New Spencer Marston Questions

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SpencerM

Registered
Background:

In an effort to save money, I hastily purchased an 8 ft. Spencer Marston "Tuscany" table (about 3 months ago). I guess I got caught up in the "lifetime warranty," "free Aramith balls," and their other website marketing hoopla... I suppose you know by now where this post is heading...As my game rapidly improved (can run an occasional 9-Ball rack) , I began to notice how horribly slow the table plays. I opted for their upgraded teflon/nap cloth, thinking this would be acceptable, and it was, until now. To make matters worse, a couple of the rails are making a "thump" noise, and none of them seem to be "live." If I hit the cue ball from the head rail hard (within reason) into the foot rail, I'm lucky to get 3.5 rails. This makes for a pretty poor game experience. Without action, it's difficult to adequately move the cue ball around the table, and breaks usually result in poor dispersion.

I called their customer service, and to my surprise, they were exceptionally professional, and without hassle, they arranged to have 6 new rails/cushions shipped to the same installer who put the table together 3 months ago. In addition, I opted for the Simonis 860 this time around.

My Question:

Now, to my question, should I ask the installer to remove their "100% pure gum rubber" cushions and put Accufast or Artemis K66 cushions on the rails? Obviously, I would buy them and have them shipped to his house. Or, should I just ride this out? I want a fast table, and was wondering how much of a difference these premium cushions would make. Are they just more durable, or do they provide a drastic improvement in playability over a standard gum rubber cushion? Is the cushion replacement process difficult, to the point where it's likely the swap would negate the intended benefit of the better rails?

I just want to make the best of the situation I'm in.

If I had it to do over again, I would have just spent the extra $1k on an Olhausen, and called it a day. Should have, could have, would have...

Thank you for your time and consideration.
 
SpencerM said:
Background:

In an effort to save money, I hastily purchased an 8 ft. Spencer Marston "Tuscany" table (about 3 months ago). I guess I got caught up in the "lifetime warranty," "free Aramith balls," and their other website marketing hoopla... I suppose you know by now where this post is heading...As my game rapidly improved (can run an occasional 9-Ball rack) , I began to notice how horribly slow the table plays. I opted for their upgraded teflon/nap cloth, thinking this would be acceptable, and it was, until now. To make matters worse, a couple of the rails are making a "thump" noise, and none of them seem to be "live." If I hit the cue ball from the head rail hard (within reason) into the foot rail, I'm lucky to get 3.5 rails. This makes for a pretty poor game experience. Without action, it's difficult to adequately move the cue ball around the table, and breaks usually result in poor dispersion.

I called their customer service, and to my surprise, they were exceptionally professional, and without hassle, they arranged to have 6 new rails/cushions shipped to the same installer who put the table together 3 months ago. In addition, I opted for the Simonis 860 this time around.

My Question:

Now, to my question, should I ask the installer to remove their "100% pure gum rubber" cushions and put Accufast or Artemis K66 cushions on the rails? Obviously, I would buy them and have them shipped to his house. Or, should I just ride this out? I want a fast table, and was wondering how much of a difference these premium cushions would make. Are they just more durable, or do they provide a drastic improvement in playability over a standard gum rubber cushion? Is the cushion replacement process difficult, to the point where it's likely the swap would negate the intended benefit of the better rails?

I just want to make the best of the situation I'm in.

If I had it to do over again, I would have just spent the extra $1k on an Olhausen, and called it a day. Should have, could have, would have...

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Click to expand...

In all honesty, your table will probably never play the way you want it to play. Instead of dumping money into it, you may want to cut your losses and look for a used Gold Crown in your area.
 
SpencerM said:
Background:

In an effort to save money, I hastily purchased an 8 ft. Spencer Marston "Tuscany" table (about 3 months ago). I guess I got caught up in the "lifetime warranty," "free Aramith balls," and their other website marketing hoopla... I suppose you know by now where this post is heading...As my game rapidly improved (can run an occasional 9-Ball rack) , I began to notice how horribly slow the table plays. I opted for their upgraded teflon/nap cloth, thinking this would be acceptable, and it was, until now. To make matters worse, a couple of the rails are making a "thump" noise, and none of them seem to be "live." If I hit the cue ball from the head rail hard (within reason) into the foot rail, I'm lucky to get 3.5 rails. This makes for a pretty poor game experience. Without action, it's difficult to adequately move the cue ball around the table, and breaks usually result in poor dispersion.

