Cuemaker build off

BlowFish said:
I'm heart broken, but anyway, glad to be a part of something. Maybe in the future.

Thanx ftgokie, I salute you for heading this project.
Click to expand...


Blowfish....you are the one I asked about if you were a credible person to send the cues to....and you are a very stand up guy and I wouldnt have any problems sending you the cues.....However, with the way the mialing system is....I think the chances of the cues being lost or destroyed going overseas is too great. It has Nothing to do with your credibility whatsoever....so Im sorry you dont get to participate....I wish you could....Sorry Brother! :sorry:
 
ftgokie said:
Blowfish....you are the one I asked about if you were a credible person to send the cues to....and you are a very stand up guy and I wouldnt have any problems sending you the cues.....However, with the way the mialing system is....I think the chances of the cues being lost or destroyed going overseas is too great. It has Nothing to do with your credibility whatsoever....so Im sorry you dont get to participate....I wish you could....Sorry Brother! :sorry:
Click to expand...

I understand Bro. No hurt feelings, just broken hearted. :thumbup:

Maybe I should fly to where the cues are for a change. :D
 
BlowFish said:
I understand Bro. No hurt feelings, just broken hearted. :thumbup:

Maybe I should fly to where the cues are for a change. :D
Click to expand...



You would be more than welcome!
 
Sugartree

LoGiC said:
PS Eric, while your wife is away, why not build a cue or two? I'll take one composed of nothing but your scraps! :p I hope she comes back OK. How long is her tour? Best of luck to her.
Click to expand...


C'mon Eric,

You should get in this too! Put your cue up against everyone else's.

Don't be afraid..lol
 
number assignment

qbilder said:
I can assign numbers. I'll not be a player tester anyway, so none of the testers will know who built what. And I don't really care who builds what. I will say there should be a central location all of the cues should ship from in the beginning, though. Otherwise people will know who built what by where the cue came from.
Click to expand...

I think ftgokie should assign the numbers, not Eric, a cue builder who won't participate and who is in competition with other builders.

The cues should go first the ftgokie for number assignments, then to Eric for inspection for whatever reason. It should be completely anonymous to all but the guy who had this awsome idea!!



just my 2 cents!
 
Last edited:
Gwen's up said:
I think ftgokie should assign the numbers, not Eric, a cue builder who won't participate and who is in competition with other builders.

The cues should go first the ftgokie for number assignments, then to Eric for inspection for whatever reason. It should be completely anonymous to all but the guy who had this awsome idea!!



just my 2 cents!
Click to expand...


Eric integrity is not an issue..he has nothing to gain by doing this. And he is not in any competition with any cue builder involved. Eric is 100% stand up..so I dont really know where that is coming from. I assume I am taking what you said out of context....
 
Gwen's up said:
I think ftgokie should assign the numbers, not Eric, a cue builder who won't participate and who is in competition with other builders.

The cues should go first the ftgokie for number assignments, then to Eric for inspection for whatever reason. It should be completely anonymous to all but the guy who had this awsome idea!!



just my 2 cents!
Click to expand...

That's totally up to FTG. It's his gig. Everybody has a right to their input & opinions, even when they are given under false assumptions. The thing is, FTG & his wife went out of their way to ship my wife a box of goodies like homemade cookies & such from here in the states, things to make her more comfortable. They wanted to show that she is thought of & supported while on her tour of duty in Iraq. They also make a point to check in on me & make sure the kids & me are ok. Of all the people I know in the billiard world, only a couple have shown genuine humanity & friendship. Most everybody wants a cue & can at times be a bit pushy, not understanding or caring that my family comes first. A very few do. So when I have people like FTG & his family who share common threads with my family & other military families, and put their own lives briefly aside to be a friend, I appreciate it. When I have a chance to help him, I do. In this case, it's the only way I can help. And that's by offering my time & knowledge to aid his endeavor.

I don't have a single thing to prove. I don't care if somebody builds a better cue than me. It won't change a thing. I'm in no competition with any builder, by any means. Nearly every builder I know is friendly & we have a strong sense of comradery, eager to help one another. It's not competitive at all. I have in-depth discussed cuemaking with the biggest names & the smaller names in cuemaking, exchanging ideas & theories. They know me & know my techniques & reasoning. I know them. What possible reason would we have to compete? Some like my cues, some like their's. There's no need to compete.

