this is true, and i know that was the point...
just wanted to clarify that Rambow didnt cut his teeth on the titlist...
hell, he may have even invented it.
Herman Rambow did not invent the Titlist cue, in fact he did invent the previous cues that had veneered points such as the Brunswick 26 1/2. These designs were copied from cues that Brunswick had been importing from Europe from 1800's into the early 1900's when they started producing cues in their Chicago Factory in large qaunities.
The first catalog I have seen that makes reference to the Brunswick 26 1/2 was the 1908 catalog, and this was the first cue Brunswick produced with standard points and Multiple veneer's. They also produced muti-veneered butterfly spliced cues starting around the turn of the century but even with said they were still importing cues until around 1905. It is very possible that after this time frame Herman was working full time in the Chicago cue department. It also makes sense that he may have been involved in the construction of these early cues, but this was not one of his major contributions. In 1914 Brunswick was fully involved in production of Cues, their catalog for that year shows they had over forty models to choose from, at no other time did they produce such a wide variety of cues.
What people seem to forget is that Herman's first major contribution to Brunswick was the Cue Repair facility that he started. Many rooms did have the ability to do cue repair, so Herman realized there was great deal of money to made re-tipping and repairing cues. The truth of the matter is that they could replace the tip, ferrule, and splice in a new shaft for less then the cost of new cue. This is another reason that many plain one piece cues can be found with Rose wood or Ebony spliced shafts.
The next thing that Herman contributed was the adjustable balance point in cues. The result of his design was the Hub Cue, and this was also the reason that it unscrewed just above the cues wrap. Many other companies copied this design, so unless a Hub cue has a Brunswick decal it is impossible to say who made the cue. This method of balance is still used today by cue makers around the world, no other method has been found that will make it antiqued.
It is a sad state of affairs that more documented information
is not available on this subject. I am certain that Herman's contributions were far greater than we will ever be know, however, this subject requires a great deal research which I have done over the last 15 years. I have handled large numbers of these cues, and I have made many observations based upon this and the available documentation.
Oh and by the way, I also read that some one thought the Ralph Greenleaf cues were made from Titlist blanks. That is completely incorrect, the Veneer colors are totally different. Now while I have not been able to find out who made this cue, I would offer the following information.
The cues were made in the late 50's or 1960's, that is based upon the materials used in the cues design. I would also say that the were made by Brunswick, I would base this also on the Joint design, and materials used in the cues construction. These designs were exactly like the designs and materials used in all two piece cues made by Brunswick during that time frame. No other cues being mass produced were made in a similar fashion during this time. I have had 3 of these cues over the years, and that is what I have based my comments upon. So until some one finds a catalog with these cues listed I will stand by my comments.
Hope this helps
