Hahaha, that is normally after a thread here:wink:
Could anyone get hold of Dennis Searing?
- Thread starter timothysoong
- Start date
Wow.....What A Horrible Tale About a Cue-Maker
I've only had really great experiences having dealt with Bob Runde, Paul Mottey, Richard Black, Bob Owen and Jerry Rauenzahn. There may be someone that posts that they had a terrible incident with one of the aforementioned which doesn't change my great experience in the slightest.
At the present, Mr. Prewitt is making me two new shafts and he hasn't asked for a penny up front and I even offered to pay in full in advance to ensure his attention but he declined. Instead, he asked me to precisely measure my original shafts that came with the cue at a specific point on the shaft and provide that info to him. Meanwhile, he'll start the shafts and indicated in about two months from whence we last spoke, he'd contact me and get 50% down-payment. Then later on, he'll need my cue for two weeks towards the end of the shafts' completion, This is so he can produce matching joint collars and then when the shafts are completed, I'll remit the balance due.
Let me further say that Mr. Prewitt contacted me after I sent him an email with a photo of my cue inquiring about some new shafts. He was more than generous with his time on the phone and after inquiring, he told about the cue I had just bought since I was the 2nd owner. Anyway, he was just so down to earth when I asked about his cue-making and especially when we discussed shafts. Now I consider Ed Prewitt a top shelf cue-maker and so he doesn't have to court my add-on business which is more of a nuisance order in my opinion. I mean this guy isn't knocking out cues every month and hasn't released a new cue in quite awhile or so I've been told.
My point is that there are cue-makers that are not only men of integrity and extremely talented as well but also demonstrate very high regard for their clients. And as for cue-makers building you a cue, you have to search high and low to find anyone as considerate, communicative and cooperative (3 C's for a cue-maker) as Bob Owen and Jerry Rauenzahn. Having written this, I realize my post doesn't help the OP in the slightest but there are still nice guys in the cue-making industry and he just picked the wrong cue-maker. But how could he have known beforehand and Searing Cues are rare finds nowadays........this is just a terrible experience for a honest, trusting Azer.
Matt B.
I've only had really great experiences having dealt with Bob Runde, Paul Mottey, Richard Black, Bob Owen and Jerry Rauenzahn. There may be someone that posts that they had a terrible incident with one of the aforementioned which doesn't change my great experience in the slightest.
At the present, Mr. Prewitt is making me two new shafts and he hasn't asked for a penny up front and I even offered to pay in full in advance to ensure his attention but he declined. Instead, he asked me to precisely measure my original shafts that came with the cue at a specific point on the shaft and provide that info to him. Meanwhile, he'll start the shafts and indicated in about two months from whence we last spoke, he'd contact me and get 50% down-payment. Then later on, he'll need my cue for two weeks towards the end of the shafts' completion, This is so he can produce matching joint collars and then when the shafts are completed, I'll remit the balance due.
Let me further say that Mr. Prewitt contacted me after I sent him an email with a photo of my cue inquiring about some new shafts. He was more than generous with his time on the phone and after inquiring, he told about the cue I had just bought since I was the 2nd owner. Anyway, he was just so down to earth when I asked about his cue-making and especially when we discussed shafts. Now I consider Ed Prewitt a top shelf cue-maker and so he doesn't have to court my add-on business which is more of a nuisance order in my opinion. I mean this guy isn't knocking out cues every month and hasn't released a new cue in quite awhile or so I've been told.
My point is that there are cue-makers that are not only men of integrity and extremely talented as well but also demonstrate very high regard for their clients. And as for cue-makers building you a cue, you have to search high and low to find anyone as considerate, communicative and cooperative (3 C's for a cue-maker) as Bob Owen and Jerry Rauenzahn. Having written this, I realize my post doesn't help the OP in the slightest but there are still nice guys in the cue-making industry and he just picked the wrong cue-maker. But how could he have known beforehand and Searing Cues are rare finds nowadays........this is just a terrible experience for a honest, trusting Azer.
Matt B.
I've dealt with Richard Black before, I bought one 1980 cue which he refinished in 2014 with two new shafts, but the butt's handle warped when arrived in Taiwan. Richard Black offer to fix(change the handle and refinish) that if I pay just shipping which was very nice of him and he estimated 2-3 weeks of turn around time and he finished it within 3 weeks and shipped the cue back and send me a video of the cue being spin on the lathe after he changed the handle. I'll buy his cues again in future.