This is not a competition. It's a blind test, kinda like a wine tasting festival. Cuemakers who want to expand their horizons are participating, hoping that their cue will be seen & played with by a broad spectrum of players who will have no preconcieved ideas or bias. Joe Blow can get his cue into hands of players who would otherwise never have the opportunity to try it. It's a good thing for all the builders involved. The players get to try several cues from cuemakers they never would have been able to try otherwise. They get to try several cues & find out what kinds of characteristics work best for them, without having predetermined bias. The goal is for each cue to be as close to identical as possible, with the subtleties of the builder's unique building techniques being the differences. The players will be able to hone in on what they like best, and at the end can contact the builder to get a cue. The players win because they find out who builds a cue they like, without having to buy a bunch of cues. The builders get business from players who like their cue & building techniques. It's a win/win, not a competition where there's winners & losers. I personally, don't need nor want any more business so i'm virtually off limits to prospecting buyers. Therefore, I have absolutely nothing to gain by entering this build-off. It would only cause confusion & false pretenses. I'm merely helping a friend, and hopefully helping seven fellow cuemakers. I hope this clears things up for anybody with scepticism.
 
:D
qbilder said:
That's totally up to FTG. It's his gig. Everybody has a right to their input & opinions, even when they are given under false assumptions. The thing is, FTG & his wife went out of their way to ship my wife a box of goodies like homemade cookies & such from here in the states, things to make her more comfortable. They wanted to show that she is thought of & supported while on her tour of duty in Iraq. They also make a point to check in on me & make sure the kids & me are ok. Of all the people I know in the billiard world, only a couple have shown genuine humanity & friendship. Most everybody wants a cue & can at times be a bit pushy, not understanding or caring that my family comes first. A very few do. So when I have people like FTG & his family who share common threads with my family & other military families, and put their own lives briefly aside to be a friend, I appreciate it. When I have a chance to help him, I do. In this case, it's the only way I can help. And that's by offering my time & knowledge to aid his endeavor.

I don't have a single thing to prove. I don't care if somebody builds a better cue than me. It won't change a thing. I'm in no competition with any builder, by any means. Nearly every builder I know is friendly & we have a strong sense of comradery, eager to help one another. It's not competitive at all. I have in-depth discussed cuemaking with the biggest names & the smaller names in cuemaking, exchanging ideas & theories. They know me & know my techniques & reasoning. I know them. What possible reason would we have to compete? Some like my cues, some like their's. There's no need to compete.

This is not a competition. It's a blind test, kinda like a wine tasting festival. Cuemakers who want to expand their horizons are participating, hoping that their cue will be seen & played with by a broad spectrum of players who will have no preconcieved ideas or bias. Joe Blow can get his cue into hands of players who would otherwise never have the opportunity to try it. It's a good thing for all the builders involved. The players get to try several cues from cuemakers they never would have been able to try otherwise. They get to try several cues & find out what kinds of characteristics work best for them, without having predetermined bias. The goal is for each cue to be as close to identical as possible, with the subtleties of the builder's unique building techniques being the differences. The players will be able to hone in on what they like best, and at the end can contact the builder to get a cue. The players win because they find out who builds a cue they like, without having to buy a bunch of cues. The builders get business from players who like their cue & building techniques. It's a win/win, not a competition where there's winners & losers. I personally, don't need nor want any more business so i'm virtually off limits to prospecting buyers. Therefore, I have absolutely nothing to gain by entering this build-off. It would only cause confusion & false pretenses. I'm merely helping a friend, and hopefully helping seven fellow cuemakers. I hope this clears things up for anybody with scepticism.
Click to expand...

I do not think Gwen's up meant anything bad about what was said...but yes, I took it wrong and I believe Eric took it wrong....and I thinkk people who read it may take it wrong..or maybe Eric and I are 2 doofusus :D

Eric has nothing to gain in this, and I welcome his knowledge of cues....he has far more knowledge about cues than we will ever know, so I think he is doing AZ and everyone that will be involved in this a great service.....Again, I took it wrong...I did get my feather ruffled somewhat, but I truely dont think Gwen's up meant anything bad by it.

