What Youngsters Want Old Masters Cues?
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It's the experts that say the Strad's are the best sounding and since I've heard them and many others I can't disagree. I dont have their ears, though I've been told I "have a great ear":wink:, I don't know exactly what to listen for except for an overall ballance to the sound. But just as a great cue, it'll sound better in the hands of a great player. I do agree that there is no reason to spend $500 just to play, but this discussion is more about just wanting a Gus or George and not necessarily playing with it regularly.
As for the guitars, you can always find gems on the cheap. Thats the fun part about going to a store and checking some out in person. As far as playability out of the box though, custom and hi end instruments are more scrutinized during setup and have a greater chance if not guaranteed to play as the manufacture intended. Still you guitarists are very finicky..:smile:
Absolutely. Who would you consider a New Master?
As an afterthought regarding the question about old master cuemakers. I have a close friend from my time living in the Chicago burbs. He was very close to John Wright and was collecting cues and dealing with John for years. He has several file boxes containing every mailing that John ever sent him. John would buy and sell cues and one of his ways of marketing was to take pictures of his cues and send them monthly to certain collectors.
Well he saved them all with all the pictures and pricing going back quite a few years. They are all cataloged by month and year. It is spectacular with pictures of cues that are incredible. The pricing is itself priceless, some of Gus's cues are $300.00 and as you go through the years you can literally see the price increase. When I first went through it I was amazed and now thinking back it is wonderful he saved them all these years.
Personally I cannot imagine why anyone that loves to play pool would not want one of the old master's cues if they got the opportunity.
Well he saved them all with all the pictures and pricing going back quite a few years. They are all cataloged by month and year. It is spectacular with pictures of cues that are incredible. The pricing is itself priceless, some of Gus's cues are $300.00 and as you go through the years you can literally see the price increase. When I first went through it I was amazed and now thinking back it is wonderful he saved them all these years.
Personally I cannot imagine why anyone that loves to play pool would not want one of the old master's cues if they got the opportunity.
I think those need to be scanned and posted somewhere. Too bad Mr Bond is gone or the Billiards History museum would be a great spot for that. I wonder if anyone took that over. I think he was also in Chicago area.
Well we got Searing, Ernie, Black Boar, Volmer.... I would say anyone that would sell a cue in the $1,000 range for a basic model may qualify. Would a Southwest be one? Long lines to get one, in demand on secondary market. There are makers like Eric Crisp that hand pick great woods, that is a possible future "master" when his cues are looked at in 30,50 years.
Are there really any innovators now that advanced construction techniques in the past few decades or even last 50 years? I mean a lot of the value of the older cues is that nothing was like them before and they developed and improved on things.
Who these days improves on the cue that much? I mean if we look at some criteria, Predator may be the top "modern master" and so may Cuetec.
If we had a pool cue museum, I would vote that a Predator and a Cuetec hall be there.
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You are way off on that 1k price range. Every guy with a $10 lathe wants 1k for their cues and a line of guys claiming their work is "second to none"
Searing and Showman for sure are in the Masters group
Jason
Crisp
Diveney
Hulsey
Barenbrugge
Dzuricky
Dieckman
Searing
SW
and others escaping my mind right now
Cuemakers like the above are building the modern bridge between play-ability, clean and solid construction, and innovation. Technology may evolve and update things, but many players are always going to want something unique and well-made to play with.
There are great and revered makers from days of yore that many collectors will always admire. Younger players can also gravitate towards newer makers and create the new vanguard.
No matter what shaft you perfer, many of us like and appreciate work from singular, visionary artists.
This is the type of list I was referring to in my above post.
"Master" has no meaning anymore.
Jason
So what is the thought about brands like Predator that are basically the Balabushka or shafts? Or Moori for tips? I mean in cues you basically have a new age after Balabushka, Palmer, etc.. and then you kinda have a second age after Predator came out with the 314 shaft.
While a Gina may be the work of a "master" in quality and detail, the work of Predator did advance cues probably in a more meaningful way than 90% or more of all makers before or after. How about the Players HXT line? You get a decently constructed cue with a good LD shaft with a nice tip for almost nothing in relation to the value you get. Would whoever was able to make that cue line a "modern master" because they provided a solid LD shaft with a nice cue that you could use for your whole pool career?
Right I never even answered I’m 34.....I love my Martin and would love a szam and I’ve longed for years to own the I believe paradise made for Mickey mantle
..... but like my first post on this topic spoke of...... I love history and that goes fairly deep in this game. Which is why we get the talk of people these days only know balabushka from tcom Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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John was a friend of mine as well. We used to work together at the Board Of Trade downtown Chicago for 4 years. I still have a lot of his pictures and price sheets as well. They really do show the rise of the custom cue market. He was the biggest reason for the rise in the custom cue market IMHO.
I would call Predator products the most innovative in modern times, but I would not say they are of the best quality.
To this day, the best pool in the world is being played with a Revo shaft. The best pool is also being played with solid maple shaft, and everything else in between.
Shafts are a personal choice. I will say that many players and many pros (before they become fully sponsored by a particular cue company) will often use a custom cue with the shaft of their choice on it.
I think a good amount of players (whom have been playing for a while) often long to have a cue that is unique and not mass-produced. The younger generation may not feel the same about Bushkas as the older guard, but they may also become excited at the prospect of using unique cues composed by more contemporary makers.
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We can debate playability and product till we're blue in the face but my question was geared towards whether younger players desired Gus and George cues regardless of their playability.
As for performance, the only thing that has been proven by technology is less cue ball deflection. Hit and feel are not as much a technical aspect. I don't mean that the advancement in materials, machinery and building techniques don't affect the feel of a cue but using old methods machinery and materials can still produce a cue that feels just as good as any IMHO.
And I believe that's a shame. If George was building cues in this era he'd be one that would have a long waiting list as would Gus as well.
I think the answer is pretty much no.
Here's a golf analogy: Here in town there is a First Tee location. People donate clubs for kids to use and a while back i noticed some grips stickin-up from the dumpster. To my amazement/horror were two sets of mint blade-style irons. One set of HaigUltras and a set of Hogans. I went and asked about them and the teacher said none of the kids would ever use them and to take them if i wanted. They all want high-tech cavity back irons and could not care less about classic clubs. Few pool players under 40 give a rats ass about classic cues. BTW, i kept one set of those irons, sold the other and used that $$ to buy a cue. Hell yeah.
For you I guess but some have said yes... Thanks for your input