After an extended absence the Coast Sonic Hi-Fives are back for another round! To get the latest batch rolling we hit up Salvage Custom's Daniel Tyack, maker of some of the finest custom handcrafted pedalboards you're likely to find. Give it a read for Daniel's perspective on the awesomeness of wood splinters, donuts & beer and the benefits of not having neighbors!
Top Five things about running a company
Running a successful company isn’t easy or for the faint of heart. Here’s the top 5 things you can expect.
- There’s great satisfaction is seeing your own artwork become something people want and equally great disappointment watching people rip off your artwork.
- You get to set your own hours as long as those hours are at least 10-12 out of a given day.
- You’re going to hustle. All the time.
- Your brain will be so fried on a regular basis that you literally can’t come up with a good answer for number 4.
- The good parts of running your own company is often overshadowed by the hard stuff. But ultimately, there’s no better feeling than seeing something you made be appreciated by others. When people put up good money for something you created it’s a good day.
Top Five worst splinters you’ve gotten
I’ve had so many splinters there’s no way I can identify the top five. However, three in particular are quite memorable.
- I once managed to jam a sliver of wood under my fingernail all the way back to the cuticle. I had to use a Dremel Tool to grind the face of the nail away so I could get it out. Much pain was had that day.
- I was sanding the edge of a board and got a “splinter” that was the size of a toothpick. It was comically large. I think there’s a picture on Instagram somewhere.
- I was at the hardwood store with a cart loaded up with walnut. The carts are generally at crotch level. As I turned to navigate I managed to pick up a splinter right in the ole man parts. It made for some pretty good dance moves and quite the show for the other guests in the shop.
Top Five workshop distractions
There have to be at least a million of theses…
- Nerf guns… Oh man, Nerf guns are distracting.
- Visitors: We love visitors but they can drain hours away. We offset this by having them bring beer and donuts.
- Beer and Donuts: This is a major distraction.
- Log Jams: Every now and then one area of our little shop gets backed up. It’s amazing how quickly things can go strait to hell because of one little log jam.
- Non production builds: We generally want to build everything. Problem is, whenever we introduce something that isn’t in our standard realm of operation things just get thrown off. It’s hard to balance production and custom work.
Top Five things to spend five bucks on
- Tacos, always spend your $5 on tacos
- Does anything cost $5 anymore?
- Tacos.
Top Five all time favorite pedals
- Strymon El Capistan
- Push+Pull Pedals Sputnik Fuzz
- Push+Pull Pedals San B
- JHS Kilt
- Lovepedal Believe
Top Five strangest custom requests
I almost always say no to weird requests. We get them all the time but I’m not ok with making our stuff look like crap so I say no. Here’s some weird ones we’ve had that stick out in my mind.
- We had a guy ask for a case for his Voodoo dolls. I declined…
- We just did some suitcases for Hendricks Gin. They just wanted vintage looking suitcases for this cool cocktail machine to live in. They couldn’t find any vintage case that fit it well so we built them from scratch.
- Projects for my kids charter school. We pretty much get asked incessantly for things. Pro Tip: Don’t let your kids school know that you own a shop.
- Occasionally somebody has some wood from their grandpa and they want something made out of it. This happens more than your may think.
- My friend Matt used to work here. On the side he built props for movies and costume companies. It’s not exactly related to Salvage but there have been a hell of a lot of weird things built in this shop.
Top Five foods to avoid
I have an open door policy for food. Food should never be avoided. There’s the general avoidance of junk food, processed stuff, soda etc. but we know that and don’t pay much attention. My rule for traveling is, if it’s a delicacy in another country you at least have to try it twice. The first time is often so shocking that you fail to appreciate the subtleties. If the subtitles still make you gag the second time around then go ahead and put it down. You gave it your best collage try.
Top Five lamest riffs you know
I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I’ve never spent much time learning other people’s songs. I just kinda improvise and make stuff up but I used to know a really bad rendition of Purple Haze.
Top Five things about living in the middle of nowhere
I always get crap for living in the “middle of nowhere”. Let’s clear the air… I live in Jamul. It’s about 30 minutes inland from Downtown San Diego and only about 15 minutes away from civilization proper. It’s rural but it’s only the edge of the middle of nowhere. Not quite the exact middle…
- It’s so quiet that your ears ring a little if you go outside and stay still.
- Stars. Lots of stars.
- I can shoot guns in my yard.
- My children don’t watch TV or have many toys. They play outside and make up games.
- It’s an equal drive to downtown or the middle of nowhere. I have the best of both worlds.
Top Five things that confuse you
- Entitlement
- Unoriginality
- My lovely wife (10 Years and I’m still confused)
- No reason traffic jams
- Claiming Taco Bell as Mexican food
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