I called their customer service, and to my surprise, they were exceptionally professional, and without hassle, they arranged to have 6 new rails/cushions shipped to the same installer who put the table together 3 months ago. In addition, I opted for the Simonis 860 this time around.

My Question:

Now, to my question, should I ask the installer to remove their "100% pure gum rubber" cushions and put Accufast or Artemis K66 cushions on the rails? Obviously, I would buy them and have them shipped to his house. Or, should I just ride this out? I want a fast table, and was wondering how much of a difference these premium cushions would make. Are they just more durable, or do they provide a drastic improvement in playability over a standard gum rubber cushion? Is the cushion replacement process difficult, to the point where it's likely the swap would negate the intended benefit of the better rails?

I just want to make the best of the situation I'm in.

If I had it to do over again, I would have just spent the extra $1k on an Olhausen, and called it a day. Should have, could have, would have...

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Click to expand...

You've already spent your money, there's no need in regretting the decision, just make the best of it. I am in no way a fan of the tables, but with better cushions and cloth it will definitely play better and not play so slow. Go with the Artemis cushions though, you won't be disappointed.
 
rexus31 said:
In all honesty, your table will probably never play the way you want it to play. Instead of dumping money into it, you may want to cut your losses and look for a used Gold Crown in your area.
Click to expand...

Are all of the pro tournaments being played on Gold Crowns these days?
 
ChesapeakeBlrds said:
You've already spent your money, there's no need in regretting the decision, just make the best of it. I am in no way a fan of the tables, but with better cushions and cloth it will definitely play better and not play so slow. Go with the Artemis cushions though, you won't be disappointed.
Click to expand...

Which Artemis cushions are you talking about?
 
realkingcobra said:
Which Artemis cushions are you talking about?
Click to expand...

It would appear that my table has the K-66 face profile, so I was thinking about the "Artemis No.66 Rubber set of 6 - Mueller - $184.95." I suppose my main concern is playability. I realize I will never get the GC (Rolls Royce) type of play from my Spencer Marston (Hyundai), however, if the Artemis will greatly improve the action/liveliness, I would go that route. I've already purchased the Simonis (860), and Aramith Premium balls.

Adding complexity to the matter, Spencer Marston will NOT allow their mechanic to partake in the aftermarket cushion swap, which means I would have to fly this one solo.
 
You would have many benefits switching to the Olhausen. The quality of the finish is much better, slate quality, frame quality, pocket geometry, its going to play much better overall and resell value.
 
Donny Wessels said:
You would have many benefits switching to the Olhausen. The quality of the finish is much better, slate quality, frame quality, pocket geometry, its going to play much better overall and resell value.
Click to expand...



The more I've been reading, the more I've come to the realization that a 7' Diamond PRO AM is the way to go. The importance of resale value cannot be overemphasized - something I overlooked with my hasty SM purchase. It sounds like GC's play as nice as any table made, however, I really do NOT like the way they look. I will be putting my table up for sale, and take my $1,000 loss, best case scenario.

Once I have a buyer, I will begin the negotiation process. I e-mailed Diamond, however, they will only refer to their dealer network. MSRP is $4,999. What can I expect to pay, if I drive a fair bargain?
 
Last edited:
SpencerM said:
The more I've been reading, the more I've come to the realization that a 7' Diamond PRO AM is the way to go. The importance of resale value cannot be overemphasized - something I overlooked with my hasty SM purchase. It sounds like GC's play as nice as any table made, however, I really do NOT like the way they look. I will be putting my table up for sale, and take my $1,000 loss, best case scenario.

Once I have a buyer, I will begin the negotiation process. I e-mailed Diamond, however, they will only refer to their dealer network. MSRP is $4,999. What can I expect to pay, if I drive a fair bargain?
Click to expand...

I'm a Diamond dealer in CA. That's what they sell for in my area.
 
Depending on your location you may be able to get a deal on a 'tournament used" Diamond.
As far as the table you have now it might be worthwhile considering Simonis 760 to get as much speed as possible out of it if you are still going to replace the cloth. The mechanics here would have better advice for you about that.
 
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