And yes, Erics wife is serving our country in the big sandbox overseas and all I want to do is help....she came to mind and I know she will appreciate the care package...I know when I was over there...I got a care package from someone I didnt even know and it sure made life alot easier....so Honestly...I would encourage all of you to find a way to send someone serving our country somehting, because TRUST ME.....They will appeciate it.

Now...back to the buildoff......:thumbup:
 
nasc said:
Are you building a cue for the build off?
Glen
Click to expand...


The cue builders know who they are....and only the cue builders, Eric Crisp, and myself should know.....and only Eric will know who belings to which cue....I will not know that part..
 
I meant what I said..

Though I may have come off harshly. For that I apologize.

I am an upfront, no-nonsense person who states what I mean. It may offend but it is honest.




I DO COMMEND ERIC'S WIFE AND ALL OTHER WIVES, MOTHERS, FATHERS, HUSBANDS, and ANYONE ELSE IN THE SERVICE FIGHTING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND GOOD. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FAR BEYOND BRAVE AND DEDICATED!!! I ADMIRE AND RESPECT THEM ALL!

BUT...This has nothing to do with serving our country so let's please not play that card, huh!?




That being said, back to the Cue building......



I think Eric should add a cue to the build-off. His statements seem/seemed egotistical to me, as if he feels he is far superior to others.

Then later saying, He may throw one into the mix..? If so, he should not know who the other builders are!


He is in competition with all other builders. Just like car companies compete for sales, fast food joints compete for sales, you get the point.

How many would like to test hit a Sugartree without having to purchase one?

How many would like to have Eric throw in a cue?

Probably Many!!!


I am not trying to hijack this thread and turn it into a popcorn-eating-bash-fest! This is a wonderful idea, and so far, a peaceful read...

But, I am calling Eric out on this one.

He has alot to lose by entering and not getting voted near the top. If he has faith in his cues, he would enter. What if he did get voted the top cue? His cues are sought after now, but how about in 5 years? Getting voted in would ensure that he will continue to sell cues with mass validation behind them.. Being able to say. "voted best _____"


Personally, I have shot with several Sugartree cues and IMHO, found them to be average hit, average clear, simply designed. All in all, average.


The builders I would like to see in this are NOT the big name builders but the ones who are seemingly, fairly equal in skill and experience:

Zinzola
Mason
Sugartree
Gracio
Varney

...These are the ones that come to mind at the moment.

I would imagine that builders would think it important to participate.
 
Wow. Some people's children. It never stops. This site has went to utter shit. Something fun & positive is being turned into horse crap by people totally uninvolved. Only on AZ.

Why should I care what anybody thinks about my cues? Why should I care who's cues they get compared to? Why should I care if I ever sell another cue in my life? I don't care about any of that. So why is it tough to grasp that I have no desire to be competitive? If anybody knew me, they'd understand, and they do. Everybody else can only speculate & make uninformed claims.

I'm not competing with anybody, no need or desire to. I could quit building today if I wanted to & it wouldn't change a thing in my life. I'd just find something else to keep me busy in spare time. I have a great life, happy & loving family, a few true friends, a dumb dog. I made good choices early in my life & am very lucky to be where i'm at, retiring soon at a very young age. Cuemaking is something I do for my own personal fun, in my own spare time. The batting back & forth on online forums is a past-time, meaningless BS. I get a little crude from time to time & I truly apologize if I may have actually hurt anybody. I like people & enjoy conversation, even when it's not so seemingly friendly. I can only speak for myself, but I mean no harm & can only hope everybody is the same. I can't stress enough that cues are nothing but expensive toys for grown-up kids, and they truly mean very little in my life. They simply are not worth competing or worse yet, actually getting serious & angry over. I understand a few people do go extreme & are very serious about cues & that's fine. Each person chooses their own path & makes important whatever they wish. But for me, cues simply are unimportant. My religion is. My family is. Humanity is important to me. Cues are not.

