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Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
the name
thats all

materials come in second, exotic woods, and the white stuff
 

dickiev

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Alphadog-I get it's brand name vs generic concept.
Thought there might be something more to it.
 

slide13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I can be materials and man hours in the case of some cues with lots of inlays.

But if you're talking about a simple cue and why they can be so much more expensive from some makers...as others have said, it does come down to the name and the reputation that they have earned for themselves for building quality cues.

Some people may take more time in building just a simple cue to make sure they get all the details right. Others may just have found a special combination that makes for a really great playing cue. When a lot of people want your product and you can only make so many in a year you'll naturally raise your price to find the equilibrium. No reason someone who makes really good cues that people want shouldn't be rewarded for that.

Some builders like Southwest don't raise their prices to equilibrium levels. They're prices are high but their demand is even higher. That leads to a very long wait list and higher prices on the secondary market than what the maker charges.

You could look at that as SW leaving money on the table, but it also creates an incredibly strong secondary market for their products which helps their popularity long term. Not an easy thing to create on demand but they've done a great job of nurturing their market. I do think they should probably raise prices some to help bring their wait times down a little while bringing in more money for themselves...but what they're doing certainly seems to be working so as long as they're happy it works.
 

Mr. Bond

Orbis Non Sufficit
Gold Member
Silver Member
Alphadog-I get it's brand name vs generic concept.
Thought there might be something more to it.

"The Name" is a big part of it...
But, don't make the mistake of writing that off as something vain or mythical.

An excellent reputation is not easy to come by, and in fact can take many many years if not decades, of truly top tier work. And even then, some still never get the reputation they deserve.
 

haystj

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member

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Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
depending on the persons stock and workload id guess

my last custom cue was in my hands in 9 days from deposit
i paid for over night shipping and it was a plain jane, but still!
 

fastone371

Certifiable
Silver Member
What is the difference between an Altima and a bmw? Both can get you there.

That is a very poor analogy. Even someone who is not a car person can easily tell the difference between a Nissan and a BMW/Porsche/Mercedes/Bentley/Saleen/etc. with just a short drive. Whereas the difference between a nice $600 production cue and a $3k Tascarella/Southwest/Black Boar/Zamboti may not be as readily apparent even after a month of use, or maybe ever.
 

Pushout

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
As an example, my first South West I waited 4 months for and cost $260.00. As the reputation of Jerry Franklin and South West Cues became more recognized as a quality product, the second several years later was a 3 year wait and $500.00. I can't afford one now and don't want to wait the 9 or so years for one. Buying on the secondary market can be very, very expensive nowadays. I've known guys who ordered one and turned around and sold it the same day they received it or the next day.
 

Bob Jewett

AZB Osmium Member
Staff member
Gold Member
Silver Member
The names are usually earned due to a history of craftsmanship, playability and builder integrity.
But one person's playability may be another's worthless junk. I've shot with $4000+ cues that I would find unplayable. Beautiful on the wall, nasty on the table. I have recently played with $60 commercial cues that hit the ball fine.
 

FranCrimi

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
But one person's playability may be another's worthless junk. I've shot with $4000+ cues that I would find unplayable. Beautiful on the wall, nasty on the table. I have recently played with $60 commercial cues that hit the ball fine.

But that $60 cue will probably warp in a fairly short time.

Some expensive cues are works of art rather than great playing cues, and are better off in a showcase on someone's wall. But others are hand crafted by great cue makers with outstanding records for being great playing cues. Players just have to do their homework.
 
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