Vintage Minnesota fats tables

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
If you want the truth, and can handle the truth about this table, ask your question to the guys that actually have had to work on them, then you'll get some facts, and not thoughts;) ask the table mechanic's about this table in the "Talk to a mechanic" section...that's WHY it's here:grin:

Glen
Well; as I said in my first post, I posted it in the products forum first and so far it's got 93 views and 0 replies. The mechanics are in the same forum. I figure their watching.
 

mantis99

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I don't have the equipment for pictures. It has 1 inch real slate, a wooden frame and the ball rolls very true. It's gone off level about 5 times over 42 years and I've had to go down there with a wrench and fix things. It was always very easy. I have simonis 760 on it and I was complaining in a thread over the weekend that although 760 is supposed to be fast, mine is not as fast as I want to be. Someone told me it's probably mighty fast and the problem is the cushions. I never thought of that. I haven't replaced the original ones. I'll have to do that. Other than that issue, I couldn't be happier with it.

Anyhow; if this thread stays up, someone is going to know something. I live in a suburb that borders the city limits of Chicago. There was a dealership that sold exclusively Minnesoata Fats tables in town. It was a fairly big place with many different tables and a big sign outside that said "Minnesota Fats pool tables." I doubt if it was the only dealership. We bought it in 1971 and we think the whole company went out of business shortly thereafter. Someone has to know something.

f you have had it that long, feel it plays true, and enjoy playing on it, then what do you care what people think of the table, especially if you aren't looking to sell it? Continue to play pool on it and have fun.
 

DallasHopps

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well; as I said in my first post, I posted it in the products forum first and so far it's got 93 views and 0 replies. The mechanics are in the same forum. I figure their watching.

There is a section within this forum titled, verbatim, "Talk to a mechanic." I don't see a thread there.

I'll save you the time and effort of posing your question there, however. It's apparent that you're after a very specific answer, so here goes:

Wow, no way, you have a 60's Minnesota Fats table? That's awesome! They're super rare and valuable, otherwise every major event would be played on them. There was this one model... It cost like $600... that one was the ultra best table made. What, you have that one?!?! Woweeeeeeee!

Back in reality land, if there were some rogue MF tables worth playing on, they are the exception. That RKC guy who invited you to post your inquiry in the mechanic forum knows a thing or two... There's a good head start on all you need to know about your table in the subtext of his reply above.
 

OLD NO 9

AzB Gold Member
Silver Member
In 1967 or 1968 I attended a Minnesota Fats exhibition where he was hawking pool related merchandise with his name on it. At the time he was touring the Montgomery Ward department stores that handled the goods. It seems to me that AMF had something to do with it. But that was a long time ago and the memory fades, besides I was a teenager at the time so who knows what I remember right?
 

MSchaffer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is a section within this forum titled, verbatim, "Talk to a mechanic." I don't see a thread there.

I'll save you the time and effort of posing your question there, however. It's apparent that you're after a very specific answer, so here goes:

Wow, no way, you have a 60's Minnesota Fats table? That's awesome! They're super rare and valuable, otherwise every major event would be played on them. There was this one model... It cost like $600... that one was the ultra best table made. What, you have that one?!?! Woweeeeeeee!

Back in reality land, if there were some rogue MF tables worth playing on, they are the exception. That RKC guy who invited you to post your inquiry in the mechanic forum knows a thing or two... There's a good head start on all you need to know about your table in the subtext of his reply above.

I'll save you even more time: Your table is no good. It was no good then, and it is no good now. You paid $550 for the name and $50 for the table.

Don't believe me? Put it on Craiglist and see what kind of offers you get.
 

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
woo-wee. And people talk about me being acerbic. Here I was trying to be all diplomatic and all :-o

Lou Figueroa
 

macguy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I posted this in the equipment forum a few days ago. it's gotten 75 views and 0 replies, so I'll post it here. I mentioned in a post that I play on a 1971 Minnesota Fats table. Not everyone was impressed. Seems from the 70's and still today, Fats tables were and are sold in department stores and they max out at $1300. We bought ours at a dealership that sold Fats tables exclusively. My dad tells me he paid $600 for it which translates to to $3460 today. He tells me they went out of business shorty after we bought ours. A poster tells me he remembers "Fats" tables at sears in the 70's so someone must have bought the name

Another poster vaguely recalls they might have had an affiliation with Brunswick and were basically Brunswick tables, albeit of lesser quality. That could be. I was at the dealership when we bought it. I was 11. I might be wrong, but I don't think there were any furniture tables at the dealership. So maybe Brunswick had only small number of strictly "play" tables compared to furniture tables as is the case today and "Fats" offered a large selection of "play tables that were less expensive than Brunswick's "play" tables. Any input would be appreciated.

If it is slate it may not be too bad. A lot of those tables had what they called a honeycomb. It was two slabs of masonite with a honeycomb between. It stayed pretty flat but it didn't have the weight and the tables felt weird when you played on them. I remember seeing Fats doing an exhibition on one of his tables and the balls were flying all over the place like the top was a trampoline or something. Back in the early 70,s when they came out you could get a Gandy Big G for about $1000.00 and as cheap as $700.00 if you bought a bunch to set up a room. Your dad may be not remembering correctly. I would love to see a picture of the table. I never throw anything away. I may have an old brochure for Fats tables somewhere around.
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
f you have had it that long, feel it plays true, and enjoy playing on it, then what do you care what people think of the table, especially if you aren't looking to sell it? Continue to play pool on it and have fun.
Excellent point. It's a very fine table. I've played on it for 42 years and about 10,000 hours. I'm not at all obsessed with defending it's quality, it's just that every now and then I find myself involved in what I think are intelligent discussions with folks about pool and it would be nice if they didn't think I was playing on a walmart table. Also I thought that while I was learning something other posters might learn something. This is a pool forum. Folks around here tend to interested in items like pool tables. That's all.
 

