Tad Cues - father or son?

J

jackthehat

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a Tad cue made in 2004. It has miltered points, old growth shafts and perfect balance. I believe the cue was most probably made by Fred Kohara who I have read has taken over most of the work now that his father is getting on. I have used a lot of high end custom cues and this is the best playing cue that I have personally hit with.

Now something that pops up a lot in this forum is Tad cues for sale or show that the seller insinuates are better hitters simply because they were made by Tad himself and not Fred.

I haven't personally hit with one made by Tad. However, considering that Fred was taught and supervised by his father and most likely uses the same materials, machinery and construction techniques alongside quality management procedures - how accurate do people really think this statement is and by what degree and for which reasons?
 
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jackthehat said:
I have a Tad cue made in 2004. It has miltered points, old growth shafts and perfect balance. I believe the cue was most probably made by Fred Kohara who I have read has taken over most of the work now that his father is getting on. I have used a lot of high end custom cues and this is the best playing cue that I have personally hit with.

Now something that pops up a lot in this forum is Tad cues for sale or show that the seller insinuates are better hitters simply because they were made by Tad himself and not Fred.

I haven't personally hit with one made by Tad. However, considering that Fred was taught and supervised by his father and most likely uses the same materials, machinery and construction techniques alongside quality management procedures - how accurate do people really think this statement is and by what degree and for which reasons?
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Think about it....Fred's dad didn't just one day say "you make this cue", Fred had his hand in a lot of cues while he was learning how to do it right. So, as long as Fred was "in the shop", he very well could have done some work on the cues his father was given "credit" for.
 
Neil said:
Think about it....Fred's dad didn't just one day say "you make this cue", Fred had his hand in a lot of cues while he was learning how to do it right. So, as long as Fred was "in the shop", he very well could have done some work on the cues his father was given "credit" for.
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Very true. I personally don't believe the statement. I think it is just hype, but I wonder if anyone has any valid reasons to support these claims.
 
I think the legendary Tad hit is due to shaft wood choice, preperation and taper and the overall specs of their cues which, like Ginas, have been quite consistent through the years. Tad developed his cue aesthetic, taught Fred that and Fred pretty much copies his father. I think Fred's cues hit great, just like his dad's did. However, I also feel that Fred's attention to detail and precision are nowhere near his dad's. Hey that happens, Tad was a rare and unique individual and very few people can or do operate with his level of skill. I don't think Fred's relative lack of complete precision hurts the hit of his cues, Tads are Tads (pretty much).

Thanks

Kevin
 
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I can't speak on the subject of whether Fred's work meets his father's but I had a Tad cue made from the '60s with a steel joint and I loved the hit. Man! Was that a nice cue, and with beautiful inlayed points. In 1997 I traded a Bob Stroud to pick up a bottom of the line Tad with a phenolic resin joint and it hits just as well I remember that old cue I used to use in those earlier days. In 1997 I believe Tad was still making his cues, but I've no doubts that Fred was in the shop working right along side his dad even then. I love the Tad cues.

I still play with that '97 Tad. And you are right about the shaft wood. The rings are very tight and the shafts have never warped though I have sometimes left the cue in the car for days while the summer Sun beat down upon it and the daily temperatures here in Florida climbed high.

I play a lot of billiards these days and I cracked a ferrule playing billiards one afternoon so I took the cue to Ted Harris and had him replace the ferrule with a shorter one to give it more strength and a slightly stiffer feel. No need to purchase a billiard cue here.

Some of you players should try billiards sometime. It will certainly help round out your game and build up your stroking power. I know, that's another subject.

Tom
 
kvinbrwr said:
I think the legendary Tad hit is due to shaft wood choice, preperation and taper and the overall specs of their cues which, like Ginas, have been quite consistent through the years. Tad developed his cue aesthetic, taught Fred that and Fred pretty much copies his father. I think Fred's cues hit great, just like his dad's did. However, I also feel that Fred's attention to detail and precision are nowhere near his dad's. Hey that happens, Tad was a rare and unique individual and very few people can or do operate with his level of skill. I don't think Fred's relative lack of complete precision hurts the hit of his cues, Tads are Tads (pretty much).

