When you buy a Laney Black Country Customs Loudpedal, you’re not just getting a high-quality, hand-built pedal, made by the passionate team in our Halesowen Black Country Customs Workshop here in the UK, you’re now investing in a piece of craftsmanship that extends all the way to the packaging it arrives in.
We’re now proud to say that we have partnered with the family-run business the Walsall Box Co. for select Black Country Customs LOUDPEDALS packaging, to create more than just a box for your pedal to arrive in, but an experience, and dare we say it, a box you’ll not want to throw away!
Imagine that experience of opening up a new guitar case, but for pedals.
If you know the Laney BCC LOUDPEDALS, you’ll know that every stage of production for the Martin Miller Ironheart Loudpedal and Tom Quayle Lionheart Loudpedal is carefully considered, designed, and built by people who genuinely care about your tone. Now, every part of the process, from the pedal itself, handcrafted in Halesowen, to the bespoke cartons made just 10 miles away in Walsall have been painstakingly crafted.
This commitment to quality and tradition is something that runs deep in both Laney’s Black Country Customs workshop and our choice of manufacturers for the cartons they come in, family-run Walsall Box Company, where every carton is hand-finished with the same level of care that goes into the pedals themselves.
Pictured: The Tom Quayle signature Laney BCC LOUDPEDAL-LTQ
The BCC Loudpedals themselves are crafted by hand in our Balck Country Customs workshop here in Halesowen, UK, just as Laney amps have been for decades. And we thought it only made sense that their packaging should receive the same attention to detail.
I caught up with Duncan Boniface – Director of Production, who is also involved in the design and development process for both Laney and HH and part of the team who designs our loudspeaker drivers to chat about this collaboration, which changes the way guitar pedals are presented to guitarists like us.
The cartons for each pedal were designed specifically to match the unique look of each LOUDPEDAL from the series they hail from:
“These really are ‘Black Country Custom’ boxes,” Boniface explains. “We went through multiple samples, making sure everything from the look to the feel was exactly right for the product. This is the kind of carton you don’t throw away. It’s like opening a guitar case, it adds to the whole experience. You feel like you’ve bought something people truly cared about.”
Laney’s history as a musician-founded company made the partnership with Walsall Box Company a natural one.
“Laney was started by a musician who couldn’t afford his own bass amp,” Boniface reflects. “He built it into a great company and handed it over into safe hands to keep it successful and relevant, not just as a business, but as a company with passion.”
That same ethos is woven into the DNA of their packaging supplier.
“Brothers Henry and Iain Mitchell are Directors at Walsall Box Co, which was founded by their Great Grandfather in 1926,” he adds. “It’s still in the same family, still in the same building, and still operating with the same hands-on approach to craftsmanship. They’re not just churning out generic packaging, they’re making something they’re proud of. Which is why we chose them to partner with.”
Due to the focus on quality, they only make things in small batches, which is why some of the world’s biggest brands use them – the quality is second to none.
Henry Mitchell at Walsall Box Co, said of the collaboration: “It has been a pleasure to work with Duncan and the team at Laney to understand their packaging requirements and design a box to meet their very specific requirements. It is fabulous to work with another Black Country manufacturer that produces a quality British made product.
Duncan is clearly not just a Production Director but a musician and Guitar Fan with an infectious passion for the products he makes. I am the father of a budding 17 year old Guitarist who Duncan has helped with the generous loan of a guitar and lots of advice along the way.”
“The benefits of the relationship go further than a collaboration on making the boxes, but also in designing, with Henry taking a keen interest in how our customers we’re getting on with the cartons and inserts in their current form, and suggesting some minor tweaks they could make which might help our workshop when packing the pedals; That’s exactly what we look for in a business partner; someone who’s not just sitting waiting for a new order, but always thinking about ways to improve.” says Boniface.
Pictured: The Martin Miller signature Laney BCC LOUDPEDAL-IMM
Laney’s decision to partner with The Walsall Box Company wasn’t just about finding a supplier for packaging, it was about creating an experience for us as guitarists. From the moment a player receives their pedal, you can see and feel the attention to detail.
We know the LOUDPEDALS are some of the best pedal amps in the world, and now we’re confident that the packaging matches that world-class quality.
“We didn’t just want a box; we wanted something that enhanced the whole experience of owning a BCC Loudpedal,” says Boniface. “Just like the pedals, when you hold the packaging in your hands, and you take the pedal out you can feel that it was made by people who care.”
Having a supplier so close to home means greater flexibility and attention to detail which means that every carton is carefully designed to fit the pedal and its accessories, from power supplies to USB cables and manuals. You get a perfect tone, and now a perfect unboxing experience.
We don’t compromise here at Laney, and as resident Tone Wizard, Simon Fraser-Clark always says when we interview him, “we want you to get your tone without compromise. ” and this extends to our packaging too. The change to a local company making handmade packaging wasn’t just about logistics, it was also a more sustainable choice which helps the environment and reduces our carbon footprint too.
“We were literally shipping air,” Boniface explains. “The boxes arrived assembled, so we were paying to move nothing but space across the world. Environmentally, that didn’t sit right with us.”
Despite higher production costs, Laney absorbs the extra expense, rather than passing it onto customers.
“We could get cartons cheaper in China, sure,” says Boniface. “But by making them here, we gain so many advantages, such as better environmental impact, more flexibility, and the ability to work closely with a supplier who really cares. It’s just a better way of doing things.”
Just like every part of a Laney amp, whether it’s the affordable solid-state Foundry amps, which are some of the best affordable solid-state amps in the world or the Lionheart tube amps, every part of the Laney BCC Loudpedal process is intentional, including the footswitches, the way the knobs glide when you turn them and the toen available within. From designing the pedals in collaboration with tone aficionados like Martin Miller and Tom Quayle, to building them by hand in our BCC workshop here in the heart of the Balck Country, Halesowen, to crafting the cartons in Walsall, each step is carried out by people who care. They’re even packed by our team by hand.
“When you buy one of these pedals, you’re not just getting a piece of gear,” says Boniface. “You’re getting a collector’s item, something built with passion, by people who understand what musicians want. We wanted to reflect that in the cartons too, and I think the team at The Walsall Box Company have succeeded.”
For Laney, that philosophy extends all the way to the packaging. Because when a product is made by people who care, you can feel the difference.
Shop the full collection of Laney amps HERE.
Watch Tom and Martin introduce their signature LOUDPEDAL amps below.