Buying Table Soon: How Good Are the Used Gold Crowns?
- Thread starter poolman56
- Start date
HarleyKR07
New member
I bought a slightly used 9' Diamond Pro off of AZ from a great guy in Illinois. It came with everything you can think of. It cost me $4400 delivered and installed by a professional installer and I wouldn't think twice about buying another one.
Absolutely would buy that. GCs are excellent tables with 50 years of field testing to prove it. A two year old table has about 100 years left in it.
Even if it had problems a good table mechanic will make it play perfect. No way you can go wrong a gold crown and that holds true for most tables. Its more about the installer than the manufacturer.
And don't believe the hype about diamonds playing tougher. If you shim a GC it will play much tougher than a diamond. Diamonds pocket balls easier due to the cut of the pocket. Diamond angles their facings different in order for a well hit ball to be accepted in the pocket. Where Brunswick uses pocket geometry that will reject a well hit ball that should drop.
I guess you could say diamonds play a bit truer due to the easier pocket angles but a double/tripple shimmed gold crown will make you a better shot maker since they reject shots that are not hit perfectly. Less margin of error...
A black GC4 would be my #1 table of choice. A 10 foot, tripple shim, gold crown would be my perfect home table. 9 foot would be a close second...
Couldn't agree more! You could find a GC on Craig's List and have it set up by a master mechanic with Simonis and new rubber for under 2K!!! No brainer as far as I'm concerned.
They've been the standard in pool for a long time for a reason. Replace the felt, and have a good pro set it up and you will have a world class table in your home. Many pro tournaments are played on these tables. If you ask one person they will say they favor the diamonds, if you ask another, they will say the gold crowns. You can't go wrong with either.
Realize also that a lot of how hard the table plays is in how it is set up. Pockets can be shimmed, and the angle they are cut at makes a difference also. I don't think you will buy a gold crown and regret it later if you have it correctly set up.
Realize also that a lot of how hard the table plays is in how it is set up. Pockets can be shimmed, and the angle they are cut at makes a difference also. I don't think you will buy a gold crown and regret it later if you have it correctly set up.
I agree. I would not go under 4.5" or it will be a bear to play on. 4.5" is fairly tight as it is. My understanding is that a lot of pro tournaments are played with 4.5" pockets. I believe it is the standard for the WPBA (correct me if I am wrong.) Most home tables have 5" corner pockets with standard setup which is fairly large, but will make the game a lot easier.
As a home table??? I am no expert, but did he mean that for home use. You could stand on one without seeing it so much as move.
Poolman, you got some very good advice on here. A two year old (even four or five years old) black Gold Crown IV for 2K is a sweet deal! Spend the four or five hundred to have a good mechanic set it up. You'll be pleased with your table.
The rubber is a problem with Brunswick...
The rubber is a problem with Brunswick, not specific to any one table series. The mechanic who set my table up (a top guy from this site) said Brunswick rubber could last a year or 20 years. You never know. He said go with the Artemis. It's the best in his opinion.
The rubber is a problem with Brunswick, not specific to any one table series. The mechanic who set my table up (a top guy from this site) said Brunswick rubber could last a year or 20 years. You never know. He said go with the Artemis. It's the best in his opinion.
I bought a used 9 ft GC4 about two months ago that had been used in a pool hall for many years. It has scratches and signs of use, but when I put new simonis on, it plays like a dream. I have always wanted a GC, and the table has not disappointed me in any way.
As for the Diamond Tables, some people do prefer them. I prefer the GC. One huge issue against the Diamond Table is the one piece slate. I don't need another hernia moving that monster around. 2 Grand is a good deal if the cloth is good IMO. Cloth will run you more than 200 if you install, so it is a big deal. Good luck!
As for the Diamond Tables, some people do prefer them. I prefer the GC. One huge issue against the Diamond Table is the one piece slate. I don't need another hernia moving that monster around. 2 Grand is a good deal if the cloth is good IMO. Cloth will run you more than 200 if you install, so it is a big deal. Good luck!
You got that right!
He set me up with 860 Simonis HR, tourney blue, 4 3/8" pockets, I bought a new set of Centennials and a new set of Aramith Super Pros, and the Delta rack with the leather inserts. Amazing how much the leather quieted the rack. It didn't bother me but I did it for guests.
Oh yeah...and a Diamond single platter ball polisher. It just doesn't get any better.
He set me up with 860 Simonis HR, tourney blue, 4 3/8" pockets, I bought a new set of Centennials and a new set of Aramith Super Pros, and the Delta rack with the leather inserts. Amazing how much the leather quieted the rack. It didn't bother me but I did it for guests.
Oh yeah...and a Diamond single platter ball polisher. It just doesn't get any better.
How do you like the Simonis 860HR?
Woody gives some good advice. ANY table you buy from a pool room, is subject to a lot of abuse, and poor maintainence. (not all...but most) Its not hard for a good mechanic to determine the milage, and number of re-covers. Take one with you, before you commit.
As you said, there are a lot of tables for sale. I bought a used Crown 4, and spent a lot of money getting it up to speed.
I am not unhappy, but I could have bought a much newer table. and spent a lot less making it playable.
Also, as most have said...a poor mechanic can cause a lot of unforeseen headaches. Get the best one you can find, and pay the few $$$ extra, to get it done right.
Do not use shims...a good mechanic will order extended rubber and rails, and you will have a much better finished product.
I assume this is a one time purchase for your home, and you want the best deal you can get...but don't be "penny wise, and pound foolish"...Good Luck !
SJD
Last edited:
I've owned three Gold Crown Is & IIs for my homes; move around some; sold them. No complaints. Usually paid 17-2000, sold for about same. I will own another. Played a whole lot on them.
I strongly agree with most of what has been stated already about the set up. Get a professional to do the set up.
Example, 3 brand new diamonds at a hall near by, set up by someone I wouldn't let set up my lawn, and they don't play good. The set up is what will make the table play well, or poorly.
Example, 3 brand new diamonds at a hall near by, set up by someone I wouldn't let set up my lawn, and they don't play good. The set up is what will make the table play well, or poorly.