Conversion Cue High Prices?
- Thread starter stlerdave
- Start date
Depends on the cue you're converting...
Titlist = mo'money.
Davis = good dough
Dufferin = maybe worth the time
Other = don't waste your time
Also really depends on materials used Ivory v. Ivorine
Who are you again? <<< That's the big one
Sometimes it depends on who's selling it for you too I guess. oh! and for how much...
Here's an excellent example
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pete-Tascarella...933?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3365d63405
Sometimes they can be a good learning tool, Quite often you'll have to try and picture what the maker of the blank was thinking. Other times, their a pain in the balls. So in the beginning, Okay, after you start making your own blanks if your not doing that yet and you want to be taken seriously, Stick to what you make yourself, It's more gratifying.
From experience, I can say that prices on any conversion cues depends on who does the conversion, what's been converted and the quality of the conversion and playability of the cues.
I have done conversion myself with blanks that I sell, sell conversion cues by many builders and seen hundreds of conversion from my blanks by builders that sold up to 3K plus.
Generally more exotic blanks that are converted can attract much higher prices. But you can have normal blank conversion with lots of works commanding high prices as well. I find to make some money, a conversion needs to be completed by a branded cue builder. My own conversion doesn't fetch me much but they played damn amazing for the money so I hope once more people start to realize the value of these cues that I can charge a little more for my basic conversion cue.
Eg. http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=224216&highlight=Molavia
As an unknown, I had no problem with selling 100 plus of my conversion cues to date. I sold my conversion from $150 to $800.00+ depending on what blank I used etc. So you can make a good return on them regardless of who you are but at the end of the day you can not expect to get high dollars if you're an unknown. If black boar used my blank for his conversion, you can bet he'll easily get 10x what I getting for my cues. It's well deserve because the conversion process will have their butt and shaft tapers, balance and unique hit that they have consistently achieved through years of trial and errors.
Eg: The conversion cue that I have listed on ebay by master cue builder Pete Tascarella was one the special conversion cue that was converted twice by this great builder with a great history behind the cue so it's priced accordingly. If this cue didn't have the issue listed, I would never sell it for anything less than 3K. The playability of this cue is the Nuts!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pete-Tascarella...933?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3365d63405
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Duc.
I have done conversion myself with blanks that I sell, sell conversion cues by many builders and seen hundreds of conversion from my blanks by builders that sold up to 3K plus.
Generally more exotic blanks that are converted can attract much higher prices. But you can have normal blank conversion with lots of works commanding high prices as well. I find to make some money, a conversion needs to be completed by a branded cue builder. My own conversion doesn't fetch me much but they played damn amazing for the money so I hope once more people start to realize the value of these cues that I can charge a little more for my basic conversion cue.
Eg. http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=224216&highlight=Molavia
As an unknown, I had no problem with selling 100 plus of my conversion cues to date. I sold my conversion from $150 to $800.00+ depending on what blank I used etc. So you can make a good return on them regardless of who you are but at the end of the day you can not expect to get high dollars if you're an unknown. If black boar used my blank for his conversion, you can bet he'll easily get 10x what I getting for my cues. It's well deserve because the conversion process will have their butt and shaft tapers, balance and unique hit that they have consistently achieved through years of trial and errors.
Eg: The conversion cue that I have listed on ebay by master cue builder Pete Tascarella was one the special conversion cue that was converted twice by this great builder with a great history behind the cue so it's priced accordingly. If this cue didn't have the issue listed, I would never sell it for anything less than 3K. The playability of this cue is the Nuts!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pete-Tascarella...933?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3365d63405
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Duc.
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Come on! Stop it! HUNDREDS of conversions from your blanks by builders that sold for up to $3,000 or more?! Jesus christ saves us all....
Duc, a 'conversion' cue is an actual 'conversion' of one cue to another cue, not taking a blank and making a cue out of it. Every cuemaker who builds cues starts with a blank.
In other words, if Tascarella makes a cue using your blank, that's exactly what it it - a Tascarella using a Duc blank. On the other hand, if he takes a 1-piece Titlist and makes a cue from it, then he's built a conversion. Same thing if he uses a Dufferin house cue. It might seem like nit-picking, but the word 'conversion' generally connotates a cue made from a high-quality 1-piece cue, also generally older.
It's generally only the conversions made from Titlists that are worth "so much", and even then, it has to be a name cuemaker. Have you noticed all the conversions in here lately made by people most of us haven't heard of? Are they selling for the $1,000+ that the makers are asking? No, of course not. Buying a Titlist for $150, then making a cue and tacking on another $1,000 just isn't going to work for the average no-name cuemaker, but they are hoping the Titlist forearm will make them a quick buck, and who can blame them?
A lot of modern cuemakers hate to admit it, but that sharp bottom splice on a Titlist is kind of hard to do; otherwise, they'd all be doing it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but so far the only one who I've seen pull it off successfully (without squaring off the bottom splice) is Jerry Rauenzahn.
I think most modern cuemakers are spending most of their time working on perfecting microscopically perfect inlays, because that's what you guys feel is the mark of a great cuemaker.
Scott <=== never saw an inlay improve the play of a cue
Travis Niclich of Blackcreek and Prewitt do it sharp both ways. Bear does it as well.
You might want to check the definition of a conversion cue again because I've always understood that if you make a cue from a blank (titlist, John Davis, My blanks, dufferin, it's a conversion cue. Conversion implies to me that the builder is using a premade blank vs a blank that they make themselves.
