A visit to Eddie Wheat's shop

[h2o4170]

Well be glad you havent gotten to play with one.I hit a couple balls with one and gotta say for 400 theres alot of production cues out there made from correct materials that feel like a pool cues not an aluminum rod.

 

[h2o4170]

He hacked up a layered tip for a buddy of mine ata tourn 2 weeks ago and then used a sharpie to darken the edges.Ive seen alot of amatures do this but a pro should know better.The alohol in the ink is terrable for leather. He also put a tip on another friends new galssey(not sure on spell) and scratched the sh*t out of the ferrule then when it was brought to his attention he sanded the scrath out and sent him on his way.The funniest event of the day though was when his cheap table that he forgot to lock the legs on collapsed and his lathe and all ferrules and tips scatterd across the room.Im sure glad my cue wasnt in the lathe when it hit the cement.Now im pretty sure a lathe is a precision tool,how precise is it after it hits the floor.And then he tells us its the second time its happened lol Good luck Eddy maybe theres a market for hand made toothpicks

 

[Poolplaya9]

Actually it's no stretch of the imagination that he is. I think he may have even posted in this thread. But don't tell anyone because if he identifies himself, we know he will get banned again.

On an interesting note I see that my question can't be answered (how does a cue-maker end up drawing rings with a marker instead of asking for help?) and my suspect for Eddie's return doesn't want to discuss it. So before this turns into an all out war of a thread I might be inclined to back away from it.

I do feel badly for anyone who gave Eddie money and I sincerely hope there is a list somewhere in his office of people who he owes cues to.

Since you read this forum here's some free advice:

Finish the cues people paid for. But, give them more than they asked for and do not tell them. Don't boast about it on a forum. If they wanted something simple, don't give them 6 point, inlaid, wrap-covered works of art, but make sure there are quiet touches - small rings near the butt cap, simply inlays in the handle, and most of all, make sure it's not a 60" cue unless they wanted that.

If money is an issue, keep repairing cues on the side until you have enough to finish the projects. Most of the price is the time involved so now you're working for free since these people paid a long time ago.

If you finish the work, don't mention it anywhere, your reputation will recover. It will take time, but it will. Let people mention your work without being coerced into it. Don't write a review for them. Make the customer so dang proud they want to tell people. The minute you brag about yourself people stop listening.

And last: seriously, turn off the computer. Unless you're asking for another cuemakers help with something you don't know how to do, stay off the forums. I'm not insulting you, but really, you need to spend the time making these cues.

I agree with the sentiment here and this is mostly good advice, but the parts in bold made me cringe. A cue maker should make the cue EXACTLY as instructed. No changes should be made to the cue whatsoever, no matter how minute they are, without the consent of the customer. I don't care if you want to inlay perfect 1 carat diamonds in the thing for free---NOT without the customer's consent. For many people, even the slightest of changes, such as adding or changing a ring or inlay, can absolutely ruin the cue in their eyes.

The exception is if the customer explicitly gave you free reign on the design to begin with, or if you know for a fact that they really wanted certain upgrades but opted out due to price considerations. In those cases I agree, give them a nicer cue than they already paid for to help make up for the delays and crappy service. Otherwise call them for permission to make upgrades first, or just send them the cue exactly as they ordered it along with a partial refund. And of course, partial refunds do NOT mean "wheat bucks"--it means real money that can be spent anywhere.