arrogant, nicest cuemakers? how about the most helpful ????

[SPINDOKTOR]

I second that!

Id also like to add, BHQ and Dave Albrecht Jerry powers as Well as J&D Customs!

Nice guy's and alot of help..Thanks Guy's

I know I sound like a walking billboard, but Jim Lee and J&D Customs has been really helpful with me, even before I bought anything from him. Thats what I liked, he didnt blow me off even though he had no money from me yet. I didnt even tell him I was going with him and he STILL wanted to help out.

 

[cueman]

We have already had a nicest cuemaker thread. But now to comment on the most helpful in no particular order it would be:
Leonard Bludworth
Donald Bludworth
Jerry Powers
Kevin Wright
Danny Tibbitts
Thomas Wayne
Bert Schrager
David Kersenbrock
Mike Webb
Andy Gilbert
Dale Hoke
Israel Hightower
Dennis Dieckman
Billy Schick
I know I have helped some of these cuemakers on things at times, but they have all helped me at times also. None of us know it all.

 

[BHQ]

Absolutely, Kerry's given me almost all my knowledge.
But, I thought Brent was mentioning makers who helped him in this board only.

yes, that is what i meant
and those who have helped out others
as what chris stated in his post
i don't care who you are or how long you have been doing it,
everyone can learn something from someone

back when i was a rookie plumbers helper, mid 1970's, i worked for a small well known shop with 7 plumbers. there was one guy, the other 6 dogged like you wouldn't believe. he was a lazy sorry ass drunk!!!! would come into work reaking of booze.
i always hoped i never got stuck working with him, BUT, it happened.
he hurt his back, prolly falling off a barstool!!!!
he was the only one that didn't have a helper assigned to him
but, low and behold, he actually taught me some pretty cool little tricks of the trade. he told me he wasnt smart, just lazy.

 

[Purdman]

yes, that is what i meant
and those who have helped out others
as what chris stated in his post
i don't care who you are or how long you have been doing it,
everyone can learn something from someone

back when i was a rookie plumbers helper, mid 1970's, i worked for a small well known shop with 7 plumbers. there was one guy, the other 6 dogged like you wouldn't believe. he was a lazy sorry ass drunk!!!! would come into work reaking of booze.
i always hoped i never got stuck working with him, BUT, it happened.
he hurt his back, prolly falling off a barstool!!!!
he was the only one that didn't have a helper assigned to him
but, low and behold, he actually taught me some pretty cool little tricks of the trade. he told me he wasnt smart, just lazy.

I have come to realize that our most important life's lessons come from adversity. Weather people or situations.
Purd

 

[pharaoh68]

I'm gonna give this thread a free bump because I HAVE to differ with one of the more popular responses.

I ordered a cue through Eric Crisp a while back and offered a desposit, to which I was told, no deposit was necessary. And my cue would be ready in three months.

That was more than two years ago. I still have no cue. I contacted Eric several times and was told things like:

"Its coming along nicely"
"The wood moved. I may need to start over"
"I have to start over again"
"I'll send some pics"

...and a slew of other things. I never saw pictures. And I never saw a cue. Other people's cues have been delivered and mine is... well, it ain't in my hands or my case. Thats all I know.

Now I post over in JimBo's and Murray's forum quite frequently. And I once posted this saga to get reactions from some of the posters there. I was kind enough to leave Eric's name out of the picture out of respect for him. Still, he saw it and identified himself. The irony of the situation was, he basically said he was giving me the run-around and playing "peek-a-boo" with me. He was more or less saying that if I was more obnoxious and pushy, I'd have my cue. Its all there in black and white and they are words from Eric himself.

Eric is known for filling dealer orders first. He promises one thing and frequently does not deliver. And when questioned, he pretty much admitted to lying to me.

So I ask you... HOW IS HE ONE OF THE NICE GUYS?!?!?!

 

[desi2960]

a few more

the guys at schmelkes, prathers, and my #1 guy chris hightower

 

[The King]

Some of the nicest cue makers I've talked to ...

Leon Sly ... The guy is awesome to talk to and builds a even better cue I'm kind of surprised his name has not been mentioned on here already...

Jeff Eason - We formed a great friendship out of this cue business ... He has helped me out in more ways then I could list.

Jimmy Lee - Again he is right up there with Leon and will go out of his way to do what you want done ...

Doug Patrick - Super guy easy to get a hold of and like the two above knows his stuff...

Brent Hartman ... Very upfront and honest ... very funny he is right up there with Leon when it comes to making you laugh.

Joe Baker - Very serious about his work and product ... Super nice guy ...

Eddie Wheat this guy is very passionate about his work and has some nice looking work to show for it ... Again surprised he has yet to be mentioned.

Kevin Varney ... Again builds a great product and loves his work... He has always been super nice to me ...


I'm sure I have missed a couple but as I set here these are the guys that pop into my mind right off...

 

[BHQ]

Leon Sly ... The guy is awesome to talk to and builds a even better cue I'm kind of surprised his name has not been mentioned on here already...

Jeff Eason - We formed a great friendship out of this cue business ... He has helped me out in more ways then I could list.

Jimmy Lee - Again he is right up there with Leon and will go out of his way to do what you want done ...