Duc.
Duc.
It is NAME - REPUTATION - MATERIALS we all have to earn our place in this business, no matter how good your work may be. In todays market place there are many many people building quality cues, materials, machinery, and even the knowledge of how to build is at your finger tips with computers and on line services.
To make a name you must promote yourself, and the best way to do that is ebay or on forums like this. One day you may make the big bucks or you may never make it but it sure is fun trying isn't, for me the satisfaction comes from the look on a customers face after they receive and play with their cue and nothing is more important!!!!!
JIMO
How about this?
Make them and sell them.
Cuemaking is just like any other business.
You build it one customer at a time.
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LOL... Man you definitely need to do some more praying for sure, it's going to be hard to save you!!!
I've must have sold over 1000 blanks on AZ alone. I've sold blanks to over 100++ cue builders all around the world and yes I've seem at SBE converted cues using my blanks sold for 2K. I spoke to many cue builders and one of them converted a cue using my blanks for 3K plus for one of their client. I also have some amazing 8 points full splice specimen that were converted by a name brand builder that got 1500 each for his conversion. Heck, my own 8 points conversion from Pete would have command at least 2K if didn't have some of the issue listed. What so hard for you to believe? Not that i need to prove anything to you or anyone. Again this is all from my experience dealing with blanks for over 6 years now and working with hundreds of cue builder from all levels.
Take it for what it worth but I think conversion cue can give a new builder a great start in generating income and ROI for their investment. You don't need to be a name brand builder to make good money with converting blanks. Heck, I a no name and I made money converting hundreds of my own blanks. I didn't sell them for what they should be worth but I definitely made decent money with them. I remember, I paid for my cue lathe in one year from just doing conversion cue that I sold locally. Don't let anyone tell you that you can and can not do something...especially when you getting information coming from those that are less informed.
Duc.
I've must have sold over 1000 blanks on AZ alone. I've sold blanks to over 100++ cue builders all around the world and yes I've seem at SBE converted cues using my blanks sold for 2K. I spoke to many cue builders and one of them converted a cue using my blanks for 3K plus for one of their client. I also have some amazing 8 points full splice specimen that were converted by a name brand builder that got 1500 each for his conversion. Heck, my own 8 points conversion from Pete would have command at least 2K if didn't have some of the issue listed. What so hard for you to believe? Not that i need to prove anything to you or anyone. Again this is all from my experience dealing with blanks for over 6 years now and working with hundreds of cue builder from all levels.
Take it for what it worth but I think conversion cue can give a new builder a great start in generating income and ROI for their investment. You don't need to be a name brand builder to make good money with converting blanks. Heck, I a no name and I made money converting hundreds of my own blanks. I didn't sell them for what they should be worth but I definitely made decent money with them. I remember, I paid for my cue lathe in one year from just doing conversion cue that I sold locally. Don't let anyone tell you that you can and can not do something...especially when you getting information coming from those that are less informed.
Duc.
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I couldn't agree more with you. I felt great when someone that I didn't know complimented on one of my conversion cue and said that it was the best cue he had ever played with and this guy could have almost any cues he wanted. At the SBE, I asked parica to tried one of my latest conversion and he couldn't let it go. He end up using the cue to play his match against Tony Robles (unfortunately he lost) and gambled with it in the pits and he currently using it now for some of his upcoming tournaments. It was suppose to be on loan but I think he owns it now. LOL.
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Duc:
Please take what I saw with a grain of salt Please. I mean no disrespect, but, If Parica or any pro opened their wallets and paid you for the cue, THAT! is a compliment. If he took it free. That is not a compliment at all, and as much as I like Parica, he has an incredible long history with Cue makers.
Parica is the poster boy for the term Cue Ho.
In one year, he struck a deal with Samsara and Schuller.
Conversion - to convert.
IMHO, to convert a one piece cue into a two piece cue, ie I converted this one piece cue into a two piece cue. You can not say that with a blank, like I converted this John Davis blank into a two piece cue, you say I made this two piece cue from a John Davis blankI would not say you converted a blank into a cue, coz a blank is a blank, its there to molded into a cue regardless if the cue maker makes into a one piece or two piece. I think its better to say "I converted this tree into a cue"
IMHO, to convert a one piece cue into a two piece cue, ie I converted this one piece cue into a two piece cue. You can not say that with a blank, like I converted this John Davis blank into a two piece cue, you say I made this two piece cue from a John Davis blankI would not say you converted a blank into a cue, coz a blank is a blank, its there to molded into a cue regardless if the cue maker makes into a one piece or two piece. I think its better to say "I converted this tree into a cue"
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Glen "piggy banks" rogers is the worst with this shit. Just ask Darrin hill, masonh, Noel Mendoza and steve Klapp. Steve Klapp sent piggy to derby with a $2000 cue, almost a thousand in $$$ and while he was there, he tried to get diveney (a friend of steves) to make him cues and gain sponsorship! Pat told Jim he had a pretty sweet deal with Steve and he should be careful not to blow it. Needless to say, Piggy Banks screwed it up faster than imaginable! He's the biggest freeloading, egocentric jackass of them all. It's hard to imagine someone taking sponsorship like that for granted. But Pig is the worst ever. Cuemakers stay away if you haven't been warmed already. Stay away.
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2nd only to a previous New York player Also mentioned.