VFE Klein Bottle Redesign pre-orders

BPFuzz

Active member
Sounds like VFE is doing one final revision to his circuits before stopping all production of his own.

With that, pre-orders for a revised Klein Bottle have started. $129 for DIY kit. Includes custom pots, smd soldering already finished, and pre-drilled bare enclosure. Not sure if he is capping the amount of DIY kits, but I figured I’d place an order for one just in case. Would hate to miss out on a cool build like this.

 
These look really neat, and Peter seems to really know his stuff, everything he’s made seems very well designed.

I was very tempted to get in on the last run of them after hearing some cool demos on YouTube but I really don’t know what I would do with it!
 
I built the last version and it is quite a kit of possibilities for mixing the ways that 3 effects boxes can interact. Quality parts, great videos for walking through the construction, and very clean sound. I also really appreciate Peter Rucker's support for the DIY community.
 
Welp, ORDERED!

For a company that's s'posed to be going out of business, he sure is dragging it out! 😸

The 2nd will be easier to build, 'cause he designed it that way AND the SMD is already done (my first had no SMD presoldered)
BTW, there is an Oshpark project for version 1 that somebody's uploaded.

I still don't know how I'll use my first one, exactly, but with two!

Why I could run the 1st's channels A & B into 2nd's channel B & C, sum them into 2nd's Channel A and send all that into 1st's Channel C and feed that back into both Channel A's then start flipping polarity switches and cross fading only channels As & Cs with 1st Channel B panned hard right and 2nds Channel B panned hard left and cross fade Both B's panned ...
 
Why I could run the 1st's channels A & B into 2nd's channel B & C, sum them into 2nd's Channel A and send all that into 1st's Channel C and feed that back into both Channel A's then start flipping polarity switches and cross fading only channels As & Cs with 1st Channel B panned hard right and 2nds Channel B panned hard left and cross fade Both B's panned .
...thanks, now I have headache. 😣
 
The update you receive in an email after you place the order says the kit should ship in 2021 -- with a tentative target date of August. This kit is more "bare bones" that the kit that was previously sold for the Klein Bottle. It does not include the switches and pots, but those will be made available as a separate purchase. The kit will also not include the resistors and capacitors, but you will get a bill of materials of the parts that are needed. The case will also be a bare metal enclosure, unlike the prior kits that were sold. The exact placement of the knobs and switches will likely be a bit different for the new build, so any mockup designs right now will need to be flexible on moving some of the things around.
 
Every interaction/transaction I've had with Mr Rutter has been positive thus far, though the email "update" should've been information up front. My previous Klein Bottle I opted for no SMD pre-soldering because I'd already racked up quite the bill with other VFE PCBs, so I got the "Bare Bones" blem kit. Couldn't find any "blemish" whatsoever. Kit was $119, the cheapest of the options, so given inflation and the fact the new kits have the SMD pre-soldered is good, extra for pots and switches not so good but understandable given the quantities he's buying of custom tapers/dual-gangs & whatever tweaks they have. He's always thorough with sorting the details.

I'm happy with a bare-metal drilled enclosure, decorate it as I see fit. It'll be interesting to see how it all comes together in the end. At least by the time it's ready, I too, shall hopefully be ready for its arrival.

Build a Bumblebee and a Dragon in the meantime...
 
Every interaction/transaction I've had with Mr Rutter has been positive thus far, though the email "update" should've been information up front. My previous Klein Bottle I opted for no SMD pre-soldering because I'd already racked up quite the bill with other VFE PCBs, so I got the "Bare Bones" blem kit. Couldn't find any "blemish" whatsoever. Kit was $119, the cheapest of the options, so given inflation and the fact the new kits have the SMD pre-soldered is good, extra for pots and switches not so good but understandable given the quantities he's buying of custom tapers/dual-gangs & whatever tweaks they have. He's always thorough with sorting the details.

I'm happy with a bare-metal drilled enclosure, decorate it as I see fit. It'll be interesting to see how it all comes together in the end. At least by the time it's ready, I too, shall hopefully be ready for its arrival.

Build a Bumblebee and a Dragon in the meantime...
I have no complaints about the pricing, especially compared to the $499 price that was for the sold-out assembled versions. Did you see anything confirming the kit enclosure will be pre-drilled? That seems reasonable since I imagine all of the enclosures are being ordered with the holes already drilled. This is the only thing I saw in the email: "No graphic will be on the bare metal DIY option."
 
I have no complaints about the pricing, especially compared to the $499 price that was for the sold-out assembled versions. Did you see anything confirming the kit enclosure will be pre-drilled? That seems reasonable since I imagine all of the enclosures are being ordered with the holes already drilled. This is the only thing I saw in the email: "No graphic will be on the bare metal DIY option."
The listing on the website says "pre-drilled bare metal case".
 
Just to clarify: I wasn't complaining about pricing at all, and while I'd be happy to do my own drilling, I was impressed that the enclosure came drilled (as noted by Benny_P).
 
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I jumped on and bought the DIY kit right away and just received another email about possible colors and what not. I know there are going to be DIY options in the future for the pedals which I am pumped that I might be able to get some of the stuff MBP doesnt have.
 
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Out of the stuff that was available to DIYers, I'm missing only the Yodeller and the Standout.
It's about a 70/30 split between VFE/MadBean, with a MadBean Dark Horse currently in transit.

The RUP was never made available in the schematic pack, nor (as far as I know) as a PCB or kit when VFE was selling off remaining inventory.

Avec deux bouteilles du klein, c'est bon, je suis d'accord avec ça.
 
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