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Volpe's Velox gossip


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Steve A
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Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 1799
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They sent me this on December 3rd:

Hi patient folks,

Gavin and I spent a good chunk of August and September rethinking what went wrong with the extremely costly foam molds. We worked out new CAD drawings in a way that simplifies the number of foam pieces from 5 to 2, and got the tooling drawn up around that. What we came up with (after 200+ additional CAD hours) should work well, and is conceptually much improved as well. Our CNC table is replaced, set up, and ready to go. We did try to run some cut paths in September, but the “included” CAM software was nowhere to be found. A few calls to Velox CNC didn’t work, so I went through the financing bank, and that did the trick — got return phone calls right away, and VCarve Pro was in hand about 2 weeks ago. Problem/Solution, Problem/Solution, Problem/Solution … rinse and repeat. Part of Gavin’s work was looking forward to the Coyote, and those shapes are similar to what you see here:



I am inspired to cut and test these parts, but I have to be honest: Every day, I get henpecked with Little Essential Things that no one else here can do. It is overwhelming much of the time. One person in line for a Velox came in for a visit, and mentioned, “You only have so much bandwidth to go around,” and that has truly been the issue this fall.

If you can stand the ridiculous wait, Gavin came up with some great features. I’m certain the molds will work this time, and there will be some tweaks once we test them. Having the CNC table here will allow us to make these tweaks quickly and cheaply. But I do need the daily henpecks to subside a bit to allow me to get in the wood room and work out the bugs. I figure 2 weeks uninterrupted should do it, but then I can barely get a 4 hour stretch that is uninterrupted! It weighs on me — trust me.

Back in the day, when I was single and didn’t have kids, this would have been a cakewalk. "I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids,” I keep reminding myself … but they take me away from my work!

Have a wonderful holiday wherever you are enjoying it.

—Steve


Last edited by Steve A on Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:37 am; edited 1 time in total
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SHS_Trumpet
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 17 Nov 2001
Posts: 1809
Location: Colorado Springs, CO

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks!
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Brad361
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Joined: 16 Dec 2007
Posts: 7080
Location: Houston, TX.

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2019 10:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve A wrote:
They sent me this on December 3rd:

Hi patient folks,

Gavin and I spent a good chunk of August and September rethinking what went wrong with the extremely costly foam molds. We worked out new CAD drawings in a way that simplifies the number of foam pieces from 5 to 2, and got the tooling drawn up around that. What we came up with (after 200+ additional CAD hours) should work well, and is conceptually much improved as well. Our CNC table is replaced, set up, and ready to go. We did try to run some cut paths in September, but the “included” CAM software was nowhere to be found. A few calls to Velox CNC didn’t work, so I went through the financing bank, and that did the trick — got return phone calls right away, and VCarve Pro was in hand about 2 weeks ago. Problem/Solution, Problem/Solution, Problem/Solution … rinse and repeat. Part of Gavin’s work was looking forward to the Coyote, and those shapes are similar to what you see here:


I am inspired to cut and test these parts, but I have to be honest: Every day, I get henpecked with Little Essential Things that no one else here can do. It is overwhelming much of the time. One person in line for a Velox came in for a visit, and mentioned, “You only have so much bandwidth to go around,” and that has truly been the issue this fall.

If you can stand the ridiculous wait, Gavin came up with some great features. I’m certain the molds will work this time, and there will be some tweaks once we test them. Having the CNC table here will allow us to make these tweaks quickly and cheaply. But I do need the daily henpecks to subside a bit to allow me to get in the wood room and work out the bugs. I figure 2 weeks uninterrupted should do it, but then I can barely get a 4 hour stretch that is uninterrupted! It weighs on me — trust me.

Back in the day, when I was single and didn’t have kids, this would have been a cakewalk. "I love my kids, I love my kids, I love my kids,” I keep reminding myself … but they take me away from my work!

Have a wonderful holiday wherever you are enjoying it.

—Steve


Thanks for posting that, I think it reinforces that Steve is an ethical guy who is doing his best to get these into production. Once they become available I’ll probably get in line for one.

Brad
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LittleRusty
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Joined: 11 Aug 2004
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Location: Gardena, Ca

PostPosted: Fri May 24, 2019 1:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Has anybody heard any updates?
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Steve A
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Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 1799
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Jun 25, 2019 5:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How about now - any updates?
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stomvi2
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Joined: 04 Feb 2012
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2019 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been a die-hard Torpedo Bags fan for a long time. I've put their Coyote, Classic, and Peacemaker through a lot, and I am a believer.

However...

This month marks the 4-year anniversary of the estimated Kickstarter delivery date. The past couple of subscription email updates didn't mention Velox at all. I've emailed twice within the past 1.5 months asking if there's an update, and have received no reply (unusual compared to past experiences).
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Steve A
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Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 1799
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Frustrated though I am at the now three year wait (in my case) for the cases I ordered, I'm trying not to get bent out of shape about this. However, just in the interests of sharing information, I've been emailing them in the past few months trying to find out if it's possible to make changes to my original order, and have tried contacting them three or four times since February and have gotten sporadic initial responses, but no firm answers. This does seem to be out of character for how they were before - perhaps the growth of their product line has proved to be harder than expected to keep under control?
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Brad361
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Joined: 16 Dec 2007
Posts: 7080
Location: Houston, TX.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Steve certainly has no obligation to comment here on TH, but I really think it would be in his best interest to do so at this point.

