Bottlehead Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Doc B. on January 21, 2022, 11:50:11 AM
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We have been very, very busy. It may not seem like it if you look at the shipping status page. That is because we have several kits that are hung up waiting for power transformers, or tubes, or switches. These kits are otherwise prepped and will go out just as soon as the delayed parts arrive.
This is due to a combination of things. Our transformer winder got behind from increased volume and lack of materials during the supply chain debacle and now they are short handed due to Omicron. They have promised to send what they can as fast as they finish them (our increased orders the past few months have no doubt added to their load). Tubes we ordered many weeks ago from Ukraine are in limbo, presumably because of the current political situation. We have sourced replacements elsewhere and hope to see them next week. And at long last we should be seeing the Electrowitches we use in our stepped attenuators. These have always taken a long time to get, and it seems they now take even longer than they used to.
Some of the transformers and most of the other stuff will be showing up next week. So there should be quite a bit of updating of the shipping status page by the end of next week. Thanks so much for your patience!
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Power transformers for Kaiju and BeePre2 arrived this week. We got the oldest of those kits out with more to follow next week. We also finally received some 6V6s from one of the three suppliers we had orders in with and Moreplay orders are now caught up to yesterday. An Eros also went out today.
We are still awaiting power transformers for Crack and S.E.X. kits. Our winder will try to send a small batch ahead of the large order we have in, so that we can get the oldest orders out. We hope to maybe see a few next week.
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We got great news today! The loooooong awaited power transformers for Crack and S.E.X. kits should be shipping tomorrow. That means we should see them by week's end. And so we should be shipping like mad for a week or so after that, getting out somewhere around 100 kits that you guys and gals have been waiting for. Hopefully we will see this supply chain stuff getting back in shape over the next couple months. We have been increasing our inventory whenever possible as insurance against future issues.
Thanks so much for your patience.
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The transformers are here! The transformers are here! We will begin to pack up all those long awaited Crack and SEX kits today and probably be shipping them out over the next week and a half or so.
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As of this afternoon we have shipped about 7 weeks worth of outstanding Crack kit and S.E.X. kit orders. Crack kits are caught up through 1/21 orders and S.E.X. kits are caught up through 2/3. Lots more Crack kits will be shipping next week.
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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I've had a chance to update the shipping status page this afternoon. You will see a lot of movement since that last update about 12 days ago. We continue to ship about 20 Cracks a week and we now have about 1/5 of the backlog we had a few weeks ago. Some BeePre2s and Kaijus shipped last week and today we have shipped 5 Mainline kits and an Otari tape path kit. Next up is another round of Crack kits, and then I believe we will be moving to Moreplays.
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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Ten Crack kits are being packed today as well as a couple of Moreplays and a tape path kit. Shooting for packing and shipping ten more Crack kits tomorrow.
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Cracks are getting much more caught up. We have shipped all orders through 2/10, and tomorrow we should have everything ordered through about 2/17 shipped. We plan to do some Moreplay kits next, then it looks like a Mainline kit or two and a few S.E.X. kits
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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Shipping status got updated quite a bit today. S.E.X., Crackatwoa, Eros and Crack kits shipped this week. Many more Crack kits will ship next week. I will be focusing on putting together Jager kits early next week. We are awaiting power transformers for Kaiju and BeePre2 kits, so those will be packing and shipping once we receive them.
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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This week we have shipped a couple of Crackatwoas (more will be shipping when chassis panels arrive), all of the remaining Jager kits and all of the Moreplay kits ordered thru yesterday. We are awaiting power transformers for a few kits - Kaiju, BeePre2, Eros, Reduction and Mainline. We have the other parts kitted and those kits will go out very soon after the iron arrives. One MonAmour kit is awaiting some powder coated panels. We'll be back to shipping more Crack kits next week.
Eileen is off on a girls weekend. I will be around the shop tomorrow and then spending a three day weekend working on my race bike to figure out what went wrong at Bonneville last year - intermittent fuel pump???
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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Thanks Doc! How's the troubleshooting going?
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I spent Thursday kitting a batch of Stereomour II parts bags. So some should probably ship next week.
May have figured out the race bike issue. I had installed a used fuel pump that came with the used nitrous kit installed on the bike in 2019. It seemed a likely culprit even though it worked fine in 2019 and seemed to push fuel OK out the hose connecting it to the carbs in 2021. I bought a new pressure gauge to test it and found that it went to its full spec 5.5 lbs on the first try. Turned off and back on, only went to 3 lbs. Turned off and back on, only went to 0 lbs. Never changed its tone as the pressure dropped. Fits with the way it was idling fine on the stand but not running above 6000rpm after about 30 sec to a minute into a test ride, again and again and again over the week. Spent part of yesterday laying out the fitting of a new, different style pump and new fuel shutoff solenoid in the tight space available. Hope to get the plumbing and wiring at least started today.
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Yeah there's never a good time to lose fuel pressure when on the juice. Don't ask how I know.
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Yeah, luckily I never got it running well enough to try hitting the NOS button. That woulda been a real mess.
