As with any first article, I should introduce myself first. My name is Greg Howard and I'm a touring guitartech. I've toured for the last 10 years with the bands such as King's X, Cry of Love, Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes, Linkin Park, Aerosmith, and Green Day. My basic job is to set-up an artist's guitar rig and maintain his touring arsenal of guitars. This entails any repairs/maintenance on all electronics (amps, effects, etc) as well as intoning and setting up the guitars themselves.
I've worked for guys who have massive switching systems and others who just use a guitar, cable, and amplifier. I've tuning anything form a banjo to a twelve string. In other words this job can be anything and everything. Most people ask me how to get into the business, since it seems like such a great job. And it is, you get to travel the world on someone else's dime, hang out with rockstars, and get paid on your days off. But you're also away from your family most of the time, you must follow someone else's schedule, you ride around in a big steel tube (tour bus, airplane, etc), and you spend untold hours waiting around. Waiting to load-in, waiting on lunch/dinner, waiting to set-up, waiting to soundcheck, waiting for the show to start. "Hurry up and wait" is a phrase heard often in this business. Don't get me wrong, it is one of the greatest jobs in the world, but nothing is perfect.
I started out like just about everybody else, I was in a band. After years of setting up my own gear, I found out that you can actually get paid to set-up someone else's gear. And you usually make more money than the person you are setting up for (at least the smaller bands). I started out touring in a van and playing every dive bar/club in the US. Eventually I worked for bands that were opening for the bigger arena acts, and I got to graduate to a bus (although usually not a nice one). I met other crew working for the bigger acts, made friends and contacts, and moved up the ladder. This business is all word-of-mouth and you're only as good as your reputation. If you do a good job, you usually get noticed and get called for the better gigs. I moved up pretty quick and have been lucky to work for some of the best and most talented people in the business.
I'm currently on my 8th month touring with one of the top acts in the world. We've sold out arenas and stadiums all over the world and we've done almost every TV show imaginable. I'm lucky to be surrounded by a great crew and a band who treats us well. I still miss my family and friends, but try to stay in touch through email and the dreaded cell phone.
I hope this gives some insight into my job and I want to get into the details in future columns. If you're interested in getting into this line of work remember what a lighting guy once told me "This is the hardest business to get into, but it's even harder to get out of". See you on the road. GH
