There seems to be somebody signing "Sugartree" under the bumper of cues that I did not build. I do not know who it is or know why they're doing it, but they are succeeding in ripping people off. Ebay seems to be their trade avenue.
Let me be very clear about this. I only signed a few cues like that & they were all sneakies. Any P/J or more elaborate cue is signed with my signature. In 2006, I signed a few simple sneakies under the bumper. So if the cue is not a sneaky but is signed like that, then it's a fraud. Without giving a specific number, I signed less than 10 sneakies that way before I then began signing them the same way as any other cue.
Other things to look for are rings & joint pins & butt taper. My cues from 06' are very specific & easy to recognize if you know what to look for. The sneakies have dash rings with 8 indexed dashes. The height of the dash ring is 1/8". The height of the accent rings are 1/16". The joint pin is ALWAYS 3/8-10 flat thread & made by me so it looks different than anything else. The nose of the pin is noticeably shorter than any other flat thread pin you see, and the center hole in the nose of the pin is larger. Pins are 1.25" (1-1/4") long. The butt taper is the most telling. The joint will be approx. .850" diameter & the taper grows quite quickly to 1.23", which then changes to a straight cylinder shape to the end of the butt. This straight area will be 6-8" long. If you have ever held a SW or BG then it's similar to that, possibly slightly even more exaggerated. And one last thing to keep in mind is that MOST but not all of the very few sneakies I signed like that, were two pieces of exotic such as bocote on purpleheart or bocote on cocobolo, etc.
So in short, the cues being brought to my attention that are being sold as Sugartree cues, look absolutely nothing like the cues I signed like that. They are not even very good knock-offs, look nothing like what I have ever built. They are simple cues being made by a hack & signed "Sugartree" in order to deceive a buyer into paying extra. My gut tells me that the cues I have seen look a lot like cues I have seen coming out of the Philippines, and like what I have seen being made by some of the newb builders that have been posting on here the last couple 2-3 years. That is only a hunch, gut feeling. It could be an honest builder selling cues to a dirtbag that signs them for resale. I simply do not know. All I can tell anybody is that they should be vigilant & do their homework before dropping cash on a cue signed with a sharpie under the bumper. It 'could' be real, but the chances are very slim. If it doesn't have the characteristics I outlined above then it's for certain not. Find out before you buy. In 2006 I was moving from Alaska to New Mexico, buying a new home & remodeling it before moving my pregnant wife into it. I didn't build but a few cues that year & only a tiny number were sneakies that were signed under the bumper. And pay attention. If the cue looks new then it is new. Brass joint pins get dull & even begin turning black over time with use. Pics of the cues I have seen look brand new with either a cheap brass pin like what Brianna sold, or a radial G10 pin, neither I have EVER used. Be smart, folks. I am sorry for anybody who has been duped.
Let me be very clear about this. I only signed a few cues like that & they were all sneakies. Any P/J or more elaborate cue is signed with my signature. In 2006, I signed a few simple sneakies under the bumper. So if the cue is not a sneaky but is signed like that, then it's a fraud. Without giving a specific number, I signed less than 10 sneakies that way before I then began signing them the same way as any other cue.
Other things to look for are rings & joint pins & butt taper. My cues from 06' are very specific & easy to recognize if you know what to look for. The sneakies have dash rings with 8 indexed dashes. The height of the dash ring is 1/8". The height of the accent rings are 1/16". The joint pin is ALWAYS 3/8-10 flat thread & made by me so it looks different than anything else. The nose of the pin is noticeably shorter than any other flat thread pin you see, and the center hole in the nose of the pin is larger. Pins are 1.25" (1-1/4") long. The butt taper is the most telling. The joint will be approx. .850" diameter & the taper grows quite quickly to 1.23", which then changes to a straight cylinder shape to the end of the butt. This straight area will be 6-8" long. If you have ever held a SW or BG then it's similar to that, possibly slightly even more exaggerated. And one last thing to keep in mind is that MOST but not all of the very few sneakies I signed like that, were two pieces of exotic such as bocote on purpleheart or bocote on cocobolo, etc.
So in short, the cues being brought to my attention that are being sold as Sugartree cues, look absolutely nothing like the cues I signed like that. They are not even very good knock-offs, look nothing like what I have ever built. They are simple cues being made by a hack & signed "Sugartree" in order to deceive a buyer into paying extra. My gut tells me that the cues I have seen look a lot like cues I have seen coming out of the Philippines, and like what I have seen being made by some of the newb builders that have been posting on here the last couple 2-3 years. That is only a hunch, gut feeling. It could be an honest builder selling cues to a dirtbag that signs them for resale. I simply do not know. All I can tell anybody is that they should be vigilant & do their homework before dropping cash on a cue signed with a sharpie under the bumper. It 'could' be real, but the chances are very slim. If it doesn't have the characteristics I outlined above then it's for certain not. Find out before you buy. In 2006 I was moving from Alaska to New Mexico, buying a new home & remodeling it before moving my pregnant wife into it. I didn't build but a few cues that year & only a tiny number were sneakies that were signed under the bumper. And pay attention. If the cue looks new then it is new. Brass joint pins get dull & even begin turning black over time with use. Pics of the cues I have seen look brand new with either a cheap brass pin like what Brianna sold, or a radial G10 pin, neither I have EVER used. Be smart, folks. I am sorry for anybody who has been duped.
