My name is Richard Jazmin. I grew up in Bakersfield, CA. My father was an aerospace physicist who developed advanced radar and stealth tech for the B1 bomber, and B2 programs, which also included communication engineering for the shuttle program. Our house resembled an electronics laboratory with a lot of test equipment around. I learned how to solder, measure voltage, resistance and inspect signal on an oscilloscope at age 7. All of my toys turned into science experiments, including a lot of moms appliances and other assorted electronic thingies around the house.
I started playing guitar at age 11, playing in bands all through grade school and highschool. I also learned to work on my own guitars and was mentored by Ed Sanner, the inventor of the Mosrite Fuzzrite pedal. (Somewhere in this area of my life I also got into building/fabricating custom lowriders with hydraulic suspension systems including building extremely loud competition car stereo sound systems)
I became a professional musician in 2002 playing in bands around Orange County, Ca. until moving to Hollywood, Ca. in 2008, to join a signed band called The Dreaming/Stabbing Westward. I wrote and recorded 2 full length records with them that were released on EMI, and Metropolis Records, with singles climbing Billboard Active Rock charts.
I joined the platinum-selling industrial metal band Powerman 5000 as lead guitarist in 2013. We wrote and recorded a full length record that was one of the years’ most anticipated releases. The record was titled “Builders of the Future” and released on Universal Records. We were honored to be selected for Nikki Sixx Picks at Best Buy stores. Following the album release, we embarked on world-touring with Rob Zombie. We played all over the world with the biggest rock bands such as, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Metallica, Black Sabbath, KISS, Sound Garden, and Alice in Chains.
I also worked at LsL Instruments in Van Nuys, Ca., as head of the electronics department, building boutique high-end electric guitars. My Luthier mentor was Avishay Shabat, now of Shabat Guitars. At LsL, I worked closely with many artists such as Carl Verheyen, Steve Trovato, Kirk Fletcher, Jerry Donahue, Walter Becker, and many more. I also worked at Fulltone pedals in Culver City, building the OCD, Clyde Deluxe Wah, Fulldrive 3, 2B Boost, Octafuzz.
I retired from touring in 2017 and moved back to Huntington Beach, Ca. I wanted to take everything I learned as an electronics cowboy, and bring it all together with my professional music experience. In the summer of 2019, Jazmin Electric started out next to the kitchen of my house in Huntington Beach, CA. Shortly after this, we all got hit with the pandemic, so I was doing repairs out of the house for the next two years. In 2022, I partnered with Cottonwood Music Emporium in Costa Mesa, Ca., and have been operating out of the beautiful shop since.