Design & Tech
Highlights
Project Update: First Stainless Steel prints look amazing!
Even better, they measure up to the tolerances we need to make this project a success. While this isn't the final design, these sample prove that the new Hybrid body will take shape very quickly.
Remember, today is the last day you can save up to 50% on SpectraTone Red, as pledge levels will expire this evening. You can still pre-order and get delivery before this new mouthpiece is offered to the public in March.
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For the last several weeks I have been bombarded on Social Media with Ampere advertisements taking pre-orders for the 'New Dusk Sport Sunglasses'. Yet your original backers, who have been holding on through delay after delay have heard nothing from you in months. I understand pre-orders means ordering before they are ready, and I note that you are careful not to give your prospective new customers any clue just how long they are going to have to wait, but your last update to us, more than three months ago, was that you would be starting to fulfil orders by March next year. No news since then leaves us expecting further delays are yet to be announced, and yet you continue to keep us in the dark and chase new customers. What is going on at Ampere?
I've fit thousands of professional players with mouthpieces, and thousands of amateur and semi-pro players as well.Â
I'm here to help you achieve success.Â
JasonÂ
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Hi there, As it is painfully obvious now that there is no chance to receive any MM in Europe for the holidays, when could we expect the previously mentioned giftcards? Also, I would like to purchase an "Age of Dinosaurs" MM but as the shipping is a small fortune to the EU (and then of course there's an extra import fee), is there any chance I could buy it and have it sent together with my MM5s only when shipping time comes?
Project Update: Join us for another Live Q&A Session on Sunday
Join us Sunday, December 10th at 1pm for our next Live Q&A Session
We will discuss how to use Backerkit, why we launch new products here, and your specific questions about SpectraTone Red.Â
See you there!
Jason
Project Update: December 2023 Update
Below you can see the latest two pre-production samples which I received last week. The tweaks and updates to the glass are subtle (for most people) but are completely dialed in now! We were able to kick off glass manufacturing—which is the most time sensitive since it is all done by hand.
The corks are not sealing quite as well as I had hoped, unfortunately. After a few samples that did not quite nail it, I decided to order a bunch of stock corks and see what I could learn. It turns out the softness of the material, the angle of the cork and the slight inconsistency of the handmade glass make a trifecta of variables that I believe are driving the issue. The stock cork on the right fits wonderfully, though—so I was able to use that as a baseline and update the design. I should have new samples to test within a few weeks.
Below is a fun new detail I was dialing in on the glass—a new variation on the Manual logo:
This radial layout plays better on the bottom of glassware, and I'm excited to roll this out across the Manual line going forward! Below you can see the bottom in more detail: the new logo, the glass seal, and a slight indentation in the middle. Like I said, these things are subtle, but the details make the design.
And finally for this visual update: the packaging!
Packaging for glass is always a challenge—how do I protect a fragile object that needs to be shipped around the world—and without using foam/plastic? After years of glass products I'm hopeful I've finally found a way to economically protect the products while not having to mold custom pulped paper packaging (like an egg carton—they look awesome, but the molds can be costly).
If you were curious, I always mock up my packaging and test it out:
Just a reminder of the estimated timeline:
- December-January 2024 - Manufacturing
- February-March 2024 - Shipping from factory to Chicago
- April-May 2024 - Fulfillment of orders
As you may know, China celebrates new years with 4-6 weeks of vacation where almost all business grinds to halt. So we are up against an early February deadline—if we can get the manufacturing wrapped in the nest month, and then spend January getting it all packaged and palletized and on a ship, we should be good for early April fulfillment. If we miss the CNY deadline, it will certainly be late May/early June. I'm optimistic we can make it work on the earlier side.
That's all for now. Thanks for following along. Feel free to leave questions below!
-Craighton
They are the same efficiency rating
Titanium is 45% lighter than Stainless Steel
SS can be flame colored - I will post a video and photos later this month
Ti can be color anodized - I will post a video and photos likely in January
Titanium is more expensive because the cost to manufacture is nearly the entire mark-up price in this campaign. With that said, Ti is pretty darn cool. Â
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Are you planning to update it before the end of the year? If it's delayed, glasses are no longer a revolution.
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Hello, I've played nearly every mouthpiece on the market (and own almost all of them). I'm most looking forward to experimenting with these in an effort to using a larger 20pc kit for education. I'm tired of recommending the "standard" rim shapes or contours and want to personalize it for when my son eventually picks up the horn. What are your experiences with the modular system? Looking forward to this!