shipping status

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Doc B]

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!

 

[Doc B]

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/

 

[Doc B]

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...

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Doc B]

The Stereomour II and Tube Repros shipped today. Moreplay, Mainline, Crack, Eros and BeePre2 are coming up in the queue.

 

[Doc B]

Several Mainlines shipping today. Crack amps are next in the queue, and Moreplay preamps.

 

[Doc B]

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/

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Doc B]

Stereomour2s shipping today.

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Mucker]

BRAVO! Good things happen to good people! Work hard play hard ... have fun on the salt!

 

[Thermioniclife]

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.

 

[Doc B]

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.

 

[Thermioniclife]

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.

 

[Mucker]

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. 

 

[Doc B]

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.