My question is how many of these hundreds of thousands of cue makers are actually in this business or just have an extra job to subsidize their income. Cue making is a very secretive art. Just ask Schon, Stroud, Schick, Sering, Showman, Webb, Tad, or any cue maker how they build cues and I will bet it all they will tell you the same answer. All the people that sell cue machines also tell their system to make cues. I have made thousands of cues in the last 23 years and have had to make hundreds of adjustments to solve problems that I have encountered in cue building and repairing. There are rattles, getting the pins in strait, keeping the butt strait for a lifetime, keeping the shaft strait for the same time, and how about the finish, there is a whole area of problems. Now I know that everyone building cues will say that they have no problems with any of this but I know better. There is the favorite reply that it was strait when they shipped it out. Anyone can build a cue that hits good for a while and will stay strait for a while. What about in a couple of years or ten years, how do they look? How strait are they? Who makes cues for their living or just for money. I think only a few.
cue makers or extra job.
- Thread starter gulyassy
- Start date
The quest to build a better mousetrap is not limited to those who hate mice.
You can't stop anyone from entering your line of business.
Think of the people who were displaced by outsourcing.
If you build cues full-time, you better be living cheap b/c there is no money in it.
Think of the people who were displaced by outsourcing.
If you build cues full-time, you better be living cheap b/c there is no money in it.
gulyassy said:
There is a third category (or perhaps an integrated requirement for both named categories). Some make cues only because they want to create tools of beauty used in the game that they love. For them, any thoughts of making cues for money are either secondary or inconsequential.
Kelly
Well...
To me it makes absolutely no difference if the cuemaker is full time or part time. I am the customer, and I will evaluate the product, and its value, cost, and potential resell value.
I have had close to 20 cues "custom" built for me over the years and have owned hundreds others, including "production" and "custom".
IMO, mostly what I have seen is they seldom actually hit their target dates on schedules, they can be a little cantankerous, moody, etc. My brother-in-law is an artist and he strikes me the same way. But, they are truely artists and do some amazing work. I get tickled at folks who order a cue and expect it to be delievered exactly when promised.
Before I get flamed too badly, imagine what I do. Cuebuyers are like the guy under Michealego in the Sesteen Chapel as he painting the ceiling....Yelling at the guy saying "When are you going to get that damned ceiling painted?"
Do I have a point? Well barely as usual, but here goes. Cuemakers not making alot of money to me is par for the course. If money is the motivator, then price it according to the hours and sell it. I suspect, like most artists, money isnt the motivator, but nobody wants to be a STARVING artist.
JMO
Ken
JoeyInCali said:
To me it makes absolutely no difference if the cuemaker is full time or part time. I am the customer, and I will evaluate the product, and its value, cost, and potential resell value.
I have had close to 20 cues "custom" built for me over the years and have owned hundreds others, including "production" and "custom".
IMO, mostly what I have seen is they seldom actually hit their target dates on schedules, they can be a little cantankerous, moody, etc. My brother-in-law is an artist and he strikes me the same way. But, they are truely artists and do some amazing work. I get tickled at folks who order a cue and expect it to be delievered exactly when promised.
Before I get flamed too badly, imagine what I do. Cuebuyers are like the guy under Michealego in the Sesteen Chapel as he painting the ceiling....Yelling at the guy saying "When are you going to get that damned ceiling painted?"
Do I have a point? Well barely as usual, but here goes. Cuemakers not making alot of money to me is par for the course. If money is the motivator, then price it according to the hours and sell it. I suspect, like most artists, money isnt the motivator, but nobody wants to be a STARVING artist.
JMO
Ken
This may be the best post I've EVER read on AZ! Rep for you Ken.Ken_4fun said:
Thanks for all the responses. Actually I am doing very well. I make 6 figures making custom cues. I work a lot but I like it. What really ticks me about the whole deal is the non tax payers. I am charged every month about 40% by the government. Just a little info on my location, I moved to Greenville, S.C. 20 years ago and there was nothing here as far as my work. Now there are 16 cue repairmen and 4 make cues and all got started either working for me or coming to my shop everyday till they got what they needed. I helped a lot of pool people make money and never got a thank you from one of them. But back to taxes and my thoughts. I feel like I should turn in the ones working under the table because it is not fair for me to pay and they pocket all their money. Now what do you think about that.
gulyassy said:
I think you will do what you have to do. But why stop with cue makers who don't pay taxes? Expand your crusade to everyone who might be running afoul of the law.
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They should pay their taxes.
I also think you are in narrow, uncharted waters concerning how "strait" your cues and shafts might be.
My shafts and butts that I am building and have built for the last 2 years are are all in the 99% strait category. I have a process that will ensure the shaft will say strait. My butts have been strait for the last 4 years since I have cored them. The cues I build I will put up against any cue maker in the world for straitness (run out between centers).
There is a very old rule of thumb for job security-
NEVER tell any of your secrets or teach anybody how you do what you do...
Cuemakers should be no different... Sounds like you made a HUGE mistake in Greenville. Lesson learned I suppose...
NEVER tell any of your secrets or teach anybody how you do what you do...
Cuemakers should be no different... Sounds like you made a HUGE mistake in Greenville. Lesson learned I suppose...
gulyassy said:
A world famous Cue maker would often tell me he could not give one of his cues away in Jackson.
gulyassy said:
Can you float me five of your six figures?
gulyassy said:
Mike, I am sure it is tempting to do it, but I would keep to myself and maintain my integrity as a honest man, not meddling in others affairs.....
Integrity, honour, honesty, ect..... keep your qualities unspotted........You will succed even if others are cheating around you, because of your craftmanship and integrity....Eventually their integrity will catch up to them then you will get their customers....
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competing on price
Mike,
If you try to compete on the basis of price you are going to give away your work. There are always people willing to do anything cheaper. If you go down to doing something at true cost price someone else will fail to recognize true costs and still undercut you!
You can compete with anyone on the basis of quality and value. It doesn't make sense to get upset because you lose a few local sales to the upstarts. You may want to thank them for that. Some people will buy their first custom cue from these guys because it is cheap. Once they learn more about cues they will be buying more custom cues, usually more expensive and of better quality from better known builders. The upstarts are making business for you in the long term.
Turn out your quality of work at your price. There are people that will happily pay several thousand for your cue that would turn their nose up at the same cue if you tried to sell it for $200. Be happy with your market and don't worry about other makers and their markets.
Hu
Mike,
If you try to compete on the basis of price you are going to give away your work. There are always people willing to do anything cheaper. If you go down to doing something at true cost price someone else will fail to recognize true costs and still undercut you!
You can compete with anyone on the basis of quality and value. It doesn't make sense to get upset because you lose a few local sales to the upstarts. You may want to thank them for that. Some people will buy their first custom cue from these guys because it is cheap. Once they learn more about cues they will be buying more custom cues, usually more expensive and of better quality from better known builders. The upstarts are making business for you in the long term.
Turn out your quality of work at your price. There are people that will happily pay several thousand for your cue that would turn their nose up at the same cue if you tried to sell it for $200. Be happy with your market and don't worry about other makers and their markets.
Hu
gulyassy said: