What is a Black Boar?
- Thread starter snipershot
- Start date
A couple moons ago I asked if the newer BB cues played better than the old ones. Everyone was hush hush and had a few members PM me. It was all like a //TOP SECRET// thing, or taboo to talk about.
Well, consensus from all the PM's are the newer ones play better. Now others here have mentioned it, I'll just mention that too.... but.. actually I never played with one, I just want to buy one soon. I just moved here and a local AZ'er here will let me try one out. I just got to finish getting settled in first, I haven't played in awhile and I don't have my cues yet.
You know, if you did something like make cues for 20 years or more, you will get better and better unless you get lazy and loose your passion to seek perfection in your craftsmanship. So why wouldn't a cue he makes today be better than a cue he made when he just got started? I know Tony is a guy looking to improve his cues year after year, I don't think he will ever stop trying to improve his cues.
OK, I guess I need to actually play with one, perhaps this weekend.... I hope.:thumbup:
Here is Tony's history,
he started with his intrest in billiards by selling billiard suppies out of "The Golden Cue" in Bladensburg MD .
this is where he started doing repairs on cues and tables
during this time he was also doing work for Timmy (Scruggs)at his shop.
He was doing tips, wraps, shafts, finish, etc.
After the Golden cue closed he decided that he would try to make some pool cues of his own, because he was very frustrated with the quality of the cues that he was constantly doing repair on. So through his relationship with Timmy he had Mcdaniel build him 10 "four point blanks" to Tony's specs.- these are the cues that he took to the trade show in the picture on the website . He took these blanks and added inlays,joint,shafts,ferruls,wraps,finish, etc. All of these first 10 cues were sold to one dealer/collector from Japan, this guy was so impressed with the quality of Tony's cues, that he bought all of them right there on the spot.
After the trade show Tony realized that buying blanks were not the way he wanted to build his cues, he wanted greater control over all of the details that controlled the weight distribution, nodal points quality. So he began building his own cues as well as ultimtely moving to a one piece core that would be sleeved with the birdseye and cutting the structural points in the forearm. This allowed him to build a cue on its "center" and this allowed him the greatest accuracy and consistancy in building his cues. This is the same construction principal that all Black Boars built.
The first 10 one piece core butts that he made were made from one piece birdseye, these played great , but over the years they turned out to, not be stable enough, this is why he went with a straight grain maple core and sleeved the birdseye over the core.
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-There have been many improvements in his cues over the 22+ years, and they were all made to improve how the cue plays or to improve the quality.
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-you have to remember, in 22+ yrs here is the breakdown of quanities:
10 = 4pt BB-Mcdaniel-all went to Japan
400+/- = 4pt BB
100+/- = 6pt BB- virtually every cue was a one of a kind- no copies
50+ = 8 pt BB
as if you would be that lucky............
A Varney knock off called Verney with an ivorine scrimshawed image of Deathball set in green driftwood with pine points and cubic zirconium diamonds in the butt. Oh, and a velvet wrap.
Aren't you forgetting the plain jane cues?
The plain jane cues from the 4 point era that had nothing in the forearm but maybe some inlays in the butt.
The plain jane cues made throughout his career as break cues to accompany cues that he made for playing.
The current plain jane cues with that spider thing on them?
What are the totals on these?
Sounds very nice, BUT I would get the wrap in cow hide with the hair still on. Not the thin hair but with hair like on the tail. Then, you would really have something.
So you actually believe a cue repairman, never inlaid a cue before, did those inlays in the blanks he couldn't make either? He did eventually do it on his own, to great heights. But he started in Scruggs' shop, I know, just ask him about the time Tim, Bill and others were at Tim's shop. Tony was standing by the bandsaw.
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Your right, I forgot those.
he has 6 sold but has built only 5 so far- (I believe these # are correct- going off memory)
some of these are pretty fancy, there is one he is currently building that has quite a few ivory inlays in the forearm
Well, i know of at least 5 others, pre spider cues out there that i have personally seen.
Just wondering what the total numbers would be.
Tony did start with repairs at the Golden cue before he started at Tims shop, but you are right, he did all kinds of work at Tims shop.
