Hi Mel, welcome to Review Zoo.
What got you into Guitar Teching?
Started when I was a teenager basically, I wanted my own guitars to be unique so I learned how to solder and started experimenting with pickups and wiring.
What does your average day look like as a Guitar Tech?
Get into my workshop and make a start on whichever guitar is at the top of my queue, or do a bunch of admin-ing/booking in new jobs if I haven’t anything currently in. There’s always social media to do, messages/emails to respond to or stock to order!
Which bands/Artists have you teched for?
I’ve just done a few festivals looking after bass and drum duties for Therapy?, and I’ve previously worked on guitars and basses belonging to members of Converge, Cave In, Scaler, Heavy Lungs and Rews among many others.
What do you enjoy most about being a Guitar Tech?
The freedom and autonomy. I work freelance as a tech and FOH engineer and all my work is more-or-less what I want to do whenever I want to do it, and I love the flexibility.
Favourite Guitar you’ve played?
My own P Bass probably, it has a Robot Graves aluminium neck and the rest of it has been heavily customised by myself to be exactly the way I want it. I had a gorgeous Epiphone Firebird a few years ago that was a joy to play as well, I miss that guitar.
Favourite amp you’ve played through?
Orange AD30 with a EQD Palisades in front of it, or honestly - a Marshall Modefour. The sheer amount of air those Marshalls move is astonishing, I’ve never known an amp be a better pedal platform and they genuinely sound pretty good. Never understood the hate!
As a Guitar Tech, do you have input on equipment the artist might use in the future?
Depends on the artist. I’ve certainly made suggestions to some people in the past with things like power supplies and the ‘boring’ bits of a rig because these are often overlooked. Decent power supplies are important!
Any funny tour stories you can share with us?
I’ll just say ‘people from Leicester like line dancing’ and leave it at that… half of my stories are probably too incriminating haha
What do you look forward to most when you get back from tour or a festival?
Sleeping on my own schedule, being back on my own time and eating the food I want to.
What are you currently listening to?
PEACH - debut album. It’s an absolute monster of riffs. The St Pierre Snake Invasion ‘Galore’ from earlier this year is a total trip too, and Amy May Ellis ‘Over Ling and Bell’ has also been on a lot as a gorgeous break from my usual shouty/noisy choices.
What’s your favorite album of all time?
Tom Waits ’Mule Variations’ or Nine Inch Nails ‘Year Zero.’
What hobbies do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spare time!? Whenever I get any I’m either playing Skyrim (for like the millionth time), out on my bike or just hanging out with my partner :)
Do you have any of your own bands/projects you’d like to mention?
I play drums in a noise band called Benzo Queen which is my long-term/main project, and I’ve been in and out of other various bands as either a guitarist or bassist.
Please can you tell us about the Guitars and Amps etc you own personally?
I’ve got quite a few; the P bass I mentioned earlier as well as a 1977 P as my backup bass. I’ve got a 2006ish Mexican Tele with a P-Rails in the bridge, and a pair of Baritones; one of the VM Jazzmasters from a few years ago and a Paranormal Tele. All my stuff is pretty heavily customised!
Amps-wise nothing exciting; currently a Darkglass Microtubes 500 that I use for guitar and bass, and a Peavey Valveking. I’m only playing at home these days and don’t like to have too much space taken up :)
Follow the link below for Mel's unity street audio Instagram profile
Follow the link below for Mel's Backline Techs profile
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