Bringing Your Own Tip To Cuemaker
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
Not particularly. I only charge $15 for an Elk Master, Le Pro or Triangle anyway.
If a person brought one over, I would still charge you $15. The lathe doesn't get turned on for free. Time, sand paper, glue etc. That also includes a shaft clean, seal and wax at my place also.
If you brought me 5 Johnny I would give you a deal. If you brought beer, I would give you a better deal. I have been known to work for beer on occasion.
If you like Ultra Skins for example and the repairman doesn't carry them, thats not your fault.
Just a basic install charge.
If a person brought one over, I would still charge you $15. The lathe doesn't get turned on for free. Time, sand paper, glue etc. That also includes a shaft clean, seal and wax at my place also.
If you brought me 5 Johnny I would give you a deal. If you brought beer, I would give you a better deal. I have been known to work for beer on occasion.
If you like Ultra Skins for example and the repairman doesn't carry them, thats not your fault.
Just a basic install charge.
What did the Leper tell the Hooker ? ... " You can keep the Tip ".
Thats kinda steep... I have never payed more than 7.50 for a tip install any where between Kansas City, MO to Stuttgart, Germany.
I would guess that triangles would be in stock wherever you go to get new tips put on, but you never know. If times have gotten really hard they might not be.
I used to take ALL of my tips to the shaft man, but now I don't use that guy anymore. He only had two tips in stock....Elkmaster and triangle.
You've never been to the Land of the Sasquatch, huh?
Not really sure where that is.
Canada...
I don't know of anyone who would do a tip install for less than 10 bucks since
the 70s.
Dale
I bring my tips to be put on all the time, first because the guy I use, Mike Webb, did not like Kamui tips and did not stock them. Second time I wanted to try the Renfero K-Tech tips and he also did not have any. He never said anything to make me think it was an inappropriate thing to do.
I've been taking my shafts to a guy who builds his own cues and baseball bats. He does some really nice stuff. I'll try and post some pictures, but anyway he only charges $5 to put a tip on if I bring them. He does that for anyone, but he said if for some reason if the tip gets messed up he's not responsible cuz it would cost him more to buy another tip than what he's making. Never messed up any of the probably 50 I took to him. He also puts ferrules on for me for $10. You really can't beat it. He has 4 or 5 lathes and a complete wood shop. I've been meaning to post some of his work on here. Also, he has been talking though that his price will be going up to $10 a tip.
Tim
It's probably worth a phone call first to ask the cue maker. The person in our area who does ferrules and tips does not mind if you bring tips with you as that saves his stock. I have found out that bringing a large mountain dew, $ 10.00 for each install and a little larger amount offered instead of his asking price usually gets him to respond quickly. I usually take more than one shaft with me as if he does only one tip for a person, he asks for $ 15.00 and then of course, if he sells the tip, it's more. He displays the cost of install with different brands of tips very clearly when you walk in his place. Of course, and I do agree with him, if he sells you the tip and does the install and the tip comes off, he does not charge anything to replace it or re do the work. If you bring in a different type of tip and more importantly, ferrules that are of certain types, he will do the work, check the tip out that it's secure when you leave, but, if it falls off, you will pay for another trip since he did not sell you the tip. I think that's fair. I know once at a pool tournament years ago, the person who was doing repair and tip work tried 7 different elk master tips before putting some other tip on. All the elk master tips he had were so spongy, poor guy had a nightmare. Just to say, I would probably check the prices and his thoughts before I would just walk in and lay certain tips down as depending upon the tip and the ferrule material, he may on rare occasions want nothing to do with it. Twenty Five years ago, I found out that a simple triangle tip on a Meucci Ferrule would not stick unless I used a apoxy mix glue. Standard tweeten glue would not hold. A real Pain in the butt, glad someone took up the hobby !!!
I use Wizard tips, if I bring the tip I am charged $10 to put it on, if I don't bring my own tip I am charged $30, that is a big difference, it may be cheapo, however, they do a great job and they have never said no,
tom
tom
I almost prefer it anymore. There are a zillion tips on the market and different hardness of each brand. People read about some new tip and want to try it. I always tell them to look on line and get the tip and I will be happy to install it for them.
If they hate the tip as long as it doesn't fall off I don't have to worry about it. It is unrealistic to think anyone will have so many different tips on hand anyway. When I first started fooling with cues there were maybe three choices. French Champion, Le Pro and Elk Master. Today, forget about it.
He just charges that because that is what he charges, it doesn't relate to the actual value of the job.
Heck, he could do it for nothing for that matter and that would not mean that anyone who charges is a rip off.
When you have the equipment it is not much of a big deal to replace a tip but it still have a certain value. The fact that he is raising his price to $10.00 tells you he knows he does not charge enough. Who does a 100% price raise? I am sure he really has not liked doing the work for what he has been charging for some time now.
I'm not making cues yet,but have a fairly sizeable area where no one does quality work except ME.
I charge 15 bucks for Le Pro,Triangle,Water Buffalo,or Elk Master,with the shaft cleaning/sealing/polish thrown in.
As far as layered tips,I still have some Emeralds on hand,but my preferred brand is Ultraskin,and have them in 6 grades. I charge 20 for those,with shaft treatment included.
I've had customers bring their own tips before,and knock 5 bucks off,but in most of those cases,it was something I didn't stock.
The customers that bring their own tips usually wind up getting the tip from me because there was either a problem with the one they brought me,or the size was incompatible.
One guy brought me a couple shafts,and the Le Pro's he handed me were so old and dried they crumbled when I tried to cut them down.
I've had another guy bring me 4 shafts at one time,all of which were close to 13mm,and his Elk Masters were also 13mm.
It doesn't bother me at all for customers to bring their own tips,as long as there isn't a problem with the tip itself.
I charge 15 bucks for Le Pro,Triangle,Water Buffalo,or Elk Master,with the shaft cleaning/sealing/polish thrown in.
As far as layered tips,I still have some Emeralds on hand,but my preferred brand is Ultraskin,and have them in 6 grades. I charge 20 for those,with shaft treatment included.
I've had customers bring their own tips before,and knock 5 bucks off,but in most of those cases,it was something I didn't stock.
The customers that bring their own tips usually wind up getting the tip from me because there was either a problem with the one they brought me,or the size was incompatible.
One guy brought me a couple shafts,and the Le Pro's he handed me were so old and dried they crumbled when I tried to cut them down.
I've had another guy bring me 4 shafts at one time,all of which were close to 13mm,and his Elk Masters were also 13mm.
It doesn't bother me at all for customers to bring their own tips,as long as there isn't a problem with the tip itself.
I used to bring that which packs the bong and my guy would install whatever I wanted for free...of course it would be a 4hr commitment.
Ahh, I miss them daze...
Ahh, I miss them daze...