I think what OP is saying is what is the point of buying a 3000.00 cue. Do they play better? I think it expected they should if you are paying that much. Everybody knows the skill of the player is a factor etc.
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What makes a custom cue expensive?
- Thread starter ehangeto4
- Start date
one thing I left out ...
Having ran small shops I can tell you a major time sink is the telephone. If I ever run a business again I will deal with the phone at a set time twice a day. Everything will go to voice mail any other time.
You are having a custom made. Surely it is no big deal to call every week or a couple times a month to check how things are going. Guess what, that fifteen to thirty minutes he spends with you is multiplied by a dozen or two people that feel the same way!
Then you have the daydreamers. They will never have a cue made but they will call you and talk about it for thirty minutes or an hour at a time until they find someone else to pester.
I used to think that people that were short on the phone were rude. I found out they might or might not be rude but they were smart!
Hu
Having ran small shops I can tell you a major time sink is the telephone. If I ever run a business again I will deal with the phone at a set time twice a day. Everything will go to voice mail any other time.
You are having a custom made. Surely it is no big deal to call every week or a couple times a month to check how things are going. Guess what, that fifteen to thirty minutes he spends with you is multiplied by a dozen or two people that feel the same way!
Then you have the daydreamers. They will never have a cue made but they will call you and talk about it for thirty minutes or an hour at a time until they find someone else to pester.
I used to think that people that were short on the phone were rude. I found out they might or might not be rude but they were smart!
Hu
The shortest answer I can come up with is, yes.
To the right player, they play better.
There's a certain hit that's gathered from every piece out there, but only the player can identify what they are after. After decades of playing, picking up on a "how it hits" is relative to every individual.
What you like, I might think "hits" not so good, and vice versa.
Can you find a $3,000 piece of art that plays like garbage? Yep
Can I find an $80 players and string racks with it? Check
At least from a McDermott perspective it depends on the cue. it's not just grab-n-go on them all.
People have listed a bunch of factors, but mainly, it's volume that's the price driver.
Making 1 of something is expensive. Making 10,000 of something gives economies of scale and reduces cost by spreading out fixed overhead.
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Making 1 of something is expensive. Making 10,000 of something gives economies of scale and reduces cost by spreading out fixed overhead.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk
Both will get from point "A' to point "B", having owned both brands, both make dependable cars. KIA has come a long way. Their sister company Hyundia makes a model I miss took for a Bentley. Line were similar, it was a shock to realize it was a Hyundia, not what I thought it was. Korean's have come a long way.
Is that a Schmelke?
Aesthetics aside, a custom cue is, well, custom.
You can work with the cue maker on weight, balance point, thickness, shaft taper, number of shafts, etc. and get a cue that is built to your exact specifications. This takes time and know-how. Hence, the additional cost. You cannot achieve this with a production cue.
You can work with the cue maker on weight, balance point, thickness, shaft taper, number of shafts, etc. and get a cue that is built to your exact specifications. This takes time and know-how. Hence, the additional cost. You cannot achieve this with a production cue.
Come on Hu, we both know all it takes is a few minutes, maybe an hour for make a cue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_EL8yPt4aw
Side note: I've been waiting over 2 years for a Dieckman blank to be finished by another master.
I'll wait. If I expire in the meantime. My kids have some walk'n money.
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Somewhat surprised no one mentioned supply vs. demand. Call some builders and they will tell you that the wait time on your cue is likely to be a few months. Then others will tell you "sometime next year," or even longer.
Just like any custom/high-end product, whether they be cues, bamboo fly rods, cars, guns, etc., demand dictates a large part of the final price point of any product.
Just like any custom/high-end product, whether they be cues, bamboo fly rods, cars, guns, etc., demand dictates a large part of the final price point of any product.
Secondary Markets Are More Fickle Too.
Supply versus demand typically relates to the secondary resale market a lot more than original custom orders.
Some cue makers just have limited volume due to different factors but they don’t limit volume to improve prices.
Rarity and scarcity are tremendously significant when it comes to the resale market for determining a cue’s value.
But when you order a cue to be made, well, determining the price for that new cue is entirely up to the cue maker.
You see the supply is limited to only one and well, the demand is significantly high or you’d be buying a used cue.
When you go to the cue maker to order a custom, you’re not requesting bids & pick the best one. You buy or don’t.
If the cue is more than you can afford, try changing the design to lower the price but don’t expect the cue maker to.
Supply versus demand typically relates to the secondary resale market a lot more than original custom orders.
Some cue makers just have limited volume due to different factors but they don’t limit volume to improve prices.
Rarity and scarcity are tremendously significant when it comes to the resale market for determining a cue’s value.
But when you order a cue to be made, well, determining the price for that new cue is entirely up to the cue maker.
You see the supply is limited to only one and well, the demand is significantly high or you’d be buying a used cue.
When you go to the cue maker to order a custom, you’re not requesting bids & pick the best one. You buy or don’t.
If the cue is more than you can afford, try changing the design to lower the price but don’t expect the cue maker to.
I think maybe an hour on my big lathe
I think I could make a cue in about an hour on my big wood lathe. Pretty sure it would look like a cue made in an hour too!
Rest in Peace Dieckman, a true one of a kind! I wonder if anyone else is resting in peace around him?:thumbup:
Hu
I think I could make a cue in about an hour on my big wood lathe. Pretty sure it would look like a cue made in an hour too!
Rest in Peace Dieckman, a true one of a kind! I wonder if anyone else is resting in peace around him?:thumbup:
Hu
"supply and demand" is another slippery bit of Americlish. What in fact happens is:
First, you supply.
Then you demand.
I think the ones who mentored Dennis are happy with the results of their labor.
Most will leave it at that, rather than dwell on other things.
I think the ones who mentored Dennis are happy with the results of their labor.
Most will leave it at that, rather than dwell on other things.
Can you please elaborate on the deek-a-mon's mentors?
I've got one of his too, a pool cue, sadly:shrug:.
Something of value!
Aside from the pride and pleasure of ownership I think his cues are a good investment, Nothing to sneeze at when I saw today that $50,000 in the bank will draw $2.50 a year in interest!
Hu
Aside from the pride and pleasure of ownership I think his cues are a good investment, Nothing to sneeze at when I saw today that $50,000 in the bank will draw $2.50 a year in interest!
Hu
Pool cues are in a rare position where you can commission a functional piece of art, with exceptional, actually aeronautic precision and attention to detail a production cue make would never do. When you have a cue made you can literally have a cue that is unique in the world. That can be an amazing feeling. And there are a zillion other reasons like some of the most beautiful pieces of wood in the world, an exact fit, etc....
I just thought of something: a good word instead of custom is bespoke- the cue is tailored exactly for you
I just thought of something: a good word instead of custom is bespoke- the cue is tailored exactly for you
Supply and demand .
If you can buy a 6-point SW for the price of Lucasi, what do you think is going to happen ????
Someone will snatch the SW, flip it for profit. And it will be flipped for profit so long as the demand and desire are there .
Would you pay $4000 for a 6-point Lucasi ? Why not ?
If you can buy a 6-point SW for the price of Lucasi, what do you think is going to happen ????
Someone will snatch the SW, flip it for profit. And it will be flipped for profit so long as the demand and desire are there .
Would you pay $4000 for a 6-point Lucasi ? Why not ?