Tony_in_MD

You want some of this?
Silver Member
Well; as I said in my first post, I posted it in the products forum first and so far it's got 93 views and 0 replies. The mechanics are in the same forum. I figure their watching.

Fairly sure they don't follow the product review section. As I told you in the other thread to ask your questions in the mechanic forum.

Don't be surprised when they tell you exactly what I told you.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.
 

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
'Elroy',

If it's a slate bed it's fine. It's not a cheap MDF table. Like you said that $600 from 1971 is like $3500 today.

If possible shoot those rail shots I suggested to test the rail 'bouncyness'.
You may want to replace the rails & then maybe not.

In a way I would like to get a 'nicer' table than my Sport King, but...my Dad & I bought it together. I'll see a burn 'stain' on a rail, not from him, but from the bar room where we got it, & it reminds me of him because he smoked. I lost him in 1978. The table is priceless to me & it's value could never be replaced. I hope it will be the same for my children as well.

Best Wishes,
Rick
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
There is a section within this forum titled, verbatim, "Talk to a mechanic." I don't see a thread there.

I'll save you the time and effort of posing your question there, however. It's apparent that you're after a very specific answer, so here goes:

Wow, no way, you have a 60's Minnesota Fats table? That's awesome! They're super rare and valuable, otherwise every major event would be played on them. There was this one model... It cost like $600... that one was the ultra best table made. What, you have that one?!?! Woweeeeeeee!

Back in reality land, if there were some rogue MF tables worth playing on, they are the exception. That RKC guy who invited you to post your inquiry in the mechanic forum knows a thing or two... There's a good head start on all you need to know about your table in the subtext of his reply above.
Why are you telling me I should talk to a mechanic, then tell me in the same breath that you're an expert. You obviously have information That's Fats tables are low quality with the with the possible exeption of "rogue" tables like mine. How thoughtful of you! Your telling me that if my table was manufactured properly it has to be of low quality. But wait! let's think of the glass as half full! Maybe there was a mistake in the manufacturing process that led to quality being inserted by mistake. Your intellectual musings comfort me, dude!
 

ENGLISH!

Banned
Silver Member
Hey guys,

Everything made in the 50s & 60s is better than anything made today.

Unless you were made in the 50s or 60s & you have a significant other that was made in the late 80s or early 90s.

Some new things are better then old things.:wink:

Well......maybe not better just different.:wink:
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Fairly sure they don't follow the product review section. As I told you in the other thread to ask your questions in the mechanic forum.

Don't be surprised when they tell you exactly what I told you.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.

Tony, you're right...most of us mechanic's don't pay to much attention to the product review section, which is why I told him to post up in the Talk to a Mechanic section, but still as of yet, seen nothing from him;)
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'll save you even more time: Your table is no good. It was no good then, and it is no good now. You paid $550 for the name and $50 for the table.

Don't believe me? Put it on Craiglist and see what kind of offers you get.
Some posters on these forums use their own name. Most of these posters are prominent people in the pool industry and their posting here is somewhat an extension of their livelihood. Because they're using their own name they realize they must be on their toes and focused.

Most posters don't use their own name because they come here to relax and when they're not entirely focused they can easily inadvertaintly sound like knuckleheads. I know I've been guilty of this. That's why I don't use my real name.

Some people just are plain knuckleheads all the time and have no fear of someone googling their name seeing all their knucleheaded posts. They realize no one would ever have any reason for wanting to google the name of a knucklehead
 

realkingcobra

Well-known member
Silver Member
Well; as I said in my first post, I posted it in the products forum first and so far it's got 93 views and 0 replies. The mechanics are in the same forum. I figure their watching.

Wrong, we don't pay much attention to that forum, which is why I told you to post in the "Talk to a mechanic" section, but now I'll just go ahead and post my feelings about the table you're talking about. Wouldn't own one, and can't pay me enough to work on one...does that answer you're question about the quality of the table you're so willing to believe is a much desired table to own today...as it SHOULD be worth so much with inflation and all factored in...right? I'll tell you this also about tables that have real slate used on them....most of them are junk to, and just because it has a real slate don't mean it's worth a crap, because I'd put about 90% of all the tables built in the last 75 years as mostly all junk, with the exception of some of the Brunswick commercial pool tables...which explains why they're still around 75 years later. Most pool tables end up in the dump over time, which is what was intended when they were built at the time, so that they could all be replaced at a later date...and not sold against.

Want the truth, ask your questions of those that WORK on tables, just like the one you have, see what THEY have to say about it...as that's the truth from a mechanic's point of view...and not a bystander!

Glen
 

His Boy Elroy

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fairly sure they don't follow the product review section. As I told you in the other thread to ask your questions in the mechanic forum.

Don't be surprised when they tell you exactly what I told you.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk.
I posted it in the "pool table and accessories section. I assume the mechanics would have seen it. If I'm wrong in assuming this thanks for informing me. I stand corrected. I've only been hanging around her since April. I'll get a post over to the mechanics as soon soon as I can.
 
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