Discussion" Blanks Blanks Blanks

[FAST_N_LOOSE]

i think this thread is getting alittle off topic from the originally intended question. so here is my feeble attempt at an answer as i percieved and interpreted the question.

WE'RE ALL A LITTLE FEEBLE, SO IT'S OK....

lets consider a cuemaker, bob, makes his own splices. would or should a cue from bob that he spliced start to finish and completed in house hold or bring the same value or price as a cue bob built from a blank he purchased elseware regardless of where he got it...prather, cue components, davis, sweatshop in china, whatever....

YOU HAVE TOO MANY VARIABLES IN THIS QUESTION. IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE MAKER OF SAID BLANK. YOU CAN'T LUMP ALL BLANK MAKERS INTO THE SAME QUESTION. IT ALSO DEPENDS ON IF THE PURCHASED BLANKS ARE BETTER THAN THE ONES THAT BOB BUILDS.

EXAMPLE 1.... IF JIM WHITE DOES A CONVERSION OF A PRATHER BLANK, IT WILL NOT BRING THE MONEY THAT ONE OF HIS START TO FINISH CUES WOULD.

EXAMPLE 2... IF JIM WHITE DID A CUE USING A SZAMBOTI BLANK IT WOULD BRING MORE MORE THAN ONE OF HIS START TO FINISH CUES.

i think it would be unethical and irrisponsible of the cuemaker to not divuldge the source of said blank or to claim it as his own work, as well i don't think it should bring the same price either as the time and labor in building the splice isn't his either. if it takes 1-2-6 months whatever to turn and assemble a blank, why should, as manwon put it, a cue assembaler profit off someone elses hard work?

THE CUEMAKER HAD TO PAY FOR THE BLANK, HE CAN DO WITH IT WHAT HE WANTS. HE ALSO REALLY DOESN'T HAVE TO TELL ANYONE IF HE OR SOMEONE ELSE MADE THE BLANK UNLESS HE WANTS TO. YOU DON'T THINK GM MAKES AL THE PARTS THEY USE, DO YOU?

would it really be ethical for bob to charge the same 500-600 or whatever for that cue he made from a blank in a few as the one that took him however many months to assemble? or alternitivly, should or would cue maker bill be justified in charging the same amount for a cue he assembled from a blank as cue maker bob that built the cue from scratch start to finish? i dont think so.

HE HAD TO EITHER PAY FOR THE BLANK OR SPEND THE TIME MAKING THE BLANK, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? IF IT'S A GOOD SOLID BLANK, AND THE CUE LOOKS/HITS GOOD, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? I WILL AGREE THOUGH, THAT OVER TIME, CUEMAKERS THAT USE THIER OWN BLANKS, HOLD MORE VALUE.

but that is just my opinion as a buyer, so please keep in mind, as emotions tend to run rampent around here and can tend to create flam wars, its just that, my opinion.

NO FLAME WARS, JUST DIFFERENCE OF OPINION.

disclaimer: cuemakers bob and bill are entirly fictional for use in the above scenerios and examples. they are in no way based on any living or non living persons.

 

[classiccues]

i think this thread is getting alittle off topic from the originally intended question. so here is my feeble attempt at an answer as i percieved and interpreted the question.

lets consider a cuemaker, bob, makes his own splices. would or should a cue from bob that he spliced start to finish and completed in house hold or bring the same value or price as a cue bob built from a blank he purchased elseware regardless of where he got it...prather, cue components, davis, sweatshop in china, whatever....

i think it would be unethical and irrisponsible of the cuemaker to not divuldge the source of said blank or to claim it as his own work, as well i don't think it should bring the same price either as the time and labor in building the splice isn't his either. if it takes 1-2-6 months whatever to turn and assemble a blank, why should, as manwon put it, a cue assembaler profit off someone elses hard work?

would it really be ethical for bob to charge the same 500-600 or whatever for that cue he made from a blank in a few as the one that took him however many months to assemble? or alternitivly, should or would cue maker bill be justified in charging the same amount for a cue he assembled from a blank as cue maker bob that built the cue from scratch start to finish? i dont think so.

but that is just my opinion as a buyer, so please keep in mind, as emotions tend to run rampent around here and can tend to create flam wars, its just that, my opinion.


disclaimer: cuemakers bob and bill are entirly fictional for use in the above scenerios and examples. they are in no way based on any living or non living persons.

It's not that cut and dry.... is Bob's spliced blanks as good as a Davis or Prather blank? If the answer is no, then no his blank is not worth more regardless that he built it. Quality or lack thereof does have a price. If the answer is yes, then you need to ask is he a recent graduate of the Unique High Bludtower technical school of cuebuilding, or is he an accomplished name in the biz. If the answer is the first, then a blank made by someone with more clout will bring more money, if the answer is the latter, then you need to ask why would he have done it if he can build his own quality blanks.... so now you have a whole new list of criteria in which to judge.

JV

 

[Tony Zinzola]

I build all of my cues from cues I buy at sears.

 

[socks]

yeah, unfortunatly nothing is cut and dry or simple black and white. everything involved a hunder subtle shades of gray and i was trying not to write a book so let me try and reword.

say bob and bill both apprenticed at the same time under well known maker lets say mike as i'm runnign out of short names begingin with "B".
they both learned and are capable of producing high quality full splices.
after a while they both decide to go out on thier own. now bob has considerably more disposable income than bill and is able to splurge the however much it costs for the machinery to produce blanks where bill is a poor man and cann't afford it. there for bob makes his own splices and bill buys his from cue components for $100. for all intense purpouse of this scenerio, lets say the quality and craftsmanship of both are identical. both cues are wrapless 4pt coco into maple with no veneres.

now then, given this scenerio, bob is charging $500 for his cue, would bill be justified in charging the same $500 for his?