Again, I’m a big Torpedo fan/buyer/user, but personally, and I honestly hate to say this, I’ve pretty much given up hope on the Velox.

Brad
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"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval
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trptcolin
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Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 189
Location: Mundelein, Illinois

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

FWIW I've contacted them ten times over the last seven months, since first requesting a refund in December 2018 (from an order in 2016). Most times eventually they've sent back apologies and vague statements about cash flow, coming soon, etc. It's disappointing because I know the great reputation of the cases and company, but it's been a sufficient number of times that I felt I needed to share publicly. This way others know what they're getting into since presumably people are still making purchases.
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stomvi2
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Joined: 04 Feb 2012
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 6:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Velox is still available for pre-order on the Torpedo website - it's the way I pre-ordered a year and a half ago (not Kickstarter). The Kickstarter page went dark long ago, with no updates or responses to Community questions. Even when there were updates they were barely every 3 months, and with either no progress, or a step backward.

On the Facebook page, while there are continual Torpedo posts of comics and Glenn Cronkhite ads, there are no responses to the Community section - where people are asking for responses to emails/calls, and discussing Velox.
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Brad361
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Joined: 16 Dec 2007
Posts: 7080
Location: Houston, TX.

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 2019 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

trptcolin wrote:
FWIW I've contacted them ten times over the last seven months, since first requesting a refund in December 2018 (from an order in 2016). Most times eventually they've sent back apologies and vague statements about cash flow, coming soon, etc. It's disappointing because I know the great reputation of the cases and company, but it's been a sufficient number of times that I felt I needed to share publicly. This way others know what they're getting into since presumably people are still making purchases.


If in fact the above is accurate, it’s a very sad situation, in my opinion.

Brad
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When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval
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Andy Del
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Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 2660
Location: sunny Sydney, Australia

PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love my torpedo bag and use it almost daily. Purchasing it directly was painless as was getting it to Australia.

That said, the delay in this case reminds me of some scuba gear which was similarly announced, fanfared and eventually arrived some 5 years later. As an unworkable pile of doo-doo. Those who stumped up $$$ got something, but it didn’t resemble what they paid for. It taught me to never be the early adopter unless you know you can pay and get the goods straight away.

I really hope the case comes to market and is as good as promised. The lesson is to do the work quietly and have something concrete to sell when announced.

Cheers

Andy
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DJtpt31
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Joined: 02 Dec 2015
Posts: 308
Location: SoCal

PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 2019 8:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Did anyone notice their most recent post on Facebook a few hours ago? It looks like they are rolling out a crocodile pattern case at ITG. I have no investment in the current situation... I've looked from the sidelines what THer's have been sharing on this matter. I am interested to see what develops.
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Steve A
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Joined: 26 May 2006
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Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Sat Jul 13, 2019 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For anyone observing this, but not on their mailing list, here's what they sent a few days ago:

VELOX Semi-Update from Steve!

We’ve been back and forth with HED cycle about producing these parts. I know you are all anticipating more information, but I don’t have a lot just yet — which is not the same as saying nothing nothing’s moving. HED was supposed to be over for a final visit last week, but with the holiday we weren’t able to put it together. We did talk over processes that they use, and I was given private access and a tour of how they do what they do, after signing a non-disclosure statement a while back. They really know their stuff, and have been working with pre-preg and carbon fiber for over 30 years! Their factory is 15 minutes away, which really gives me some comfort and confidence, and will aid in problem solving. There are some slight differences in what I’ve developed compared to what they are used to doing, so we’re trying to bridge the information gap to come to a process that will be slightly new to them. Most of their process transfers perfectly well, so I’m hopeful that I can sign off on this very soon and GET THIS CASE TO MARKET! The road has been too long, and trust me: I really appreciate y’all not burning down our facility! Your patience has been extraordinary.

Enjoy the rest of the week and we hope to see you at ITG!

Sincerely,
Steve Kriesel
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-=iii=<()
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Joined: 22 Dec 2017
Posts: 2
Location: Easthampton, MA

PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 9:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting...I'm on their mailing list but have not received this update. I just searched my spam folder etc, the last email update I received was way back in February. Thanks for sharing. At least there are signs of life, but jeez this has been poorly handled. Still crossing my fingers that the final product is worth the wait...
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Phil Rodriguez
-=iii=<()
Trumpeter, Composer, Improviser
philrodriguezmusic.com
Touring artist w/:
Beirut; Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds; Kat Wright
I play and endorse Stomvi equipment.
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stomvi2
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Same here - I'm on the email list but didn't receive that one. And they didn't post anything on Kickstarter or Facebook. Either way, that update doesn't appear any different from what we heard in the last one, and the one before that: working with the manufacturer but no news.
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jazzvuu
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Location: Houston, TX

PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I got the email with the update. It start off talking ITG and plugging the new crocodile skin single trumpet case.
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trptcolin
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Joined: 11 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wanted to give a quick update - I did get my refund this week.
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stomvi2
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

trptcolin wrote:
Wanted to give a quick update - I did get my refund this week.


Looks like your last post said you requested the refund in December of 2018. So, 8 months?
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SHS_Trumpet
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well past time for another update...
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