Southwest cues - reasons for their popularity
- Thread starter riedmich
- Start date
Cult following, it is like DeadHeads who lived for only one thing, Going To Grateful Dead Concerts.
Friend has an Old Southwest made by Jerry, it is Magic, seen the Cue jump up off table, run racks after rack without missing. Without anyone controlling the Cue.
Then I woke from my dreams saying that was weird?
Friend has an Old Southwest made by Jerry, it is Magic, seen the Cue jump up off table, run racks after rack without missing. Without anyone controlling the Cue.
Then I woke from my dreams saying that was weird?
xX-Wizard-Xx
Well-known member
Its hype .... Don't drink the koolaid
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
Don't eat pickles and ice cream before bed, it'll give you weird dreams... or if you like that type of stuff go for it!
I love pool cues. Addiction for sure! Would be dead by the time I got a SW but for the secondary market…
What I never understood is when a small business has a license to print money, some choose not to.
There is a BBQ joint in a city I used to live in, amazing food. If you weren’t in line by 10am, chances are no BBQ for you. The place was in a shi$&y location with no parking yet they came from miles around. Doing the same as SW, limiting their own ability to make cash.
Inevitability someone will make the QC argument, that holds no water unless in the expansion of the business, they cut corners and reduce standards.
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t have to wait 20 years for a new Rolex Sub. And they are still making cows and smokers so expansion while maintaining QC is certainly possible.
My .02
What I never understood is when a small business has a license to print money, some choose not to.
There is a BBQ joint in a city I used to live in, amazing food. If you weren’t in line by 10am, chances are no BBQ for you. The place was in a shi$&y location with no parking yet they came from miles around. Doing the same as SW, limiting their own ability to make cash.
Inevitability someone will make the QC argument, that holds no water unless in the expansion of the business, they cut corners and reduce standards.
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t have to wait 20 years for a new Rolex Sub. And they are still making cows and smokers so expansion while maintaining QC is certainly possible.
My .02
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They are popular because they play good. However that is for those that like the way they play, there are people that do not like Bushka's, Szam's, Searings, and everyone else so hearing someone say they don't play good talking about any cue is just an OPINION. They have good quality and have been around. Laurie has always been approachable and out of "active" cuemakers the SW brand holds a lot of weight. The top 4 most copied cues in the world, IMHO are Szam's, Bushka's, Gina's and SW.
People don't realize if SW decided not to make another cue, she could still run the business doing repairs, refinishes, shafts, etc.. for Kersenbrock and SW cues and never be broke.
As far as getting one, if you like them great then buy one, but don't slam them because you think the market is too high, or you don't like the wait time. Move on.. there are plenty of other choices.
This is the only market, where there is less participation, cue collectors are dying and / or getting out, production c/f cues are obliterating customs in sales, YET there is a new cuemaker or dealer / flipper, every 30 seconds.
JV
People don't realize if SW decided not to make another cue, she could still run the business doing repairs, refinishes, shafts, etc.. for Kersenbrock and SW cues and never be broke.
As far as getting one, if you like them great then buy one, but don't slam them because you think the market is too high, or you don't like the wait time. Move on.. there are plenty of other choices.
This is the only market, where there is less participation, cue collectors are dying and / or getting out, production c/f cues are obliterating customs in sales, YET there is a new cuemaker or dealer / flipper, every 30 seconds.
JV
They don't play that good. Saw an ebony one recently for over 9grand. Please, that's crazy.They are popular because they play good. However that is for those that like the way they play, there are people that do not like Bushka's, Szam's, Searings, and everyone else so hearing someone say they don't play good talking about any cue is just an OPINION. They have good quality and have been around. Laurie has always been approachable and out of "active" cuemakers the SW brand holds a lot of weight. The top 4 most copied cues in the world, IMHO are Szam's, Bushka's, Gina's and SW.
People don't realize if SW decided not to make another cue, she could still run the business doing repairs, refinishes, shafts, etc.. for Kersenbrock and SW cues and never be broke.
As far as getting one, if you like them great then buy one, but don't slam them because you think the market is too high, or you don't like the wait time. Move on.. there are plenty of other choices.
This is the only market, where there is less participation, cue collectors are dying and / or getting out, production c/f cues are obliterating customs in sales, YET there is a new cuemaker or dealer / flipper, every 30 seconds.
JV
..and Rolex's keep the same time as a Timex, but people buy them. Just because YOU do not see the value in them, doesn't make it crazy to buy one.
