anyone else due for something new?

I doubt a Ferrari will be sitting in a junkyard.

The Mustang is an icon but unfortunately everything from Ford is not.

If anything a Ferrari is like a Balabushka/Szamboti.

Well, a classic Ferrari and I agree. Take a pristine Ferrari from the '60s and it'll be worth quite a bit more than its original sales price. Same holds true for the '60s Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, Corvettes, GTOs, 440s, and a plethora of others from when cars had style. I'd bet my life that 50 years from now a 2013 Ferrari won't be worth its original price tag, let alone more. Hell, a quick search shows that I can buy a local 2002 Ferrari for less than $50,000 for what was a $250,000 car. Same holds true for today's Mustangs, Chargers, Corvettes, etc. unless of course they are special limited editions. Todays cars are even attempting to bring back some of the old style and incorporate it into their new designs.

That is what I see here. You have a classic cue design time frame. They are still popular because of how good the design is. Its a timeless design. Almost anything "new, modern and different" is going to have a shelf life just like todays cars do. If it makes you happy, you're only planning on using it for 5 to 10 years and you expect to not get anything back for it when you're done then its all great.
 
I know people have options in Thomas Wayne, Black,Gina, Boars, but as I stated in the beginning, not willing to mortgage the house for a custom cue. Those cues are beautiful in all fashions, but not affordable by most pool playing people IMO.
I Am just stating that the 4 pointed cue with veneer designs have been done, and done plenty. And hoppe rings, same thing. Sure they add their own flare with custom ring work,steel joints, and sure, some are wonderfully built and the craftsmanship is very nice. BUT, do all makers have to be sheep following the flock? Do you really have to pay several thousand if not 20,000 plus to get a unique style of cue?
And yes I agree, everyone has their own taste and level of affordability. So let's rethink this for the average pool player that loves to play, works a 40 plus hour a week job, and plays every minute he can in his free time, not a collector kind of person who will probably never play with one of those real fancy cues from the makers above. Not some one who only buys to display or to resell. The average joe like me, who loves to play, does play, and looks for cues like 400-1000 range. Nice hitting cues with a little style. Not the same old cue everyone else has, and not more expensive to where a darn loan is needed.
 
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I think most cue makers make let just say plane jane cues because thats what the market demands. I have bought a few Joss cues but was disappointed because the points were rounded. The 13mm shaft is more like a cigar than having a nice taper. Well as I was told. Thats what the market demands. Players cant afford $1000 and up for a cue so they focus more on cues around $500 and maybe less. Play the same and their more expensive cues. Who cares if someone can afford a $20000 cue. I am sure their car and house are nicer than mine to. They just make more money. Do you think they shop and pay the same for their underwear. Probably pay way more for the same quality. Nothing wrong with that. Dont even know if half these guys can even shoot pool. I have seen APA 3's with nicer cues and case than everyone but they are still 3's.
 
In todays world with CNC machines. If you can design something that can fit on a cue. Almost any cue maker can just put the design into a program and the CNC witl do the work. I guess if there are still cuemakers that use a chisel and hammers than they could make the same design and that may be why a cue cost $5000 because it took lots of man hours. I have no idea how long it would take the most complex design to be entered into a program and cut on a CNC machine. Same with the inlays. At what distance should the cues design and craftsmanship be apparent?
 
I'm having a custom cue built right now and I seriously considered getting something entirely different in a cue design...........BUT.......when it came down to choosing a style or design and ordering the cue, I couldn't make the change.

IMO.....sharp points, veneers and inlays epitomize what a pool cue should look like....sort of like the Rennaisance period ..........nothing will ever replace it. Now that doesn't mean there aren't pretty cues with radically different designs being made but personally, I just don't take those designs seriously. I mean I look at them and say the cues are pretty but that's about it..........I'd still rather have a classic design pool cue.

I just do not see any substitute. Richard Black created some cues that will just dazzle you but I'd still rather have one of his classic cue designs with points, veneers & inlays. I guess I'm just stuck in my ways but I bet the test of time will bear witness to this........the classic design will remain the benchmark for pool cues ad infinitem.
 
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looking at this cue never gets old

IMG_0865-1.jpg

Great example and count me in with the crowd who loves traditional styled cues! 4 points, pretty colored veneers, modest inlays, fancy trim rings, and a nice joint with ivory or stainless steel is my choice for a cue. I'll never get tired of a cue built like I just described.

James
 
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