Cue maker lists

JB Cases

JB Cases

www.jbcases.com
Silver Member
I was informed last night about how Jake Hulsey handles his list and I consider it to be brilliant.

You can get in line and when your number comes up at the top you will be offered the cue he has finished and you can pass on it and stay at the top of the line. I think that this is a fair way to do it and allows Jake to build what he wants and insures he always has a buyer. This to me is the sign of a true artist who also has figured out a way to handle the business side of it without becoming a slave to orders.

Being as creative as Jake is I would think not many people pass on the opportunity to own one.

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Jake's latest masterpiece above is in contention for Cue of the Year.

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=350102

Go here to see some amazing cue art and if you are as inspired by Jake's work as I am then vote for his cue. - disclaimer - I don't own a Hulsey and have zero plans to get on his list or try to own one. I simply like the work I have seen from him so far and consider him to possibly be the most creative maker in the business at this point - top five for sure.
 
Good post. I agree Jake is doing some amazing work. I had the oppurtunity to buy one of his cues at Kenny's show in Philly last year and passed on it. How dumb was I?

Great guy to talk with as well as a great cuemaker.

Kevin
 
JoeyInCali said:
Does he weed out the flippers ?
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In my personal opinion, I don't think it matters. If he sets a price for everyone, and it sells, then he made his money. Just as JB said, it's art. No one will be on that list waiting for their next everyday player.
 
It is a great way to handle the demand for his cues, and I love the 'prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jacks box' approach....you don't know what you could be getting until he contacts you with it...fun comes to mind!

Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk
 
If it's art, you want, then just hang this cue on the wall but in the meantime,
Go vote for Rigs' Szamboti propeller cue....that's the way a pool cue
was meant to look and coincidentally, it just happens to be from a "Great".
 
It is kinda like a production cue this way. I like to pick veneer colors as well a weight as well as inlays and materials used, balance point, dia. of tips, taper etc...I like the way all the other great cue makers do it! I have ordered a few and doubt I would order one like this.
 
It is certainly not the way to go if you must be involved in every aspect of a cue's creation. I am sure Jake will at least take weight preferences into consideration, and group the list accordingly. Otherwise, having seen what he has going on inside his creative mind, I would be game.

Sent from my HTC One V using Tapatalk
 
From what I understand Jake's cues have the hit to go with the art. This information comes from people who own ALL the big names and who also play themselves.

I do true custom work and am a slave to orders. Jake appears to be relatively if not totally free of that burden.
 
rigmaster said:
It is kinda like a production cue this way. I like to pick veneer colors as well a weight as well as inlays and materials used, balance point, dia. of tips, taper etc...I like the way all the other great cue makers do it! I have ordered a few and doubt I would order one like this.
Click to expand...

It is NOTHING like a production cue. And it's not a custom cue either. It is the artist's creation of a piece of functional art.
 
rigmaster said:
It is kinda like a production cue this way. I like to pick veneer colors as well a weight as well as inlays and materials used, balance point, dia. of tips, taper etc...I like the way all the other great cue makers do it! I have ordered a few and doubt I would order one like this.
Click to expand...

His creations are nothing like mass produced production cues. I would get on his list for one of his creations and not care what it looked like. There are a few other cue makers that I would do the same with.

I just cant wrap my mind around this being a production type of cue.
 
JB Cases said:
It is NOTHING like a production cue. And it's not a custom cue either. It is the artist's creation of a piece of functional art.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%. I have tried to talk Keith into doing it the same way that Jake is. The only down side is it limits you in a different way. You sort of have to build something that will appeal to others as well as yourself. What sucks is when you build a $5k cue and have to sit on it for a while. One person's vision of beauty isn't always universal.

It's pretty darn cool regardless.
 
jhanso18 said:
I agree 100%. I have tried to talk Keith into doing it the same way that Jake is. The only down side is it limits you in a different way. You sort of have to build something that will appeal to others as well as yourself. What sucks is when you build a $5k cue and have to sit on it for a while. One person's vision of beauty isn't always universal.
Click to expand...

Cuemaking at the level that interests Jake is an art form, not simply an occupation. It's pretty much impossible to follow an artistic vision if you have to worry about selling your next piece to pay the electric bill - the two concepts are diametrically opposed.

TW
 
I'm not into artsy cues and sure would want my input whether it is Barry or Dennis Searing or even this new guy!
 
Unfortunately, there's no "one size fits all" for dealing with waiting lists, etc. For one, I like the way Jake's chosen to sell his cues. He wants to challenge himself with new designs and get the cues in his head out there. He's building his dreams.

One generally wouldn't tell Thomas Wayne, Jerry McWorter, Richard Chudy, Bob Manzino or Tony Scianella (Black Boar) what color veneers to use in their cues because they don't build that kind of cue. Even if they use veneers, they're only one small element of a total design. Jake's cues are of a similar nature.

As evidenced by his collection, Ron's preference leans towards the classics like Szamboti, Showman and Tascarella. That style lends itself more towards the customizing he prefers.

And that's the fun of it- finding someone who builds what you like and letting them run with it.
 
ELBeau said:
Unfortunately, there's no "one size fits all" for dealing with waiting lists, etc. For one, I like the way Jake's chosen to sell his cues. He wants to challenge himself with new designs and get the cues in his head out there. He's building his dreams.

One generally wouldn't tell Thomas Wayne, Jerry McWorter, Richard Chudy, Bob Manzino or Tony Scianella (Black Boar) what color veneers to use in their cues because they don't build that kind of cue. Even if they use veneers, they're only one small element of a total design. Jake's cues are of a similar nature.

As evidenced by his collection, Ron's preference leans towards the classics like Szamboti, Showman and Tascarella. That style lends itself more towards the customizing he prefers.

And that's the fun of it- finding someone who builds what you like and letting them run with it.
Click to expand...

Not to derail the thread any, but both Rick Chudy and I use veneers on a regular basis. The only reason I haven't bought more veneers from you, Beau, is because I already have deep stacks of veneers, cut to size, in every color available - until you came on the scene. The few samples I bought from you (so far) are the first veneers I've bought in at least 15 years - but I have always maintained a large inventory and use them in a few cues every year.

So don't measure the number of veneer-based cues I build by what little veneer I've bought from you - it's a much higher number than you might imagine.

TW
 
JoeyInCali said:
Does he weed out the flippers ?
Click to expand...

I think it doesn't matter. I am not even sure what the problem is with flippers because they help drive the market. I only have a problem with people who beg for cues promising that they are going to keep them forever and play with that cue until they die and then the cue is up for sale a week after they get it.

I think when a person owns a cue it's theirs to do with as they wish but if they used a bunch of emotional button pushing to get it then that's a problem in my eyes.

If cue makers want to insure that a person keeps a cue then they should not sell the cue they should rent it to the users.
 
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