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Not the Dennis Searing I delt with
Every time I call Dennis 90 percent of the time he answers his phone . I've only had pleasant experiences dealing with Dennis. A little over a year ago I sent Dennis a Cue for him to repair the joint ,I also wanted him to make me two shafts for my cue . He never asked me for any money upfront, as a matter of fact when the job was done the price was surprisingly a lot less than I expected. When I received the shafts they blew away any other shafts that any other high-end cue maker had ever made me. Dennis also made a few follow-up phone calls asking how I liked the taper and how well the shafts played. I know Dennis has had some physical setbacks with his health the last couple years , I don't mean to sound like a Searing apologist. Trust me his work is so incredible that if you can wait 12 years for a Southwest you can wait 20 years for a Searing .
Every time I call Dennis 90 percent of the time he answers his phone . I've only had pleasant experiences dealing with Dennis. A little over a year ago I sent Dennis a Cue for him to repair the joint ,I also wanted him to make me two shafts for my cue . He never asked me for any money upfront, as a matter of fact when the job was done the price was surprisingly a lot less than I expected. When I received the shafts they blew away any other shafts that any other high-end cue maker had ever made me. Dennis also made a few follow-up phone calls asking how I liked the taper and how well the shafts played. I know Dennis has had some physical setbacks with his health the last couple years , I don't mean to sound like a Searing apologist. Trust me his work is so incredible that if you can wait 12 years for a Southwest you can wait 20 years for a Searing .
t if you can wait 12 years for a Southwest you can wait 20 years for a Searing .
seriously?
that's some job security!
Every time I call Dennis 90 percent of the time he answers his phone . I've only had pleasant experiences dealing with Dennis. A little over a year ago I sent Dennis a Cue for him to repair the joint ,I also wanted him to make me two shafts for my cue . He never asked me for any money upfront, as a matter of fact when the job was done the price was surprisingly a lot less than I expected. When I received the shafts they blew away any other shafts that any other high-end cue maker had ever made me. Dennis also made a few follow-up phone calls asking how I liked the taper and how well the shafts played. I know Dennis has had some physical setbacks with his health the last couple years , I don't mean to sound like a Searing apologist. Trust me his work is so incredible that if you can wait 12 years for a Southwest you can wait 20 years for a Searing .
I've never doubt Dennis's craftmanship, playability, I know his cues are top-notch in quality and playability.
He never asked me to pay upfront for the repair work, but I thought if I pay first it would get him to start the work faster.
I was just confused as when I asked for price quote for the repair, he responded every emails very quickly and he told me he will let me know once he received the cue. Once he received the cue, he never let me know, it took me a 3-5 emails and him about 2 weeks to let me know he received the cue and will get back to me very soon. After that last email, he never responds.
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I already figured out that I will never order and receive a cue from Dennis. This thread highlights why I would not buy a used Searing cue unless it already perfectly met my specs. They cost a lot on the used market. If you can’t be sure of tailoring it to your own playing needs, it is just wasted money. I am not ranting on Dennis, just explaining my view of reality.
I think the OP is talking about a repair. There is not much excuse in that respect. Either do the repair or don't. If you are too busy just don't take the work and maybe recommend someone you trust to do it.
As far as the cue business, Dennis could solve his problem the same way Scruggs did it. At a point Scruggs could no take the pressure anymore from customers and just stopped taking orders.
He didn't stop building cues just stopped making commitments. He would build cues and either have a high end re-seller take the cues he built and just mark them up with a premium or sell the ready made cues that could be finished with wrap choice and shaft size and so on with a very small wait. .
He told me everything changed when he began doing this. He built cues of his own designs in his own time and offered them for sale. Instead of getting sick from the business he finally found a way to enjoy what he was doing again.
Like other well known cuemakers he could sell every cue he could possibly ever build in his life time. What more can you ask.
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You have proof of this?
My cousin has been on the "waiting list" since 2001 and a buddy from Vegas hasn't been able to get in contact with Dennis for a letter of authenticity for his cue.
7, 12, 20 years. Are you for real, twenty years? I'm 65, the only wood construction I can wait twenty years for is a freakin' coffin.
It is pointless for the cue maker to even take the orders. A cue maker making like 100 to 150 cues a year can't get past the math. There are only so may cues going to be built in his lifetime no matter what, unless he starts a production shop.
I've been waiting about 10 years give or take on what was a quoted 2 year wait, which is okay, I guess, except I was in school at the time and choose one cuemaker to build me a player. I picked Searing over Hercek and South West.
Now, here I am empty-handed with zero chance of getting a Hercek made and about 6-7 years left on the South West.
I'm not sure why he chooses to carry-on with this waiting list charade... Oh, well.
Now, here I am empty-handed with zero chance of getting a Hercek made and about 6-7 years left on the South West.
I'm not sure why he chooses to carry-on with this waiting list charade... Oh, well.
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Air Barrel Barry should take up cue making after he sells QMasters.