Thanks

Kevin
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Good points. The main objective for my question is because I was considering in investing in one of the older Tads to find out myself. But as you have highlighted the shaft wood is a major driving factor in the hit. The shaft wood on my cue is the best I have seen and if the specs are the same they will be little difference.As such, you have saved me some money.

I know that you have a lot of experience with older Tad's and I appreciate your feedback.
 
TRWpool said:
I can't speak on the subject of whether Fred's work meets his father's but I had a Tad cue made from the '60s with a steel joint and I loved the hit. Man! Was that a nice cue, and with beautiful inlayed points. In 1997 I traded a Bob Stroud to pick up a bottom of the line Tad with a phenolic resin joint and it hits just as well I remember that old cue I used to use in those earlier days. In 1997 I believe Tad was still making his cues, but I've no doubts that Fred was in the shop working right along side his dad even then. I love the Tad cues.

I still play with that '97 Tad. And you are right about the shaft wood. The rings are very tight and the shafts have never warped though I have sometimes left the cue in the car for days while the summer Sun beat down upon it and the daily temperatures here in Florida climbed high.

I play a lot of billiards these days and I cracked a ferrule playing billiards one afternoon so I took the cue to Ted Harris and had him replace the ferrule with a shorter one to give it more strength and a slightly stiffer feel. No need to purchase a billiard cue here.

Some of you players should try billiards sometime. It will certainly help round out your game and build up your stroking power. I know, that's another subject.

Tom
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Thank you for your comparision

Billiards is a very good game to practice in terms of improving your knowledge of angles which is very beneficial to your pool game. When i get the chance I like to play carom which is always a challenge.
 
jackthehat said:
Good points. The main objective for my question is because I was considering in investing in one of the older Tads to find out myself. But as you have highlighted the shaft wood is a major driving factor in the hit. The shaft wood on my cue is the best I have seen and if the specs are the same they will be little difference.As such, you have saved me some money.

I know that you have a lot of experience with older Tad's and I appreciate your feedback.
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I don't know where Fred gets his wood or where Tad got his, but when I was at Tad's ship in the 70s he took me out back and showed me a shipping container (like the back of a semi truck) filled with wood. What he told me was that when that wood was done, so was he. As consistent as his shafts were and are, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Fred is still going out back to that same pile of wood.

Kevin
 
jackthehat said:
I have a Tad cue made in 2004. It has miltered points, old growth shafts and perfect balance. I believe the cue was most probably made by Fred Kohara who I have read has taken over most of the work now that his father is getting on. I have used a lot of high end custom cues and this is the best playing cue that I have personally hit with.

Now something that pops up a lot in this forum is Tad cues for sale or show that the seller insinuates are better hitters simply because they were made by Tad himself and not Fred.

I haven't personally hit with one made by Tad. However, considering that Fred was taught and supervised by his father and most likely uses the same materials, machinery and construction techniques alongside quality management procedures - how accurate do people really think this statement is and by what degree and for which reasons?
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I agree 100%.

If you are in So Cal, you are welcome to try out my Tads from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Well, maybe not the 90's one that I haven't hit a ball with that one yet.
 
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ghost ball said:
I agree 100%.

If you are in So Cal, you are welcome to try out my Tads from the 70's, 80's and 90's. Well, maybe not the 90's one that I haven't hit a ball with yet.
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My first Tad BLEW MY MIND. I was a straight pool player that moved out to CA in the 70s, everybody was playing 9 ball and I was struggling to get a stroke that would work for that game. I knew a lot about cues, but when I hit balls with my first Tad I was in shock and instantly a ball better 9 ball player. I sell a lot of cues and I shy away from making claims about a cue's hit, the only cues I ever talk about the hit with are Tads.

Kevin
 
I just came back from Tad's shop. His new place (they've been there 10 years) is much more spacious and light. It looks like Fred has expanded quite a bit and added new equipment. Tad is 82 and Fred is 56, so he's no rookie. My feeling is, "like father, like son," the same craftsmanship as you would expect from Tad.