 

[FAST_N_LOOSE]

yeah, unfortunatly nothing is cut and dry or simple black and white. everything involved a hunder subtle shades of gray and i was trying not to write a book so let me try and reword.

say bob and bill both apprenticed at the same time under well known maker lets say mike as i'm runnign out of short names begingin with "B".
they both learned and are capable of producing high quality full splices.
after a while they both decide to go out on thier own. now bob has considerably more disposable income than bill and is able to splurge the however much it costs for the machinery to produce blanks where bill is a poor man and cann't afford it. there for bob makes his own splices and bill buys his from cue components for $100. for all intense purpouse of this scenerio, lets say the quality and craftsmanship of both are identical. both cues are wrapless 4pt coco into maple with no veneres.

now then, given this scenerio, bob is charging $500 for his cue, would bill be justified in charging the same $500 for his?

TO ME....YEP

 

[FAST_N_LOOSE]

I build all of my cues from cues I buy at sears.

I KNEW YOUR STUFF LOOKED FAMILIAR.

 

[classiccues]

I KNEW YOUR STUFF LOOKED FAMILIAR.

After I saw the one you had I would have guessed Odd Lots, so I guess I am not as think as I smart I am....

JV

 

[n10spool]

As an example Dennis Searing cues stamped with an -s- are cues that he used someone else's blank, cues signed D. Searing are cues that he built 100% of the forearms. In the blue book it doesnt make price changes for signed, unsigned, stamped or made by someone else.

I feel it's based on who made the blank and how it was used or installed a fullsplice cut down into a halfsplice forearm plus who or how was it used in the build of the cue which is another debate on how a cue is made with what parts old or new.

One famous cuemaker I know of builds only all custom cues in house only but when he donates a cue to auctions to raise money for a good cause. He buy's all the parts from Prather premade with inlays assembles them quickly just for giveaway cues for orginizations such as Ducks Unlimited, etc.etc.


I feel it should have some influnce in cue prices on what parts or people built what part of a cue. We all know how hard it is to get a good Burton Spain or a Szamboti blank nowadays.

This should become a good thread..

Craig

 

[FAST_N_LOOSE]

After I saw the one you had I would have guessed Odd Lots, so I guess I am not as think as I smart I am....

JV

I LOVE THE MAIL ORDER SUPER STORE.

 

[cueaddicts]

It personally doesn't bother me if a current cuemaker uses a supplied blank, but the price should not be commensurate with that of one of his own spliced blanks IMO....(I'm obviously just talking about currently made and available blank suppliers). There's just not the same amount of work in them. Like other traditional folks, I like it when guys do their own points, though.

For me, I think a current cue being built on a Titlist, Davis, Spain, etc. chassis definitely adds some nice nostalgia factor....and for most makers, a little extra value as well.

How 'bout these babies currently in the works ??

 

[TATE]

When choosing a cue, how many you really care where the cue maker made the blank or not? And (why) does it affect one's perception of cue value?

And if the blanks were not made by the cue maker, does it matter where the blanks came from and does it affect the value of the cue. I know of Davis, Schmelke, Barringer, Mark Bear and Duc as the source of full splice blanks and I'm sure there are many others.

Does statement such as "if so and so cue maker made the blank, I'd bought it in a heartbeat" have validity?

The cue maker is more important than the blank maker, but certain blanks are very desirable and have superb qualities in terms of appearance, durability and even feel.

I wouldn't want to spend $800 on a custom and have it sporting the same $15 Taiwan blank as a $100 Falcon, no more than I would want to see Meucci customize an original Burton Spain blank for me.

What are the chances of a $15 import blank warping and rattling internally versus a Davis or Bear blank, which are both built to the highest standards?

It kind of reminds me of a wine maker who makes $400 bottles of wine. When asked what his secret process is, he said " It's not what we do with the grape. It's picking out which grape, when, from where, and even which vine." This sounds like hogwash but in blind tests the tasters can pick his wine every single time and rate it the best.

The blank maker is the same. What wood, how long to acclimate, what tolerances, what glue, which veneers, which machinery. Just knowing what is a good blank and what is not.

A good blank maker is not necessarily a good cue maker, and vice versa.

Chris

 

[Hidy Ho]

i think this thread is getting alittle off topic from the originally intended question ..

This reminds me, is Brady really hurt?

 

[BPG24]

This reminds me, is Brady really hurt?

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[HIRUN526]

Other than a bar cue conversion or Titlist type conversion, the entire cue should be made by the cue maker.

To me a real cue maker does his own work and I only classify a custom cue that is made entirely by the cue maker. The pronged forearm is the heart and soul of the cue and probably the most diifficult and time consuming part of construction.

I expect that if an individual calls himself a cue maker he should do just that and build the cue.

No pre-fab blanks.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Other than a bar cue conversion or Titlist type conversion, the entire cue should be made by the cue maker.

To me a real cue maker does his own work and I only classify a custom cue that is made entirely by the cue maker. The pronged forearm is the heart and soul of the cue and probably the most diifficult and time consuming part of construction.

I expect that if an individual calls himself a cue maker he should do just that and build the cue.

No pre-fab blanks.