Maybe that clears things up a little about me. I can only say what I feel & believe. But anybody can speculate. If anybody has ill feelings towards me, well i'm sorry you feel that way. I don't hate anybody & don't judge anybody or their character. I suspect I could drink a beer & eat a burger with anybody on this site & enjoy myself, including manwon. I mean no ill to any man. I do see a lot of hatred on this site & that bothers me. I can only say that if anybody hates me, I love you. I honestly mean that. Call me arrogant, egotistical, jackass, whatever & it's probably true in certain situations. That's fine with me. I'm certainly self-aware. But don't judge my personal character & claim to know what's important to me because you simply don't know. I won't judge anybody, & hope nobody feels self righteous enough to judge me. I indeed have my faults. I don't deny them, nor hide them. That all said, i'll be building cues a long time & doing it my way, like it or not.
 
qbilder said:
I suspect I could drink a beer & eat a burger with anybody on this site & enjoy myself
Click to expand...

If your ever out this way, I can do better than a burger and a beer!!!

Well expressed Eric. Send my regards to your wife and if there is ANYTHING I can do for you, just ask and you shall receive. Rob.
 
qbilder said:
Wow. Some people's children. It never stops. This site has went to utter shit. Something fun & positive is being turned into horse crap by people totally uninvolved. Only on AZ.

Why should I care what anybody thinks about my cues? Why should I care who's cues they get compared to? Why should I care if I ever sell another cue in my life? I don't care about any of that. So why is it tough to grasp that I have no desire to be competitive? If anybody knew me, they'd understand, and they do. Everybody else can only speculate & make uninformed claims.

I'm not competing with anybody, no need or desire to. I could quit building today if I wanted to & it wouldn't change a thing in my life. I'd just find something else to keep me busy in spare time. I have a great life, happy & loving family, a few true friends, a dumb dog. I made good choices early in my life & am very lucky to be where i'm at, retiring soon at a very young age. Cuemaking is something I do for my own personal fun, in my own spare time. The batting back & forth on online forums is a past-time, meaningless BS. I get a little crude from time to time & I truly apologize if I may have actually hurt anybody. I like people & enjoy conversation, even when it's not so seemingly friendly. I can only speak for myself, but I mean no harm & can only hope everybody is the same. I can't stress enough that cues are nothing but expensive toys for grown-up kids, and they truly mean very little in my life. They simply are not worth competing or worse yet, actually getting serious & angry over. I understand a few people do go extreme & are very serious about cues & that's fine. Each person chooses their own path & makes important whatever they wish. But for me, cues simply are unimportant. My religion is. My family is. Humanity is important to me. Cues are not.

Maybe that clears things up a little about me. I can only say what I feel & believe. But anybody can speculate. If anybody has ill feelings towards me, well i'm sorry you feel that way. I don't hate anybody & don't judge anybody or their character. I suspect I could drink a beer & eat a burger with anybody on this site & enjoy myself, including manwon. I mean no ill to any man. I do see a lot of hatred on this site & that bothers me. I can only say that if anybody hates me, I love you. I honestly mean that. Call me arrogant, egotistical, jackass, whatever & it's probably true in certain situations. That's fine with me. I'm certainly self-aware. But don't judge my personal character & claim to know what's important to me because you simply don't know. I won't judge anybody, & hope nobody feels self righteous enough to judge me. I indeed have my faults. I don't deny them, nor hide them. That all said, i'll be building cues a long time & doing it my way, like it or not.
Click to expand...


Call me arrogant, egotistical, jackass, whatever & it's probably true in certain situations.

OK, you are an arrogant, egotistical Jackass,:D and so I am in certain situations, but I can honestly say that I can respect that.:) Nobody can change who and what they truly are, but you have to stand up for your individual beliefs and for what you do and say. If you come to a point were you learn you are wrong, you man up and admit no matter how foolish you appear.

Yes Eric, we can certainly share a burger sometime, I totally agree that would most likely get along just fine.

