9 ft anniversary

[realkingcobra]

Will agree. I never bought anything with regard to how much will sell for if sold. As for a Centennial in excellent condition .... wait for the right buyer. They exist. It is a specialty table.

The reason a picked on those 2 tables is because of the reputation of owning one has a tendency to blind the buyer as to who they're getting the table from. I know of one buyer off hand to paid $12k for a centennial, then when he went to play on it, and he specifically requested the ARTIMUS speed cushions...LOL....he couldn't bank the cue ball 4 rails around the table!!! Why? Because the sub rails were never rebuilt, just the cushions were replaced!

That's just one example, I know of plenty more. There is no such thing as you get what you pay for with these 2 tables! What you DO get however, is the expectation that you're buying a table that'll play comparable to todays playing tables....that is, until you actually get the table, then the truth is in the pudding!!

 

[GoldCrown]

So should I tell everyone I no longer work on anything but Diamonds!!! By the way, the Gibson is a piece of shit, it has absolutely NO frame to it what so ever, unless you call 3 2"×2"s laminated together then stood on edge a frame, and NO frame to screw the end slate screws into when mounting the slates. Yeah, I'm a BIG Brunswick fan, I can make a nice living fixing them, but would starve to death trying to make a living fixing up Diamonds!!

You have my respect as an authority or Go To person for pool table knowledge. Most buyers have no idea what they bought or buying. Including myself. I’m learning. I most likely will be buying a table next fall and want to do it right. I’m a GC fan and always will be. It hurts to say Diamonds are better for a lot of reasons. But man are they ugly for a home table. And that matters. As for your opinions of different tables I appreciate your saying it as it is. It’s a weird industry. Aside from buying a table that is doomed to failure we have to deal with incompetent mechanics. I’ve been there twice for poor personal service and a few times at my community club house. I could do a better recover.
My first table was a Gandy Huster. It had the best plywood and flake board Channel Hardware had to offer. And the guy who installed it came back 3 times to make adjustments. He kept his word. Said he would come 100x if he had to.

 

[GoldCrown]

The reason a picked on those 2 tables is because of the reputation of owning one has a tendency to blind the buyer as to who they're getting the table from. I know of one buyer off hand to paid $12k for a centennial, then when he went to play on it, and he specifically requested the ARTIMUS speed cushions...LOL....he couldn't bank the cue ball 4 rails around the table!!! Why? Because the sub rails were never rebuilt, just the cushions were replaced!

That's just one example, I know of plenty more. There is no such thing as you get what you pay for with these 2 tables! What you DO get however, is the expectation that you're buying a table that'll play comparable to todays playing tables....that is, until you actually get the table, then the truth is in the pudding!!

Understood. Used is used and you don’t know what you bought until you bought it. It’s whats inside that counts. If I bought a Cent or Anni it would not be a private sale unless I knew who put it together to begin with. I’d buy from a well known custom builder. And that goes for a GC 1-4 also.
No different than buying a used car. They look great. Here comes the instant wear and tear repairs that were not expected or anticipated. Or it was accident related repaired and had inferior intervals.

 

[realkingcobra]

You have my respect as an authority or Go To person for pool table knowledge. Most buyers have no idea what they bought or buying. Including myself. I’m learning. I most likely will be buying a table next fall and want to do it right. I’m a GC fan and always will be. It hurts to say Diamonds are better for a lot of reasons. But man are they ugly for a home table. And that matters. As for your opinions of different tables I appreciate your saying it as it is. It’s a weird industry. Aside from buying a table that is doomed to failure we have to deal with incompetent mechanics. I’ve been there twice as for poor service and a few times at my community club house. I could do a better recover.
My first table was a Gandy Huster. It had the best plywood and flake board Channel Hardware had to offer. And the guy who installed it came back 3 times to make adjustments. He kept his word. Said he would come 100x if he had to.

I have nothing against the Centennials or Anniversary's, in fact I have 3 Anniversary's in my shop now. But if I were a buyer today, looking to buy one RESTORED, for the price being asked, I'd want a full run down of what was done to the table to justify the asking price, that's all I'm saying, as well as at least 5 references incan call upon who've also bought the sellers restored tables..... before I turned over my cash!!

 

[trentfromtoledo]

Sorry to chime in and interrupt you fellas, but, the original post was about buying an Anniversary on ebay. Now, normally I would get into the discussion RKC is having because I have plenty to say about it of course , but, I am not because it is a nice Sunday morning and I don't have time for it....

I have a question about buying either table on Ebay???!!! I would never do this unless I could go and look at it first. Especially if it is an "as is" deal.

Buying something like this sight unseen is pretty risky in my opinion. SOOOO many things can be wrong.

What happens if the slates are cracked or broken? rails are roached from staples and nails? casting mounts busted. Aprons that appear to be OK and looked good in the pics, but, are cracked on all the glue lines on the backsides and will break eventually. Missing hardware, gouges not shown in pictures and broken parts you can't see are some of the things that you would not know until it got to you if you just had it delivered. I would at minimum suggest paying a Billiard Company in the area to inspect/verify the table before any ebay purchases for sure! Just my $0.02


Trent from Toledo

 

[GoldCrown]

Sorry to chime in and interrupt you fellas, but, the original post was about buying an Anniversary on ebay. Now, normally I would get into the discussion RKC is having because I have plenty to say about it of course , but, I am not because it is a nice Sunday morning and I don't have time for it....

I have a question about buying either table on Ebay???!!! I would never do this unless I could go and look at it first. Especially if it is an "as is" deal.

Buying something like this sight unseen is pretty risky in my opinion. SOOOO many things can be wrong.

What happens if the slates are cracked or broken? rails are roached from staples and nails? casting mounts busted. Aprons that appear to be OK and looked good in the pics, but, are cracked on all the glue lines on the backsides and will break eventually. Missing hardware, gouges not shown in pictures and broken parts you can't see are some of the things that you would not know until it got to you if you just had it delivered. I would at minimum suggest paying a Billiard Company in the area to inspect/verify the table before any ebay purchases for sure! Just my $0.02


Trent from Toledo

We’ll said. Sadly some Unknowledgeable person will bid/buy it. And think they got a great deal. What they got is a good start for an overhaul. Probably better off at the track or casino than buying a table from eBay. BTW... good morning.

 

[trentfromtoledo]

Good Morning Frank!

Yeah, cheaper is not always better. I know what my clients are expecting quality wise, so it is always better to start with a proper restoration candidate. You never know what may be under those rail cloths, might mean I have to send them out to Jack Z for surgery!

I have traveled 1000+ miles for a table before, the key to all of this is communication and verification. Make sure you see pictures of every angle and ask TONS of questions. I have a handful of things I immediately look for and if those start stacking up, its a no go on buying it.

 

[mchnhed]

Trent from Toledo said....
“I would at minimum suggest paying a Billiard Company in the area to inspect/verify the table before any ebay purchases for sure!”

And there is the rub.
Is there a component, knowledgeable, honest billiard mechanic in most cities?

 

[realkingcobra]

Trent from Toledo said....
“I would at minimum suggest paying a Billiard Company in the area to inspect/verify the table before any ebay purchases for sure!”

And there is the rub.
Is there a component, knowledgeable, honest billiard mechanic in most cities?

That all depends....got a name?