Most of you have heard of Salvage Custom and if you haven’t then you are probably new to the boutique guitar and pedal industry. Founded by Daniel Tyack in 2012 Salvage Custom was not necessarily the first raised pedalboard solution. They were one of the first to create custom lift off cases and gorgeous wooden framed raised pedalboard platforms that rival the fit and finish of some guitars.
In a time when re-purposing and recycling old suitcases and vintage products was at it’s hype Salvage Custom stormed onto the boutique guitar market with these gorgeous pedalboards and cases. Soon every boutique pedal aficionado knew about these pedalboards and everyone was cleaning their keyboards and laptop screens from all of the drooling that was taking place. With custom boards and cases ranging from $500 to $1000 Daniel realized there was a huge need to make a simplified board for the budget conscious worship leader or working guitarist. Here was the start of the “Element Series” pedalboards.
The Element pedalboards are stripped down versions of their high end all the bells and whistles brothers. The boards come in three different sizes based on the industry’s most popular sizes. Theses sizes are:
- SE1: Direct replacement for the PT Jr. Classic
17×13 Exterior, 16×12 Velcro area - SE2: Direct replacement for the PT2 Classic
24×13 Exterior, 23×12 Velcro area - SE3: Direct replacement for the PT Pro Classic
32×17 Exterior, 31×16 Velcro area
These boards contain a single 1.5″ port hole for running power and cables under your board instead of the IEC power module that is in the custom boards. There are no 1/4 switchcraft jacks and the bottom of the board is always exposed whereas the custom boards have a pedal mounting surface that hinges up like a chest lid. The Element boards cannot be customized in size and do not come with lift off cases.
What these Element pedalboards have in common with the custom boards is the dovetail jointed Walnut and Mahogany frames and sturdy velcro’d tops. These look nearly identical to the custom boards Salvage puts out.
We ordered the SE2 sized board and it took nearly 6 months for it to arrive. We knew it would take a while and when something is made by hand you cannot rush perfection. That being said if you are looking for something to arrive in a week this is still not the solution. These boards are still made by hand with the same attention to detail as the custom boards. So plan on waiting a few months. The demand for these boards also causes a bit of a backlog.
When our board arrived we were blow away by the packaging. The box was custom fit and well padded just for our board. The Salvage Custom logo on the front is really cool and we ended up framing it in some reclaimed pallet wood in our offices as art.
Once out of the case we were impressed by the build quality. The dovetail joints were extremely tight with no glue visible. There was no “wood filler” used anywhere on the board and the hardware was perfectly placed and attached. The velcro they use is strong enough to hold an elephant off the ground meaning you won’t be loosing that $2000 Klon off your board. The height is also perfect and doesn’t leave you cramped after long shows.
We were a little less impressed with the lacquer finish on the board than we expected. There were brush strokes in the lacquer and it was a bit tacky. These things are not deal breakers at all just not what we expected. When I say tacky it was 98% dry and stuff would not stick to it or ruin the finish it just wasn’t 100% dry. The brush strokes were probably just how the boards were meant to look.
I must say I was also concerned about having such a gorgeous board and keeping it looking good while traveling back and forth to church. On Easter this year I was loading it in my car and the one end slipped out of my hand and crashed to the floor. The entire end busted off and my heart sank. A few days later I looked at it to see if I could fix it and luckily the end just pushed out of the joints and none of the wood actually was cracked. I sanded the joints down a bit and clamped them back together. A day later it was like new. That is a testament to not only the wood Salvage uses (mine was Walnut) and the dovetail joints which not only look good but are very strong and if they do pull apart there is a better chance of fixing the joint.
I must say Salvage Custom pedalboards are all they are cracked up to be. They stand up to all of the hype and Daniel and his team are an absolute joy to work with. The wait times are long but they keep you informed the entire way through the process with complete transparency which is refreshing. You won’t call and get a bunch of lies about why your board hasn’t shipped. You will get honest answers from good honest people who are creating great products. Well done Salvage. Well done. You truly have sprinkled these with Unicorn dust!
Oh and one more thing. At these prices who shouldn’t have one?
- SE1 – Walnut or Mahogany without Mono Case: $175.00
With Mono Case: $330.00 - SE2 – Walnut or Mahogany without Mono Case: $198.00
With Mono Case: $373.00 - SE3 – Walnut or Mahogany without Mono Case: $229.00
With Mono Case: $434.00
2 Comments
Thanks for the killer review guys! Much a appreciated 🙂
No problem guys. It is well deserved! You guys do stellar work. Thanks for being such a huge pioneer in the industry!