah
Above All
Agnus Dei
Revelation Song (Phillips, Craig & Dean version)
Old Church Choir
Give Thanks
Chain Breaker
God Of Wonders
Forever
Lord Reign Me In
Our God (Chris Tomlin)
10,000 Reasons
All The People Said Amen (Matt Maher)
One Name
Wonderful Merciful Savior (Selah version)
Here I Am To Worship
Way Maker (M.W. Smith version)
...and more, but you get the gist of it.
So far, so good. Not too taxing and no surprises. Keyboard player emails the song(s) selected on Tuesday. We vocally run through it Wed. eve after prayer service...then play it Sunday. Our Pastor keeps typically hands-off the music selection. (Keyboard player leads it, but we take a request a week prior...we're easy to get along with! I will say...if my HXFX broke...it will be immediately replaced.
Brad