Cornerstone........
Bill Grassley, of Cornerstone Custom Cues fame, did something I had never heard of before............
To keep a rather long story short, I'll leave it at this:
I hung around the Cornerstone booth at VF this past March, and told Bill that I'd be happy to keep an eye on his cues during the show....mainly to ensure that one of 'em didn't "walk away." All in all, the reality of it was that I got the chance to meet some really great folks, learn about a ton of really great cues, and see how the "business" works.
At the end of the show, Bill told me he wanted to pay me for my efforts. All things being equal, I really didn't do that much...but Bill pretty much insisted that I be paid for my work. I gratefully declined, and told him it wasn't necessary.
Cut to - I post up a thread about wanting to get one or two nice BEM player's cues. The kind I could bring out and about, and not draw too much undue attention. This was how I came to order my Rick Howard cue...and thought that I was good to go (since I had my new Scruggs coming soon, too).
About a week later, I receive a box in the mail from Bill and his wife. Inside, a brand new linen wrapped BEM McDermott awaited me. No note....no mention of anything at all....just the new cue.
I wrote Bill to tell him I could not accept it, as I didn't feel right taking the cue for nothing at all, and asked him to tell me how much I owed him for the cue.
All Bill told me was "thanks" for the work I did.
I'm STILL beside myself.......and that, I think, shows what kind of a man Bill really is. He wanted to show his appreciation for my time at his booth at VF....and did so in a manner only too perfect for a cue nut like myself.
I thank you, Bill.....and wished I had posted this up sooner. If not for the travelling, I would have......but it definitely belongs here on the boards, for all to see.
V/R,
Rat
. I highly recommend him.