How they play is up to the individual. One man's magic wand is another man's tomato stake.
JV
Timex quarts actually has better accuracy than Rolex and other mechanical watches, but I still gravitate towards good mechanicals because of their sweeping second hand and automatic winding, so no batteries needed, ever... just occasional servicing every 5+ years to keep them in top shape. I still remember how my work buddies made fun of my Breitling and Omega watches while sporting their GShocks. Fast forward a few months, and all of a sudden they're investing in IWC's and similar swiss brands. I guess I'm a bad influence haha.
People want what they can not have, it is all about bragging rights.
I would take the Skill & Pool IQ of SBV, over, verses a exempt copy or colon of his playing Cue.
You can buy a Cue, any Cue ever if you have to Rob a Bank for the Money.
Can not buy Skill or POOL IQ.
JMHO
I would take the Skill & Pool IQ of SBV, over, verses a exempt copy or colon of his playing Cue.
You can buy a Cue, any Cue ever if you have to Rob a Bank for the Money.
Can not buy Skill or POOL IQ.
JMHO
People pay crazy money for a Southwest, that were originally build by Jerry Franklin. Today the Cue are build be unknown people with Jerry Wife overseeing the production. Are Southwest Magic, or just another Cue? Can not say as the only Southwest I ever go to play with was a Jerry Built. Cue did noting for me, or was I just have off day?
You must include Kersenbrock.
LibraryFool77
Active member
DPK taught Jerry. Try to find a true DPK, that’s why SW demand what they do and they are incredible at marketing by limiting availability.
Supply and Demand ='s crazy prices, and if person is lucky to get one it had to be GRAIL CUE.
IMHO a Banger with a SouthWest will not like magic, turn into the next great player like SVD.
Another big question is how many TOP WORK CLASS PRO-PLAYERS are using a SouthWest, I suspect few as Lauri don't have to give cue to pros to promote the product.
She has a 15 YEAR PLUS WAIT LIST, and if someone bugs out, 10 people plus are inline behind the person. JMHO
IMHO a Banger with a SouthWest will not like magic, turn into the next great player like SVD.
Another big question is how many TOP WORK CLASS PRO-PLAYERS are using a SouthWest, I suspect few as Lauri don't have to give cue to pros to promote the product.
She has a 15 YEAR PLUS WAIT LIST, and if someone bugs out, 10 people plus are inline behind the person. JMHO
More like 20 years. I placed the order in 2006. I recently got them.
It's very difficult to scale up production of handcrafted or semi-handcrafted products without reducing quality of the final product. Purchasing additional equipment and buying/renting the space to set up and use that equipment to, for example, double production, might result in more than doubling the fixed costs of overhead. The next craftsman hired can be expected to be slightly less talented or productive than the last craftsman hired (else the next craftsman would have been hired before the last craftsman was). It's likely that SW made a conscious decision that reducing the wait times to better meet demand would result in unacceptable hits to SW quality and reputation. Even raising prices to reduce demand in order to decrease wait times could backfire and hurt their reputation more than it increases their revenue.
Personally, I've never seen or handled a South West cue in person. I don't know if their hit and playability is the bee's knees if they are Just Another Cue when in the hands of a mere mortal as myself. I'd be very surprised to learn that SW have any serious or widespread quality issues. What I do know is that I've never seen pictures of a South West cue that made me desire owning one. The "South West style" just doesn't appeal to me aesthetically. I'm probably in the minority, and those who disagree can take comfort in the fact that I won't be ahead of them on the wait list. To be clear, I don't find them ugly or anything like that. It's just that there are other cue makers whose cues I find more aesthetically pleasing, at least some of whom likely build cues that would play very well in my hands and have a hit that I would find very pleasant.
Personally, I've never seen or handled a South West cue in person. I don't know if their hit and playability is the bee's knees if they are Just Another Cue when in the hands of a mere mortal as myself. I'd be very surprised to learn that SW have any serious or widespread quality issues. What I do know is that I've never seen pictures of a South West cue that made me desire owning one. The "South West style" just doesn't appeal to me aesthetically. I'm probably in the minority, and those who disagree can take comfort in the fact that I won't be ahead of them on the wait list. To be clear, I don't find them ugly or anything like that. It's just that there are other cue makers whose cues I find more aesthetically pleasing, at least some of whom likely build cues that would play very well in my hands and have a hit that I would find very pleasant.