Carolina Custom: Tuscarella

To the people asking if it matters who built the cue:

Of course it matters! Otherwise we'd all pay the same price for a 4p/4v whether it was built by a retard like me, or a genius like Herceck.

Some pricing is arbitrary, but a lot of it is based on the cuemakers' reputation. Does the cuemaker have a rep for great playing cues? Are his cues put together well? Is there enough attention to detail? Are they consistent? Will they stand the test of time? How many cues does the maker create a year?

All of those questions come into play when evaluating a cue, an most of them are dependent on the cuemaker himself.
 
Double-Dave said:
Imo you should be positive before saying something like that.
I received a cue from Trevor two weeks ago for which the design sheet was sent a few months back.

gr. Dave
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Awesome, I am glad to know they are still making cues. I put in a lot of effort to get their cues to their current level. I mean no disrespect.

I wish them the best of luck and hope they continue to make cues well into the future. I'm very proud of the work I did there. I would hate to see them end their cue production.

Have you posted pics of yours? I would certainly be interested.
 
Matt, they're still making cues. Mine is in the final finish stage right now. I visited their shop over Christmas; Trevor is still doing the other business on government contract (coating goggles/windshields), but the cue end is still there. I think (can't be sure) that they're only doing pure custom builds, not the production model lines that they were doing when you were there. Trevor told me that they were still putting out just under 100 cues per year...
 
matta said:
Awesome, I am glad to know they are still making cues. I put in a lot of effort to get their cues to their current level. I mean no disrespect.

I wish them the best of luck and hope they continue to make cues well into the future. I'm very proud of the work I did there. I would hate to see them end their cue production.

Have you posted pics of yours? I would certainly be interested.
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I do not have any pictures, it was an order from one of my customers.
Tulipwood/Ebony J/B with full set of rings, it came out really nice.

gr. Dave
 
I had Trevor make me a Jump Break cue back in early February. I went by and took a look at it while it was being made and received it a few weeks ago.

Aren't they making cues for Kelly Fisher's line?? "Kwikfire"
 
Hmmmm

jdxprs said:
why would the value be more if pete did it? it's still the same cue either way. The difference is only what someone is willing to pay for it because PETE did it.
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What is the value of two identical sweaters. You need money to pay the rent. Somebody offers you $100 for one of them. Do you give them the one your Grandmother hand knitted for you, or the one that is also hand knitted with identical material that some nice lady made that use to work at the same company as you. Which one do you give him? I'm sure you will say it doesn't matter, but to the rest of the civilized world, sometimes it just does matter.

Do you really believe that nobody can duplicate a painting as good or better as the famous artists of the 16th century? But one is signed by the great, and one is signed by a talented artist, but in fact a nobody in the art world. Which one are you taking home if offered for $50 at a garage sale??

It really is that simple, so don't make something more complicated than it is.
 
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If I were an artist by the name of "Bubba Ho-Tep" and could paint a beautiful rendition of The Mona Lisa, do you think I could fetch the bargain price of $15MM, because it would be a great value, look just as good, and be as "nice as the original".

<-- thinks it's ponderous...
 
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Hmmmm

1pRoscoe said:
If I were an artist by the name of "Bubba Ho-Tep" and could paint a beautiful rendition of The Mona Lisa, do you think I could fetch the bargain price of $15MM, because it would be a great value, look just as good, and be as "nice as the original".

<-- thinks it's ponderous...
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But today's paints are much better, canvass is now much stronger, and frames are more solid, so your painting should be worth much more than an old raggedy ass Mona Lisa.......;)
 
vanthonyv said:
Thanks Matt for the clarification on a few points. I knew Pete had a hand getting yall started but as to verification of wether he actually built it or not I'll drop that from the listing.
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It is 5 days since you posted this and the original post still says that Pete built the cue. When do you plan to change it?

Scott
 
Name does matter, because we (the consumers) say so.

If you're buying a custom cue that you intend to use and probably never sell, then you tend to find a good, well made cue, made to your specs, at a price you can afford. If you really intend to treat it as a gallery cue and look to turn a profit at some point, then the field narrows considerably and you pay significantly more--hoping to recoup your investment.

Lots of custom makers make very comparable cues, with a wide range of prices. Some makers get top dollar for their cues not only because they make a great cue, but because the secondary market has driven those prices up...Tascarella builds a great cue with a direct link to Balabushka, gets more popular, takes more orders than he can fill, wait list gets longer, cue flippers put in orders and do the waiting, then take a good mark up when they sell them on to collectors that don't want to wait. Market forces in the secondary market also drive up prices in the primary market, so Pete starts to charge a little more as time passes. Why not? People are willing to pay those prices for his cues, so be it! The whole thing works in a circle. I think you're starting to see that with Zinzola and Gracio now.

Carolina Custom Cues and others make great cues, very similar in quality and playability as more expensive/long wait cues. Average wait time is three to four months. Price range is low to moderate (I don't see how he makes money on these things!). Secondary market for most cue makers is flat to slightly downward...if you want a player and don't have to wait five years for a cue to be made, you go straight to the source and order yours new to your specs and design. No secondary retailers are needed to wait the wait for you, so they aren't there to help drive up the price, either.

I'd love to have a Tascarella or a Hercek, they're among my favorite builders...but I play with every cue I own and can't see waiting years to get one. And for the money in the secondary market, I wouldn't pay that much for a cue that wasn't made specifically for me...but that's just me!
 
Reposted?and this is one of the initial cues that Pete made at the Carolina Custom shop. It has the C.C. logo but Tascarella actually made it. YOU STILL NEED TO FIX YOUR POST! Ron
 
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