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Those intermittent problems can be a real pain. Sounds like the problem won't be a problem much longer. When is your next run?
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I am looking into running at a test and tune event at Bonneville in early July before heading to BMST in late August to hunt for another record. After last year's disastrous event - for which I thought I was very well prepared - I want to be even better prepared this year.
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So cool. I still remember Breedlove's insane ride past the telephone poles and into the drink in 1964. Godspeed man. Good luck and wishing you a safe journey to a new record!
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I'm going a whole lot slower than Breedlove. I've only had one sightly wild moment on a run, a case of rear wheelspin over a soft spot and a slight step out. It happened so fast I just rode it (one is loath to roll off the throttle in landspeed) and it settled right down. Most of my issues have been things like clutch slippage and misfires for various reasons that haven't made the run scary as much as unfulfilling. I did have a valve float issue that caused an adjusting screw to back off at 9K and punch a hole through a valve cover once. That was only scary back in the pits once I saw the hole.
Today we shipped all the Stereomour II kit orders and all the rest of the Crack kits ordered in March will be heading out over the next two days.
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Wow, yes kind of scary when engine parts relocate to places they shouldn't be or debark entirely. I used to frequent the Reno Air races and heard of many times those 4000 HP beasts decided to "throw a jug" ....
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Today we are shipping all the Moreplays on order save for the one that was ordered today. We are also shipping all the S.E.X. amps we had orders for. Once again waiting and waiting for transformers and will ship BeePre, Kaiju, Eros and Reduction and put Mainline back in stock for orders just as soon as the various transformers for those kits arrive.
Should be some tape path upgrade kits and Crack kits shipping soon as well as a Crackatwoa and a Stereomour coming up.
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We finally got power transformers for Eros and Reduction! We will be shipping most (starting with the oldest) of those orders tomorrow, and a couple more recent orders as soon as a couple of backordered parts come in for them. Then we will be shifting to shipping a big batch of Crack kits while we wait for power transformers for BeePre and Kaiju kits to come in. As with the phono preamp kits we have things prepped for the oldest BeePre and Kaiju orders so they can ship out just as soon the the power transformers hit the warehouse. We shipped the oldest tape path kit orders this week too, and a couple more will ship early next week.
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We just got shipping notice of the power transformers for Beepre2 and Kaiju. We hope to see those early next week and will get the oldest orders out pronto.
We may experience some supply issues with tubes for the immediate future. We purchase a fair number of tubes from Eastern Europe, and the bulk of those have been coming from Ukraine. Naturally people there are trying to live their daily lives as well as they can and for now at least there are still tubes available. I want to help these folks out and it seems like keeping them in business is the decent thing to do. How easily things will ship is the question, and I guess we'll just see how that goes. I've been having a conversation with a tube seller this morning who has had to leave his home and move west since the Russians have occupied his home town. Can't imagine what that is like.
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Eros orders thru 4/17 shipped last Friday. More shipping when we get some more tubes and a couple other parts in. Today all of the BeePre2 orders we have are packing to ship tomorrow. Ditto tape path kits. The oldest Kaiju kit orders will pack next and then most likely Reduction and then Crack.
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Our efforts to vastly increase our inventory are starting to show in the shipping status. A lot of Moreplay kits, S.E.X. kits and Reduction kits shipped this week. I believe some BeePre2s will be packing today. I am prepping another run of Crack amps right now, and we should be seeing some tubes from Eastern Europe next week that will allow us to ship more Eros kits. Mainline kits are also coming up in the queue, as are Stereomour2 kits. Kaijus will be available again when we receive output iron from our winder. Hopefully that will be soon.
Thanks for keeping us busy!
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Today we shipped a good sized stack of Crack kits and all of the Eros2 kit orders. Next week we will be shipping Stereomour2s and Mainline kits. As soon as some 6922 tubes come in from Customs in NY (maybe late next week?) we will be shipping Reduction kits. Shipping status looks about the most caught up it's been for months. So wait times may be on the shorter side if you order soon.
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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We are caught up on lots of kits. 20 Crack kits will have shipped this week. The final 9 of those ship tomorrow, covering orders thru May 31st. Reduction, BeePre2, Crackatwoa, Eros2, MonaAmour, Moreplay and tape path kits are caught up. A couple of Tube Repros will ship as soon as packing materials show up, probably early next week. Mainline will ship next week as well. I believe we may be caught up on S.E.X. kits and Steromour2 kits by tomorrow. Still awaiting iron for Kaijus. They will be back in stock as soon as we get a shipping notice for said iron.
Needless to say, it's a good time to order if you like a shorter than usual wait time. These times where we are mostly caught up never last very long...
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Quick update - The balance of the Crack kit orders thru the end of May and all of the S.E.X. kit orders are shipping today. Stereomour2 will ship next week, as will some Tube Repros.
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The Stereomour II and Tube Repros shipped today. Moreplay, Mainline, Crack, Eros and BeePre2 are coming up in the queue.
