Roland U.S.

Tommy Walker

An Eternal Quest For Tone

by Corey Fournier

Tommy Walker is probably best known for his unforgettable melodies and stirring lyrics. But at the heart of every Tommy Walker song, is Tommy’s world-class guitar playing. Like most guitarists, Tommy is passionate about his guitar sound and never stops fine tuning his gear in the quest for the ultimate tone. BOSS has been a companion on this quest for many guitarists, including Tommy, so we sat down with him at the recent Saddleback Worship Conference where he was kind enough to share his insights on playing guitar in worship. This interview is also available on video – click here.

What guitar effect has had the most influence on your sound?

I think I’ve been a BOSS user since probably 1978 or something like that, with all the different chorus and overdrive pedals. But one unique thing that I’ve been using for quite some time is the acoustic guitar simulator that BOSS has developed.

I use it in the GT-5 right now, but I know it’s available in other products [GT-8] and as a stand-alone device [AD-8]. I use the acoustic guitar simulator along with my Fishman bridge pickup to create a more authentic acoustic guitar sound. Bridge pickups on an electric guitar can sound “twangy” and not very pleasing. But with the acoustic guitar simulator in the GT-5, I get more mid-range and a more pleasing tone. I mix them together and it’s an interesting hybrid. When you get in the “heat of the battle” and you start strummin’ really hard, those bridge pickups tend to cut out and the tone can break up. But the mid-range of the acoustic simulator really helps solve that problem and gives me as a worship leader that “stumming thing” I need for leading. But then, I can turn off the bridge pickup and get that crunchy sound for soloing and whatever else. That’s what I’m doing currently and I’ve been lovin’ the GT-5 for many years.

Though you usually play electric guitar, you use a nylon string guitar in a unique way with the VG-88. Can you describe that?

I have a Godin nylon string guitar that I like to use with the VG-88 because you can change the octaves in there. I transpose the D, G, and B string up an octave on a steel string acoustic guitar model in the VG-88. It’s very subtle but it gives me a little bit more “ring” to the tone. You wouldn’t know that’s what it is, but that little bit more “ring” with the nylon string is great when I’m strumming. It’s a little trick. Of course, I use the effects on it as well – reverb and a tiny bit of chorus.  Man, I love it – it’s wonderful.

Why do you use a single multi-effects unit instead of individual stomp boxes?

The reason I don’t use multiple stomp boxes and have a lot of different things, is because as a worship leader, I’m very preoccupied with leading the people and I don’t have time to set delay times and things like that. I have to be leading these people. I’m the guy that’s leading them. So my setup has to very simple. But because I do like to solo and stuff, it complicates everything. But for the most part, I just like to have one unit that provides everything in a simple way that I can get to it really fast without putting my head down and saying, “Hold on everybody, I’m gonna go fix my guitar sound…just keep praying.” So that’s the reason why I use a single multi-effects pedal.

What advice would you give a guitarist in developing his/her tone?

The first thing is to have a great guitar. It always starts there. And usually, simplicity is the best. For the person that wants to play electric and lead from an electric guitar, you don’t realize it, but what you want is a very wide [frequency] range. If you’re just playing electric with a tube amp, you only have the mid-range thing. This is cool, but if you can use some of these tricks I’ve just described, especially using that acoustic guitar simulator, it widens [your sound] and it gives you some of the high end and the lows. Then, when you’re strumming by yourself, it’s more like you’re a piano player and you’re covering a wider range. 

And also, fortunately for Roland and BOSS, we will all be on the search for the rest of our lives for “that sound”. And that brings up a great point: the journey will never end. But it’s a journey worth fighting for. You have to keep pressing and pushing to have a high-quality sound. It doesn’t matter how great of a player you are: if you don’t take the time to work on your sound, you’re only gonna sound so good. So you do have to continue to work on it.  And, “Yes and Amen” on Roland and BOSS products!

Watch Video

Tommy’s recent live album and DVD, “Break Through,” was recorded at Saddleback Church and is available on his website: www.tommywalker.net. Also, check out Tommy’s brand new holiday worship album entitled, “Christmas Worship,” available now!