Doug Patrick - Super guy easy to get a hold of and like the two above knows his stuff...

Brent Hartman ... Very upfront and honest ... very funny he is right up there with Leon when it comes to making you laugh.

Joe Baker - Very serious about his work and product ... Super nice guy ...

Eddie Wheat this guy is very passionate about his work and has some nice looking work to show for it ... Again surprised he has yet to be mentioned.

Kevin Varney ... Again builds a great product and loves his work... He has always been super nice to me ...


I'm sure I have missed a couple but as I set here these are the guys that pop into my mind right off...

thanks gary
sometimes laughter is better than sex!!!
unless you get laughed at while having sex
will get you some "in progress" pics soon
been really busy

 

[Varney Cues]

Leon Sly ... The guy is awesome to talk to and builds a even better cue I'm kind of surprised his name has not been mentioned on here already...

Jeff Eason - We formed a great friendship out of this cue business ... He has helped me out in more ways then I could list.

Jimmy Lee - Again he is right up there with Leon and will go out of his way to do what you want done ...

Doug Patrick - Super guy easy to get a hold of and like the two above knows his stuff...

Brent Hartman ... Very upfront and honest ... very funny he is right up there with Leon when it comes to making you laugh.

Joe Baker - Very serious about his work and product ... Super nice guy ...

Eddie Wheat this guy is very passionate about his work and has some nice looking work to show for it ... Again surprised he has yet to be mentioned.

Kevin Varney ... Again builds a great product and loves his work... He has always been super nice to me ...


I'm sure I have missed a couple but as I set here these are the guys that pop into my mind right off...

I tried to give The King some rep...but have given out too much lately...so I'll do it here in public. REP for you sir...and not for mention of my name...but for your entire honest post! Great job my friend!

 

[frankybeanz]

nice cue maker's

1.the tascarella's-alway's helpfull and great friend's!! thank's for the constant help!!
2.paul mottey-alway's nice and has no problem answering question's and spending time with you!
3.joel hercek-nice guy and has no problem's talking about your order!
4.bryan mordt bcm cue's-nice guy nice work!
5.chad mclennan cam cue's-nice young cuesmith and nice work!
6.eddie wheat-nice guy answered all my question and can't wait for my cue!
7.tony zinola-nice cue nice work!! putting in my order in a few day's!!
8.mike cochran-awesome guy great work and a sweetheart to talk too!
9.dennis searing-nice guy nice cue's!can't wait to get my cue!
10.ned morris-really nice guy alway's helpfull and does nice work and will give you more cue for your buck!

 

[KillerBee69]

1.Leon Sly.....2.Leon Sly...3.Leon Sly...4.Leon Sly...5.Leon Sly!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[KillerBee69]

awsome cuemaker,,,,,,just as great in person!A class act to deal with! Hey KING,did I mention Leon????

 

[Rift]

I've only really dealt with two cue makers my first was Rick Howard, I told him I needed a Mace customed in two weeks and it was there in a week and a half with his amazing quality.

The second is Mike Cochran. He's great to talk to and I'll be calling him up on occasions long after my cue is done I'm sure. He's been a big help in my first step towards higher end(for myself at least) cues.

 

[matta]

Mike Webb: Just a nice guy and not afraid to share.

Keith Josey: He was very helpful getting started with inlay work.

Tim Lilek: He's not exactly a cuemaker but... Super guy. Full of good "insider" info. He's worked with so many well known cuemakers. Tons of knowledge about the industry.

Ron Haley: Cuemakers, if you haven't taken the time to get to know this guy, you should! Holy crap his cues are so bad ass. Yet he acts like it's nothing and has nothing to hide. It's as if nothing he does is a secret. Just ask.

Andy Gilbert: I guess I just like Andy's personality. Makes me think, "Man, I bet he'd be fun to grab a beer with." haha...

 

[DiamondDave]

I've talked to Dieckman a bunch of times and he's not only very polite and helpful but hilarious. I've called Paul Dayton a number of times as well for advice and he's been nothing short of an absolute gentleman to deal with. Pat Diveney is one of the best guys to deal with too. He went above and beyond any expectations on a repair job he did for me. But like with most people, the winner would be Chris Hightower. His "call anytime" demeanor, friendly attitude and ability to translate his knowledge into words that makes sense to you is something you don't find very often in ANY field.

I noticed 1 person had good things to say about Dan Dishaw. I wish I could too but I can't. I was at the SBE a few years back at his booth and I said I had a few grand to spend and he wouldn't even look at my face. All he wanted to do was look at all the other people walking by. I guess my money wasn't good enough for him. I have a friend who tried to talk to him at his booth in Vegas and got the same treatment.

Joe Porper blew me off in the middle of a conversation about possibly purchasing one of his Model B lathes. I couldn't believe it! I was so angry and offended that I wrote a professional but unhappy email to them, which is something I never do. In less than 8 hours I had a reply and an apology from Joe himself. He gave an explanation for what happened and while I didn't agree with the explanation, I thought it said a lot about him that he would apologize himself and try to clear the air. So while I still feel a little bit of a sting about the incident I would not let it stop me from doing business with him again.

That gives my thoughts on the good, the bad and the in between.

Regards
Dave