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Several Mainlines shipping today. Crack amps are next in the queue, and Moreplay preamps.
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Eros phono kits and tape path kits shipped today. All but about three products are completely caught up on shipping. It looks like we are out the other side of 90% of our supply chain issues of the past several months. And - we've been so busy packing and shipping that we haven't had time to analyze recent cost increases and subsequent price increases (they will be coming). I can't imagine a better time to order a kit.
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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A big stack of Crack kits shipped yesterday. Working on MonAmour and Kaiju kits as we hope to hear from our winder that the output iron for those kits is arriving any day now. Stereomour2, Moreplay and S.E.X. kits are in the packing queue.
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Stereomour2s shipping today.
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At the risk of hurting myself patting myself on the back, today we are all caught up on shipping every product except the Kaijus and MonAmour that are awaiting output iron from our winder. Cracks and Moreplays shipped today. We've been getting kits packed and shipped within a week of ordering pretty regularly and in a few cases kits are even shipping the same day. I'm not sure how long we can sustain this, but it feels really good.
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AN HISTORIC EVENT - we have every kit caught up through yesterday! This is the first time in 26 years that we have done this.
As we came out of the pandemic and subsequent supply issues we worked extra hard to keep up with orders and more importantly to build our inventory. On the advice of many and due to our fairly narrow margins we used (mostly) a just in time inventory system all these years. The recent events have proven that to be a sometimes useful short term solution but not a reasonable long term solution. When we have kits with 10+year life spans and parts prices are constantly rising there isn't much of an argument against keeping an abundance of parts in the warehouse.
So we have invested a shit ton in inventory, for some parts a year's supply or more. Aside from climbing over boxes full of transformers and wood bases in our last bit of open space it is working amazingly well. Eileen and I have come up with a division of labor on the prep and packing that seems to be far more efficient than any of our previous systems as well. When there was one person doing this job for many years due to the slow trickle of parts coming in we had felt that was a bottleneck. With two of us splitting the job and plenty of parts in house we can be much more efficient and still have time for our other responsibilities.
And so you can go to the shipping status page today and see that every kit is caught up through yesterday, July 13th. A few kit orders that came in yesterday are shipping today. And then I will be taking a few days off to work on the two bikes that I am taking to Bonneville this year. 6 weeks to go. Better pick up the pace.
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BRAVO! Good things happen to good people! Work hard play hard ... have fun on the salt!
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Jeeze Doc, I would think that the Queen would a have comfy life of lounging on the sofa eating Bonn Bonn's by now. Eileen is a keeper and has always been quite kind to me whenever I called or Emailed her. Best wishes. Good luck at Bonneville this summer, Did you solve your fuel pressure issue? Perhaps a separate electric fuel pump for the juice.
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A new fuel pump was installed for this season along with a more reliable fuel shutoff. Rebuilt carbs, rebuilt brake master cylinder, reworked AFR gauge, new lithium battery, valves adjusted. The jets need a bit more tweaking as the plugs are still a little fluffy. We will be doing more tuning this weekend and if things go well we will shoot some more video. Tonight and tomorrow I am working on the second bike I am bringing, my Aprilia street bike converted to race fairings.
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Ok Doc. It seems that you have a grasp on what your bike needs. If you get hung up and need a neophyte's recommendations to ground you if and when you are grasping at straws just let me know. Always happy to put my nose into somewhere it doesn't belong.
Just call me.
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Would be cool to see some (one) vacuum tube(s) on those bikes. (In strategic places of course). Hook the heaters up and see if those USA JAN-CRC tubes can take the vibration of the salt flat. :P
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I considered a nixie display for a GPS speedo until I realized that I would never be able to see it in the bright sun on the white flats. It's difficult to convey how incredibly bright and glary it is out there. And yes, vibration is an issue. I have an aircraft style analog dual EGT gauge and the needles vibrate so much that they are just barely useful. I will be adding a chin cushion this year so I can rest my chin on the fuel tank without my vision blurring.
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Ah good stuffs. I spend alot of time on the dry lake beds here in Nevada flying RC jets and props. My other spendy hobby .....
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We are still caught up on all kit orders as of this afternoon. The orders have been coming in at a good pace and we have been able to keep up with them, sending several out every day. If you don't like waiting, now is the time...
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I just received my Moreplay and building now, wicked fast shipping (and a nice surprise!) Thank you!
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Lots of kits shipped this week as we returned from a week off. Of the top of my head - Crackatwoas, Stereomour2s, Reduction, BeePre2 output upgrade, Kaiju DC filament upgrade and some power cords. Next in the queue are Cracks, Speedballs and Moreplays, followed by tape path kits and Steremour2 stuff. Crack/Speedball and MP kits should be shipping early next week.
https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/ (https://bottlehead.com/bottlehead-kit-delivery-status/)
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Cracks, Moreplays, Stereomour2s, SEX kits, a Crackatwoa, tape path kits, BeePre2 output upgrades and power cords all shipped this week. We leave the office this afternoon all caught up.
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"a Crackatwoa" :D I'm soooo excited!!