February 13, 2017

Meet Greg Granieri of Audio Rehab, Inc. in Burbank

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Granieri.

Greg, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My Father was an electrician/electronic repair guy…worked for RCA in the 50’s and 60’s, He also had his own business as an electrician. My Mother worked on an assembly line, manufacturing tubes during WorldWarII…So I guess I got the bug. I was the fix-it guy and sound guy for most of the bands I’ve been in. I went to Philco-Ford electronics school in the 70’s in Philadelphia and worked with the Cintioli’s cousins, the largest repair shop/music store in Philly. I also worked at a computer manufacturer, while continuing to play in bands and do a little studio work throughout the 80’s and 90’s.

In 1981, I started my own business and still worked closely with the Cintioli’s. Not burning any bridges, I branched out, repairing equipment for 3 casinos in NewJersey and 10 music stores in Philadelphia and New Jersey. As a service center for Crown, Roland, Korg and Fender, I kept up with the latest innovations, attending their seminars.

In 1984, I opened a small music store in the suburbs of Philly. After 7 years, I sold the store to just work on pro audio equipment. Studio work brought me to California where I continued to work as a studio musician in San Francisco and LA. The bands I was a part of had some success, but I never made a living at it and concentrated more on repairs as I continued performing throughout the 90’s and 2000’s. I finally got my act together and married Amy in 1996 and we bought a house in Burbank. I worked at O’Henry’s studio and met fantastic engineers who spread the word about me and are still my best clients today.

In 2009, I started Audio Rehab, Inc. and have been growing steadily ever since. I have an extensive list of clients on LinkedIn and Facebook. Now with the help of my wife, Amy; my office manager, Andrea and my technicians, I continue to learn and grow my business, following in the footsteps of my parents.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t know of anyone who has had a smooth road. Life’s journey certainly has been a road with many forks. I’d rather not dwell on the negative.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Audio Rehab, Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
Audio Rehab, Inc. is a service center for many pro audio manufacturers. this includes guitar amplifiers, power amps, mixers, effects processors, microphones, and speakers. Our reputation spread quickly, since 2009, repairing equipment from all over the country …New York to Hawaii…and studios in Japan, Paris, London and Buenos Aires.

We specialize in being a repair facility that repairs a wide variety of equipment for recording studios and musicians. As a repair center for Aphex, we receive microphone preamps and compressors from radio and television companies including Disney/ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS. Audio Rehab repairs sound equipment for Conan O’Brien, The Ellen Show and Jimmy Kimmel. We continue to service studios like Electric Lady and venues like Madison Square Garden in NY and many famous studios, like Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount, The Village, Henson Recording, The Record Plant, EastWest Studios, Pacifique and many more in Los Angeles.

I had the pleasure of working on an item from Ringo as he moved his studio from London to LA. Continuing to grow, I established relationships with many clients; venues like The Troubadour, schools like Musicians Institute, touring bands, like Pharrell, Bonnie Raitt, Maroon5, Arianna Grande, Stevie Wonder and many professional musicians here in LA. We usually only meet the tour managers, though. Our customers bring in their antique gear to me because I’ve worked on them before they were antiques!

I keep up with the latest innovations as we are a service center for Antelope Audio, Yamaha, Roland, Korg, Nord, Kurzweil, Ampeg, Peavey, Marshall, Eden, Mackie, Allen & Heath, Vox and many more. The old and new keeps this shop hoppin’.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t know if I’d call it bad luck, but disappointments made me see alternatives. Luck has so little to do with the way things go. The old saying is ‘the harder I worked, the luckier I got’.

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