About 14 years ago I was living in Nashville and a couple of my good friends worked for a major guitar manufacturer. Through them, I met a really cool guy named Jason Baskin who also worked with my friends as a guitar tech. After work, we would all go down to a place across the street from Vanderbilt University that was a Mexican joint where we would sit and eat, talk gear, and check out the cute Vandy girls. That’s how I got to know Jason and learn that he has always been a gear head like my friends and I. Jason later turned his passion into a career as a professional guitar tech for some major bands in both the rock and country scene. I thought an interview with Jason would be very cool and informative so I emailed Jason some questions and he was very gracious to oblige. I thought it would be great to pick his brain about gear and life on the road. This is the first round of questions so stay tuned for future follow up interviews with Jason.

Todd – How did you get into the field of being a guitar tech for professional bands?

Jason – After some convincing from a friend, I moved from Texas to Nashville to work for a guitar company. My gig there was to set up guitars before they went out to retail stores. I did that for about 4 months, then through some friends I had met out here I ended up getting a gig with a country artist. I was hooked and 13 years later, here I am.

Todd – What bands have you been a guitar tech for?

Jason – At this point, quite a few. Muse, Guns n Roses, Smashing Pumpkins, Dream Theater, Korn, Kelly Clarkson, Disturbed, Michelle Branch, Zwan, Collective Soul, Newsboys, Billy Dean and a few others.

Todd – Who had the wildest rig and who had the most simple

Jason – The wildest rig would have to be the one I have now, and that’s Matt Bellamy’s rig with Muse. Some pretty creative signal flow at times, and a few other things you don’t see very often like Kaoss pads in guitars, other built in effects/electronics, wireless MIDI. I just actually got through rebuilding it for the upcoming tour and there’s alot going on there. Simplest would be your basic pedal board/amp rig, and I’ve had a few of those. As much as I love a good challenging rig, sometimes I miss those days.

Todd – What in your opinion makes a good rig for the road?

Jason – Regardless if it’s a small board, or a huge rack you need quality components and they’ve got to be put together well. The more attention to detail, the happier the player will ultimately be. Sloppy cabling, putting a power supply in the wrong spot, using cheap power supplies…. there are any number of things that can make a potentially cool rig sound like crap or worse, make no sound at all. For some guys, throwing a few pedals on the floor and using some cheap patch cables works fine. But if your gear is being set up/torn down a lot and getting a ton of use, it’s going to be more reliable over the long haul if you go the extra mile.

Todd – What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on the road?

Jason – I’ve seen some pretty outrageous things over the years, and most of them probably shouldn’t be mentioned here. Dragonforce opened up for Dream Theater a few times back in 2005. That was pretty funny.

Todd- What’s the scariest thing you’ve had happen during a show?

Jason – Having a program change number in a MIDI controller get mysteriously changed and screw up some amp switching… during a DVD shoot. Not fun.

Todd – What gear builders are you into right now and why?

Jason – There are so many people out there right now that are building cool things, it’s insane. Luckily doing what I do allows me to check out some cool gear and meet some cool builders. Jason Lollar is my go to pickup guy. His stuff is absolutely killer and he’s just a SUPER cool guy. For newer amps, I’m a fan of Divided by 13. Fred builds some stunning amps. If I could own only one amp, his FTR37 would probably get the gig. I really love some of the early Menatone stuff. Greg from Xact Tone has got some cool new stuff, and Jack from Prescription makes some really sick stuff.

Todd – What’s the hardest part about being a guitar tech?

Jason – For the technical side, being able to keep your cool in a tough situation can be a challenge. Having a rig go down in front of a few thousand people is not a good time, but you’ve got to stay calm and work it out quickly. On the touring side of it, being gone for such long periods of time can be really hard.

Todd – What do you like the most about your job?

Jason – The travel, the friends, the food, the gear… tons of stuff. You get to see so many cool and unusual things, it’s easy to forget how great this job can be. I’m very blessed to get to do what I do.

Todd – For guys on a budget what’s good things to have on your board or in your rig?

Jason – There are a few companies like Egnater, Orange, Vox and others that are making some cool little tube amps at a decent price. The Line 6 M13 is great for what it does at that price. The biggest help for guys on a budget is to learn some fundamental maintenance. Learn how to solder and make your own cables. It’s not hard and it can save you some cash. Learn how to set your own guitars up. If they don’t have any major issues, setting up a guitar can be pretty easy. Ritchie Fliegler wrote a book called, The Complete Guide To Guitar And Amp Maintenance: A Practical Manual For Every Guitar Player. That’s a great book for beginners. Also, Dan Erlewine’s Guitar Player Repair Guide is a must own.

Todd – What’s the thing that is hardest on gear on the road?

Jason – Lack of proper care and maintenance. If you’re going to tour, you need quality cases for your gear. Saving money now can cost you a ton of money later.

Todd – Do you have any tips for getting good tone when you have so many room changes on tour?

Jason – Bad power can wreak havoc with your tone. Taking the proper steps to make sure you have good, clean power is a must. Guys in clubs are going to run into issues here more than most touring pros. In ear monitors help with making what you hear more consistent. A bad sounding room makes it much harder when you don’t have that isolation provided from in ears. Again, taking care of your gear and making sure it’s well put together goes a long way towards consistency.

Todd – Is there much difference in working for rock bands over country bands?

Jason – The touring schedules can be quite different for both. If you’re a family man, you might want to do the ‘weekend warrior’ thing that most country acts do. If you have no problem being gone for long periods of time and want to see the world, rock is where it’s at. I like the rock thing more, but I do miss corn dogs and funnel cakes from the fairs.

Todd – In your experience is tone really in the hands?

Jason – I do agree with that, to a point. I’ve heard some guys take some really great gear and produce god awful sounds. Good gear does not equal good tone. You need ability, as well as the ears.

Todd – What’s the greatest lesson you’ve learned in doing your job. This can be gear related or a life lesson or both.

Jason – You know how your whole life people say, ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know.’? It’s kind of true. But a more accurate statement would be, ‘Who you know gets you there, what you know keeps you there.’. And if they say ‘Don’t drink the water.’, don’t.

Big thanks to Jason for your time. You rock bro!