Barry Szamboti Cues

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ChatTownBanger

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Why do people get so gaga over Barry's cues? He's not the legend, his father is. Yes, they are well made and hit good, but if you are going to spend the kind of money his cues command, I'd rather get one from somebody who in my mind IS a legend in their own right, i.e., Ernie Guttierez, Richard Black, etc.
 
Not only is he a stellar cuemaker...

....but he's virtually the only one out there who will NOT accept a down payment for a cue; he feels he has no right to tie up people's money that way. There's no sense getting into "Whose cues are better than whose?", since there are no bad cuemakers these days. But Barry Szamboti is a consummate artist and a gentleman, and his cues play every bit as well as those coming from bigger reputations. GF
 
After years of buying and selling and collecting, I think you can get all the cue you need for no much more than about $400
 
Man, if this was placed in the "Wanted/For Sale" forum, this thread would've been 4 pages long.

I agree with you-to a point.

His cues are beautiful, do play well and the value is definitely enhanced by his last name, but the trick with his cues IMHO are the shafts. His waiting list is so long that he can turn the shaftwood properly, resulting in a minimal deflection shaft that commands a big premium.

I play with Danny Tibbitts shafts on my cue and I can tell you that after playing with Predator shafts for years, these shafts resonate like no other.

Hit is very subjective, and at the end of it all, it really is the person behind the cue.

On the other hand, what other product can you say that if you were to receive it new and/or sell it used, are guaranteed @ least a 10% return on your investment?

ChatTownBanger said:
Why do people get so gaga over Barry's cues? He's not the legend, his father is. Yes, they are well made and hit good, but if you are going to spend the kind of money his cues command, I'd rather get one from somebody who in my mind IS a legend in their own right, i.e., Ernie Guttierez, Richard Black, etc.
Click to expand...
 
There have been like 2 Barry for sale recently, that are both dead in the water. Cue market like the US Economey stinks!
 
The reason: the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. I've been fortunate enough to audition many of the big names in cues & my favorite is Barry...from the performance perspective. It doesn't hurt that his workmanship is also top-of-class (AAA).

Here's a thread on that topic:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=174185

If it matters, everyone that knows Barry respects the man too. He honors his Dad's legacy and treats everyone well. Sounds like a winning mix to me.
 
His cues are beautiful, do play well and the value is definitely enhanced by his last name, but the trick with his cues IMHO are the shafts. His waiting list is so long that he can turn the shaftwood properly, resulting in a minimal deflection shaft that commands a big premium.
Click to expand...
Sorry but turning time has nothing to do with deflection.

Barry is using the same equipment, material and technique as his father.
His cues are just as desirable because they are as good imo and that he might be the end of the line.
 
An excellent reason to own a Szamboti.

mosconiac said:
The reason: the nut doesn't fall far from the tree. I've been fortunate enough to audition many of the big names in cues & my favorite is Barry...from the performance perspective. It doesn't hurt that his workmanship is also top-of-class (AAA).

Here's a thread on that topic:
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=174185

If it matters, everyone that knows Barry respects the man too. He honors his Dad's legacy and treats everyone well. Sounds like a winning mix to me.
Click to expand...
 
ChatTownBanger said:
Why do people get so gaga over Barry's cues? He's not the legend, his father is. Yes, they are well made and hit good, but if you are going to spend the kind of money his cues command, I'd rather get one from somebody who in my mind IS a legend in their own right, i.e., Ernie Guttierez, Richard Black, etc.
Click to expand...

I like Ernie's cues and Richard's cues.

However, Ernie uses CNC (most of the cuemakers use CNC nowadays, hence the quicker turnaround time) and Richard's cues are a hit or miss (if you know Richard's reputation, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

They are great cuemakers in their own right and deserve all of their accolades.

I've hit with their cues, and I agree with mosconiac-Barry's cues are the perfect combination and he is a quality person above all else.
 
JoeyInCali said:
Sorry but turning time has nothing to do with deflection.

Barry is using the same equipment, material and technique as his father.
His cues are just as desirable because they are as good imo and that he might be the end of the line.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected.

Excellent point. People also forget that Barry had health issues a while ago, but has since gone back to work.

Both Gus and Barry's work is always imitated, but will never be duplicated.
 
ChatTownBanger said:
Why do people get so gaga over Barry's cues? He's not the legend, his father is. Yes, they are well made and hit good, but if you are going to spend the kind of money his cues command, I'd rather get one from somebody who in my mind IS a legend in their own right, i.e., Ernie Guttierez, Richard Black, etc.
Click to expand...

I'd like to think my opinion counts for something, if for nothing else a opening for people like you to think a bit more on this subject.

Although Barry was fortunate to get a meteoric rise to his own cues due to his father's name, the fact is that Barry has exceeded his father's legacy in many respects. Not that you're asking, but if you asked me to give a top 5 list of today's cuemakers, I put Barry Szamboti in that list.

If anything, his name holds back his reputation due to posts like yours. Barry has been the real deal for a long time. He IS a legend. And he deserves more props than you're suggesting.