They told me that sales are down, except in China (no big surprise there). I had a nice visit with Tad and reminisced about the old days when his first shop was on Washington Blvd., in a little corner of his poolroom. I used to go in there and buy one of his plain maple cues for $60 and sell it within a week for $75. Then I would come back and do it again. I know $15 doesn't sound like much, but when your rent is $25 a week (this was 1967-8), $15 ain't so bad. I remember when he raised his price to $75 I was very unhappy. But I found that people would still pay me $90 for a new Tad. I probably turned a couple of dozen of his cues in a two year period. If I had somehow had the foresight to keep them, I would have made a nice return on my money.

I discovered the poker rooms in Gardena and the 2-4 Draw game was so soft (especially late at night) that I didn't have to hustle cues any more. I would run down there after the poolroom action died out, maybe at Midnight or 1 AM. Before they closed for cleaning at 4 AM, I might pick up $20 to $30. I was a pretty good scuffler around L.A. back then, bringing in anywhere from twenty to fifty bucks a day. And I saved my dough, pumping up my bank account to a healthy four figures. I felt rich, considering some of the "famous" players were biting me for five or ten bucks from time to time. I made 'em pay me back too! :wink:
 
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I've admired the workmanship of Tad cues from afar, having only seen pictures of them, and having heard great things about their hit. They remain elusive to me, just like Southwest's, of which I've also never had the pleasure to see in person, or shoot with. But both of these companies share in common, the fact that the cue-making techniques and processes were passed down from the founder to his successors.
 
jay helfert said:
I just came back from Tad's shop. His new place (they've been there 10 years) is much more spacious and light. It looks like Fred has expanded quite a bit and added new equipment. Tad is 82 and Fred is 56, so he's no rookie. My feeling is, "like father, like son," the same craftsmanship as you would expect from Tad.

They told me that sales are down, except in China (no big surprise there). I had a nice visit with Tad and reminisced about the old days when his first shop was on Washington Blvd., in a little corner of his poolroom. I used to go in there and buy one of his plain maple cues for $60 and sell it within a week for $75. Then I would come back and do it again. I know $15 doesn't sound like much, but when your rent is $25 a week (this was 1967-8), $15 ain't so bad. I remember when he raised his price to $75 I was very unhappy. But I found that people would still pay me $90 for a new Tad. I probably turned a couple of dozen of his cues in a two year period. If I had somehow had the foresight to keep them, I would have made a nice return on my money.

I discovered the poker rooms in Gardena and the 2-4 Draw game was so soft (especially late at night) that I didn't have to hustle cues any more. I would run down there after the poolroom action died out, maybe at Midnight or 1 AM. Before they closed for cleaning at 4 AM, I might pick up $20 to $30. I was a pretty good scuffler around L.A. back then, bringing in anywhere from twenty to fifty bucks a day. And I saved my dough, pumping up my bank account to a healthy four figures. I felt rich, considering some of the "famous" players were biting me for five or ten bucks from time to time. I made 'em pay me back too! :wink:
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Are you square with Ronnie Allen? If so you are one rare dude, dude.

Speaking of which, I've got a great old Martin style Tad up on eBay right now. I better go bump my For Sale thread.

Kevin
 
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strum4u said:
I've admired the workmanship of Tad cues from afar, having only seen pictures of them, and having heard great things about their hit. They remain elusive to me, just like Southwest's, of which I've also never had the pleasure to see in person, or shoot with. But both of these companies share in common, the fact that the cue-making techniques and processes were passed down from the founder to his successors.
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Yeah, and that they hit great.Both Tads and SWs share in common a great hit and a consistent build and style for years.
 
kvinbrwr said:
Are you square with Ronnie Allen? If so you are one rare dude, dude.

Speaking of which, I've got a great old Martin style Tad up on eBay right now. I better go bump my For Sale thread.

Kevin
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I forgave the last $2500 he owed me, a long time ago. :p
 
I played with a Tad from 1969-1974. Never lost a money match with it. I accidently left it in Biloxi, Miss. and I was in Texas by the time i realized it...but nobody in Miss. could find it.
I'm sure Fred is following in the master's footsteps!
Best of Luck !
 
good to see you

hey Jimmy this is big tim from the old j o b days ,i hope your health is getting better i think of some of the great stories you used to tell, no could ever imagine how much fun it was to have you around unless they have been around you themselves .wish you could make it to the dcc in louisville would love to see you. that is a great place to see a lot of old freinds hope you make it. your old freind Tim
 
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