Antique Table Playability, good or bad?

CuesDirectly

CuesDirectly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Almost picked up a 1911 Brunswick yesterday, the owners timeline didn't work out and I am supposed to go back and get it when they have time. The table is in great shape but it needs work.

I started a thread on the table yesterday and one person said that the old tables are great to look at but they don't play very well. I was so appreciative of his comments that I decided to make this thread, please let me know if it's a stupid move to believe the old tables can play great.

We have an 8' table now and I want a 9".

Thanks, Dave.
 
In my experience, the antique table do not play like modern competition tables but they aren't that. The one I had, the pockets' slate were cut away and an angle and when balls got near the front, they would fall. Also... The way the rails are bolted on oh, with bolts that are parallel to the ground it didn't seem to hold as securely as vertical ones you might find on a gold crown. That said... Any table is better than no table
 
CuesDirectly said:
Almost picked up a 1911 Brunswick yesterday, the owners timeline didn't work out and I am supposed to go back and get it when they have time. The table is in great shape but it needs work.

I started a thread on the table yesterday and one person said that the old tables are great to look at but they don't play very well. I was so appreciative of his comments that I decided to make this thread, please let me know if it's a stupid move to believe the old tables can play great.

We have an 8' table now and I want a 9".

Thanks, Dave.
Click to expand...

For better or worse, these days 99 1/2 Players out of 100 think play better
means tighter pockets.

Like so many things in life - given enough dollars and the right person, you can get
just about anything you want.

Can it be made to play "good"? Absolutely.

Can it be made to play like a current Diamond? I doubt it.

Tho it is accurate to say that serious players would not buy an antique for playability,
don't let that alone stop you.

I've never owned a Diamond but I have banged many a ball on several of them. I have owned several
Gold Crown and National commercial - pro level - tables and antiques of every size and type known to man.

My spidey sense tells me that if you want to move up from your 8 ft to a 9, an antique
would most likely not be the right table for you.

There are TONS of used Gold Crowns for sale these days, many at good deals.

Can you play on the table as it now stands? If so, I would spend a couple hours
playing on a Diamond/Gold Crown/whatever modern table then compare that experiance
to the antique - that ought to tell you.

Either way good luck in your search - it is a noble quest.

Dale
 
CuesDirectly said:
Almost picked up a 1911 Brunswick yesterday, the owners timeline didn't work out and I am supposed to go back and get it when they have time. The table is in great shape but it needs work.

I started a thread on the table yesterday and one person said that the old tables are great to look at but they don't play very well. I was so appreciative of his comments that I decided to make this thread, please let me know if it's a stupid move to believe the old tables can play great.

We have an 8' table now and I want a 9".

Thanks, Dave.
Click to expand...

I have resisted over the years buying tables with side-mounted cushions.....
....I think RKC calls them 'T-rails'.

But if you really like the table....here's how the British handle that rail system....
....steel-block additions make the rails play great.

IMG_3359.JPG

IMG_3358.jpg
 
The good thing about antique tables is that most of them (from the better companies) are built very sturdy, and they are typically more aesthetically pleasing than the average table today.
But, unfortunately, most antique tables were built to a slightly different set of specs than tables today and therefore need some minor but serious alterations to play as good as a modern table.

Antiques CAN be made to play as well as modern tables, just understand that it will cost more than just new cloth and rubber to make that happen.
 
Dave,

I have been around antique tables quite a bit. I think you need to determine what you want out of the table, where will it be in your home, who will be using it and for what purpose. Additionally, what is your budget.

The right antique table can be set up to play magnificent. It will cost between $3-$4k depending on its needs to have a top notch person do the set up and adjustments needed. It will not be like a Diamond or GC for that matter and (frankly I do not think GC's set up with Artemis Continental 55 play like Diamonds either). Diamonds are a breed of their own as are Gold Crowns.

So what do you want out of the table? Is the table for yourself or your family and kids? Social or competition? Upstairs...or finished basement, unfinished or garage? Unless you want something showy, the answer I get is you may be better off with a used Gold Crown.
Getting an antique in shape is not cheap.

I own both a Non Pareil Novelty circa 1876 which plays outstanding/looks dynamite and a Rosewood Centennial circa 1946 that plays lights out. Both play very different, neither is like a Diamond. The only complaint I ever had was gambling on the Non Pareil Novelty the playing surface is 34" off the floor. Tables changed in the early 1900's and if you consder the one you posted, check that out.

Good luck and one way or the other, get into a 9 foot table and enjoy
Phil
 
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