What does a guitarists “guitar tech” do and what skills do they need to know?
The guitar tech is responsible for all aspects of guitar maintainance. On a “gig” night, depending on how many guitars the player uses, they’ll be back stage, tuning and restringing guitars. After the show, they’ll clean, restring and tune the guitars again. They’ll ensure that when the player wants to change guitars, the next one is at the side of the stage, ready to play. Between shows, they’ll fix any breakages, replace pickups etc. The skills required are to be a competent player (you’ll need to know what a well set up guitar “feels” like), a technician (electrics will need re-wiring from time to time), and calm under pressure (players will run off stage screaming for their next guitar, or you may even have to swap mid-song if a string breaks). For a “smaller” band, the guitar tech may also take care of the amps and effects, which brings its own set of skills.
