Meet Nicholas Palmirotto | Guitar Technician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicholas Palmirotto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicholas, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I have always been a free thinker with wanderlust, and a strong inclination toward the curtains of night. I’ve never followed the conventional career path, and from a very young age, started drawing, painting, and playing music. I have never strayed from that path, and my music career transferred into my guitar technician career.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started out playing and touring in my own bands for years. I went to audio engineering school, and took a couple basic electronics courses. During that time I had an epiphany… I’ve been playing guitar my whole life. Why do I not know how to set them up myself? I started with my own guitars. Watching YouTube videos and bought a couple books from Stewmac. I started posting my work on Instagram, and people eventually reached out asking if I could work on their guitars. I would take their guitars and teach myself how to do particular jobs. Then, at some point I had a friend who is a monitor engineer who had gone out on a weekend gig with a band working as their guitar tech. They asked him to do it again, and he told him that he wasn’t really a guitar tech, and that he was more of a sound engineer. He asked me if I could do it, and I said, “I am not a guitar tech “. He said, “you are absolutely a Guitar tech. You know how to work on guitars, set up amplifiers and pedalboards, and you have toured for years. Just buy a work box, and you are a tech. I wound up doing that tour, and my career just blossomed from there. It didn’t hurt that I was based in New York City for almost 20 years.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to eat at Hop Alley, Uncle, Ka wani, Pho Duy, and Tarascos. Coffee at Queen City and Huckleberry Roasters. I’d take them to Red Rocks, and hiking/skiing in Evergreen, Idaho Springs, and Summit County. I’d also take them to see a show at Hi-Dive and a drink at Trve Brewing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents have always been very supportive of my creative endeavors. There was a period of time that they tried to get me to stray, but once they realized I controlled my own fate, they recanted, and continued their support. Dan Erlewine from Stewmac was always an inspiration to me with guitar repair.

Website: https://www.pyrolatrous.com

Instagram: @palmirottoguitars

Facebook: Palmirotto Guitars

Image Credits
Nicholas Palmirotto