How can cue makers justify how much they sell a cue for? It amazes me that people will spend more than 300 for a sp and over 1000 for a plain jane. Never mind a regular 4 point cue starting at 1500. What??? Do you all have money to burn???
Ok so the equipment is expensive... But for what they make on 3 cues pays for at least the lathe maybe even the pantograph. the wood is not that expensive. Blanks range in price from 6 bucks to over 100 (but that is for the highly figured really rare stuff). Yes time is money but with todays equipment how much time does a cuemaker spend cutting points and doing inlays? I would figure that they cannot account for time spent with the cue hanging from the ceiling.
And comes the final argument... Do you pay for the paint and the canvas that the artist uses on a painting or do you pay for the talent that the artist has? I agree with that concept but not everyone is Da Vinci. I can undersand the rarity of a Southwest, G. Szamboti or a Balibushka because those people could not make a cue ever again. But to have some of the relativily unknown charge 1200 bucks for a cue is outragous.
Its not that I could not purchase one of these cues. I just cannot justify in my head why I would pay so much for one. I guess I look @ purchases as being one of "How much did it cost to make?" and "Do I feel as though what I bought was worth the money?". Maybe I am looking at it all wrong.
I think in todays market the idea of "If people are willing to pay that much for it I am willing to charge for it" has gotten out of hand.
This post reminds me of another one I did around 7 years ago about pool tables.. Looks like I might be coming out with a new website... "My Quest to build a high end pool cue!"
JV <----- Tired of looking @ cues that his single family obligations will not let him afford.
Ok so the equipment is expensive... But for what they make on 3 cues pays for at least the lathe maybe even the pantograph. the wood is not that expensive. Blanks range in price from 6 bucks to over 100 (but that is for the highly figured really rare stuff). Yes time is money but with todays equipment how much time does a cuemaker spend cutting points and doing inlays? I would figure that they cannot account for time spent with the cue hanging from the ceiling.
And comes the final argument... Do you pay for the paint and the canvas that the artist uses on a painting or do you pay for the talent that the artist has? I agree with that concept but not everyone is Da Vinci. I can undersand the rarity of a Southwest, G. Szamboti or a Balibushka because those people could not make a cue ever again. But to have some of the relativily unknown charge 1200 bucks for a cue is outragous.
Its not that I could not purchase one of these cues. I just cannot justify in my head why I would pay so much for one. I guess I look @ purchases as being one of "How much did it cost to make?" and "Do I feel as though what I bought was worth the money?". Maybe I am looking at it all wrong.
I think in todays market the idea of "If people are willing to pay that much for it I am willing to charge for it" has gotten out of hand.
This post reminds me of another one I did around 7 years ago about pool tables.. Looks like I might be coming out with a new website... "My Quest to build a high end pool cue!"
JV <----- Tired of looking @ cues that his single family obligations will not let him afford.
)