Fred Agnir
 
I bought a Barry for $14,000 this week. The cue market overall is week but there are deals and good cues thatcan be found, I could sell the cue I bought and make $1000-$2000 next week with out a doubt-but I promised the seller that If I ever decideto sell it he gets first dibbs and at least 90 days, its a 15? year old cue-very fancy.

The plane 4 pt Barry cues for over $5,000 are just not realisticly priced.


I'm lucky enough to have as many Barrys as Gus cues and Barrys cues in some ways ae better than his dads, All the negitive remarks come from people who dont own a Szam-funny how that works. To many haters in pool. I wish I had private jet, I have friends who do-I dont hate, I'm trying to figure out pay for one.
 
George Fels said:
....but he's virtually the only one out there who will NOT accept a down payment for a cue GF
Click to expand...

Actually several cuemakers do this nowadays.

Here's a list of a few:

Steve Klein
CA$H Cues
Randy Mobley
Joey Bautista


Not to knock him, but I believe the reason he does this is due to poor record keeping. I ordered a cue from him back in 1997 or so. He called me mid 2006 and told me he was starting on my cue and that he should have the forearm done by the end of the year...

I have never heard from him since. I have left messages and sent emails, but haven't heard a thing.

I don't know whether or not he makes a nice cue, as I've never seen one in person, but I can tell you his customer service leaves a lot to be desired.
 
I would imagine most on here have no real idea what goes into making a cue from scratch which is what Barry does.To produce a really good looking and hitting cue it probably takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months on the one cue alone.If you ever get a chance to see 1 of he top cuemakers shop and watch you will be in for a surprise.
 
I have had the pleasure of exchanging a very few emails with Barry and the extent to which you can feel his respect for what he does and especially for his father and his legacy is incredible. This already deserves such respect that would not allow anyone to make such a thread on a public forum.
Not because you are not allowed to say what you think, to express your thoughts but because these thoughts go straight against what one would expect to hear told about someone who possesses the aforementioned qualities. Regardless if he is Barry Szamboti or anyone else.

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Anyhow, his cues did cost the amount they cost when Barry started making cues a great deal because of Barry's last name - as people not even knowing Barry voted trust for Barry knowing who his father was and guessing that due to that factor he will be excellent in his trade.

BUT his cues got more difficult to obtain and started to cost more because of HIM and what he himself did and not because of his last name. If he only built good or proper cues his cues would not have remained in the price range they started from - let alone got more expensive.

The point I want to make is that I am sure there are several very good reasons why Barry is already a legend and why there is 'a gaga over Barry's cues'. Having seen several of his finest cues even I myself could mention several very strong reasons, yet I will refrain from this for now as it is unnecessary.

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I believe that when talking about 'legends' and breaking their magic down to one particular aspect (like shaft-work or anything else) is just untrue to all the work he has done.
Saying Barry does great shafts and that's it leaves disregarded such vital aspects as artistic abilities, overall craftsmanship, knowledge to wood and butt construction, etcetc that he possesses as well and that he puts into his cues.

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Comparing ANY Szamboti cue on this planet to any Ginacue is just pointless in my eyes but that is just my opinion.
Especially if and when we are talking about customer service.

Plus if you have spent years with buying and selling and collecting you must have been really and I mean REALLY very unlucky to come up with a conclusion that $400 can buy you all the cue you need.
 
ChatTownBanger said:
Why do people get so gaga over Barry's cues? He's not the legend, his father is. Yes, they are well made and hit good, but if you are going to spend the kind of money his cues command, I'd rather get one from somebody who in my mind IS a legend in their own right, i.e., Ernie Guttierez, Richard Black, etc.
Click to expand...


I've had some long conversations with Barry and some dealings with him. There is hardly a person on the planet I have more resect for. Unless you actually work with Barry on a cue or a project, you can't respect the depth of his knowledge and capabability.

The way you put this thread, it's a knock on Barry. Barry doesn't charge anywhere near the prices his cues command - those are aftermarket prices dictated by the demand and the low supply. That's why I can't get one built for me, and I actually want to play with it!

Barry is the commsumate expert in his arena, which is traditionally made Gus and Barry Szamboti cues. Without exaggeration, there is a waitlist for Barry to work on a cue and not even a waitlist for him to make a cue. Barry actually has substantially more experience than his father did. He has his father's tools, logs, training, everything.

Chris
 
Barry may have started out on third base, but he made it to home on his own. He's a fine cuemaker and a very fine man.
 
Hey everybody has a right to think whatever they think and say whatever they want to. However, this thread sucks.

OP, as Jack Nicklaus is fond of saying, you just aren't thinking right. If you think that smart people with money buy Barry's cues out of some blind allegiance to Gus, well, to sum it up simply, you are wrong. There are Guses and their are Barrys, 2 different products with 2 different values. If you think a Barry is the same product as a Black, well again, you just aren't thinking right.

Thanks for posting (I guess)

Kevin
 
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