Take care
 
I don't see a problem with Eric being involved. Of course it would be nice if he had a cue in this. I don't see this really as a competition though. If a hundred or more people hit with these cues and participate int he commentary, I think one builder might sand out while the others will be rated about the same. Other than the execution of the work everything else is too subjective. Which makes me believe that while some will love the way #1 hits and really dislike the way #2,3,4,5 etc. and vice versa. I do not know Eric nor have I ever hit with or personally seen with one of his cues. He does have a good reputation as a cue maker. Obviously he is no slouch in the cue industry so his expertise in this makes perfect sense, someone who can give an accurate assessment of the finished product. Furthermore he has more to loose by being deceitful towards these cue makers as it could very well ruin a rep that has taken while to acquire IMHO.
 
manwon said:
Call me arrogant, egotistical, jackass, whatever & it's probably true in certain situations.

OK, you are an arrogant, egotistical Jackass,:D and so I am in certain situations, but I can honestly say that I can respect that.:) Nobody can change who and what they truly are, but you have to stand up for your individual beliefs and for what you do and say. If you come to a point were you learn you are wrong, you man up and admit no matter how foolish you appear.

Yes Eric, we can certainly share a burger sometime, I totally agree that would most likely get along just fine.

Take care
Click to expand...

That's what it's all about. Nobody ever agrees on everything, and often argue or dog each other. But that doesn't define who we are as human beings. It's all petty. Judgment of other humans is not something I care to dabble in. I am actually very accepting & open to all varieties of personalities. Craig, when we meet, and at some point i'm sure we will, the first beer & burger are on me. Until then, you are just an opinionated dick on the forum :p J/K, mostly. You are ok by me, no matter how much we don't agree.
 
Gwen's up said:
Though I may have come off harshly. For that I apologize.

I am an upfront, no-nonsense person who states what I mean. It may offend but it is honest.




I DO COMMEND ERIC'S WIFE AND ALL OTHER WIVES, MOTHERS, FATHERS, HUSBANDS, and ANYONE ELSE IN THE SERVICE FIGHTING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT AND GOOD. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FAR BEYOND BRAVE AND DEDICATED!!! I ADMIRE AND RESPECT THEM ALL!

BUT...This has nothing to do with serving our country so let's please not play that card, huh!?




That being said, back to the Cue building......



I think Eric should add a cue to the build-off. His statements seem/seemed egotistical to me, as if he feels he is far superior to others.

Then later saying, He may throw one into the mix..? If so, he should not know who the other builders are!


He is in competition with all other builders. Just like car companies compete for sales, fast food joints compete for sales, you get the point.

How many would like to test hit a Sugartree without having to purchase one?

How many would like to have Eric throw in a cue?

Probably Many!!!


I am not trying to hijack this thread and turn it into a popcorn-eating-bash-fest! This is a wonderful idea, and so far, a peaceful read...

But, I am calling Eric out on this one.

He has alot to lose by entering and not getting voted near the top. If he has faith in his cues, he would enter. What if he did get voted the top cue? His cues are sought after now, but how about in 5 years? Getting voted in would ensure that he will continue to sell cues with mass validation behind them.. Being able to say. "voted best _____"


Personally, I have shot with several Sugartree cues and IMHO, found them to be average hit, average clear, simply designed. All in all, average.


The builders I would like to see in this are NOT the big name builders but the ones who are seemingly, fairly equal in skill and experience:

Zinzola
Mason
Sugartree
Gracio
Varney

...These are the ones that come to mind at the moment.

I would imagine that builders would think it important to participate.
Click to expand...

What you don't understand is that Eric Crisp does not want any more customers at this point. From what I gather from PMs and such, he's already swamped and backlogged from the current list of people who want his Sugartrees. He'd only be giving himself a bigger headache by joining the buildoff- either from the extra time he'd have to put in to make the blind test cue, and/or the subsequent inflated waiting list should the testers really like his cue. As far as I can tell, he's a guy with a hobby and not building cues for a living, so there's really no point for him to make himself more popular than he already is.
 
What would be a good way to rate the hit of a cue? Some kind of scale for stiffness or flex, like 1 to 10 maybe? What else could you rate or judge? overall hit, feedback, anything else?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top