Concerning inlays- Tims inlays were done with a Pantagraph and Tony's inlays and his history come from working with his son who is a computer genius. Tony jr. set up and built the original CNC machine and actually operated it for some time. As time progressed Tony worked more with the CNC machine- But the designs have always been Tony's ideas and artistry, except for the : FS- series ( Frank Scianella ) and RS-series ( Raymond Scianella )- these 2 four point series were colaborations between Tony and his brothers.
You are atempting to rewrite history, and your assertions about several things are wrong. Sufice to say, your paragraph about inlays, Tony, and Tim, is factually incorrect. You are correct in your statement that the inlays were Tony's design.
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I thought you were refering to the players cues that he just made this year.
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I think the cues that you are refering to as the plain janes that are pre "spider" are the break cues that he made as a package for some people when they purchased their 6 point cue. If these are the ones that you are talking about they were made from african blackwood, linen wrap,stainless joint,simple silver rings. I dont know exactly how many of these break cues he made- I could ask him, but i'm sure it's less than 10.
I was confirming your earlier post that Tony did some work in Tims shop
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What several parts are you saying are incorrect:
-Tims inlays are Pantograph
-Tony's inlays are CNC
-Tony's son set up the CNC machine at Tony's shop
I'm not saying I know everything- I'm just trying to share what I do know, If something is different, and you have more info, I'm more than happy to learn.
As well as the plain janes from the 4 point days with minimal inlays in the butt and a blank forearm.
Not all the break cues i saw were made of blackwood. Not that i'm a wood expert, but i'm sure some were much lighter then blackwood.
Those PJ cues that your talking about from the 4 point days were the cues from the FS series- some of those didn't have points
http://www.blackboarcustomcues.com/build/default.asp?CTID=211&IID=
-here is a copy of the 1992 catalog that shows some of the "no point" cues
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About the break cues, we could ask Tony, but he told me he needed very heavy dense wood for the break cues so he used blackwood, but it wouldn't suprise me if there were a few made from cocobola.
He did more than "some" work in Scruggs' shop, he got his start in cue making there. None of it would have been possible without the connections he benefited from by being there. Right time, right place.
Anyone can write whatever they wish on a web site, but when you bring those musings here as fact, you should at least know if they are correct.
Right now you are batting below the Mendoza line in fact based statements.
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I have played with several boars, lambrose , and scruggs cues all local to my area, each one has their own following some people swear the lambros with the ultra joint is the greatest thing ever, ask a boar owner who has a no Farrel shaft 6 or 8 pointer and that's the greatest cue ever made, and scruggs has had a strong following for years, its the same if you ask players who play laminated shafts , (which by the is the greatest invention to the cue world in 50 yrs or better,) they will say they love that shaft nothing better, , I will add that after all this cored butts and cut points and hybrid sticks , full splice is making a serious run back to the top,, point being it is personal preference, I own several custom cues ranging from 200 to 3000 , yet if I could just find one that plays like my mezz sneaky with a wd 700 shaft I would have something :smile:
I'm sorry you take offence to how I worded my statement about Tony working with Tim, But If you read ALL my posts here you will see that I state that Tony did tips,shafts,wraps, etc and Later after you specifically brought up inlays, I adressed that as well.
As far as insulting me about how my facts are wrong, I graciously asked you to point out what I have mis-stated, still you have not pointed out what facts are incorrect.
If you really want to get it as accurate as possible, lets meet with Tony at his shop in College Park-Tommorow or Monday - Whenever is convient with you. Then the three of us can sit down and hear it directly from Tony and you you don't have to insult me about batting below the Mendoza line.
I was there when Tony started, I know exactly what he ordered from Bill, and what was sent. Tony is not the only one left to tell what transpired during that time. The onus is on you to find out where you are wrong, because you are presenting it as fact. Go sit down with him and ask about all that was posted here, maybe he will enlighten you.
Without the tutelage of 2 master cue makers, willing to share their knowledge , expertise, help in get him started, and introduce him to the players in the cue collecting game, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Happy New Year.
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