Contact Jim Pierce…..tell Jim that Matt told you he can build a handsome cue design for under $1700.
Keep in mind that cue sales are taxable & there’s also shipping/insurance costs the builder must cover.
Custom and High End Cues on the Decline?
- Thread starter Logandgriff
- Start date
Keep in mind that cue sales are taxable & there’s also shipping/insurance costs the builder must cover.
Really? Their non-custom cues often cost more than that
My first job was in a large, very old factory; it was there since 1900. One day (in the early 80s) I was wondering around and found old file cabinets in storage. I found employment records there from the early 1920s. Hourly pay ranged from 20c to 40c per hour. The funny thing was most households were single earners and they had larger families.
I grew up during times of high unemployment. I can recall interviewing and fighting for entry level, minimum wage jobs...and they all paid the minimum wage. Now, today, get this: my 18-year-old son working part time as a bank teller started at $25 per hour. Something isn't right.
JasonATX
Well-known member
The part that's not right is that a family making around $8000-10,000 a year could afford a house in the 1970s. Now, $25/hr is almost not enough to rent a nicer apartment in larger cities.
At a minimum, the U.S. as a country need to make it so that when a company holds a house for more than like 3-4 months without reselling they pay a lot in taxes/fees.
Daves custom cues
Active member
They have a custom cue line on their web page with some pretty nice offerings. Pricing $600. - $1300 and there abouts.
Custom cue Archives - Joss Cues https://share.google/WhLJ2guGYDPIJvPgy
I thought "custom" meant built to your specifications, these are just cues that are exclusive to their website
JasonATX
Well-known member
Like a lot of production makers, you can probably contact Joss and have them change out woods, stains, etc. on production cues to meet what you want. Hell, McDermott will do it. I don't remember for sure, but I bet Joss would be willing to make you a 1/1 cue if you asked/paid for it.
I believe the term has become largely loose in definition nowadays. the practice now it appears that anything that is not mass-produced or limited or different from the typical production cue in terms of quality and materials is being marketed as custom. the pure definition of a custom as you've mentioned and for those who have or own custom cues would tend to define that as per customer's specifications.
Understood. But still, something has changed with "minimum wage jobs". From my experience and recollection, all those entry level jobs historically filled by mostly teenagers were minimum wage or only slightly over. Now those jobs are paying double minimum wage to attract employees. Do we have a shortage of teenagers to fill those positions? Obviously, those labor costs are being passed on to us and are helping to drive inflation.
you have to consider also that we have more population now than compared to those times and companies nowadays are maximizing profits (e.g. driving prices to a ridiculous level that people in general cannot afford anymore). it practically would cancel out what you perceived as a massive gain. there are more people now and companies companies are taking advantage of the massive pool of people that would take a paycut just to get hired regardless if it's not even a living wage. I remember a few years ago were I took a part-time job and that I was swamped with duties for me were unreasonable for my position to take. I eventually emailed management that the job is unreasonably stacked with responsibilities that is already outside my scope and doesn't fulfill the services anymore unlike before the pandemic considering we have more people to serve now. I requested management to double my wage or open a new position for another person to help out but management denied my request. I eventually quit my post with frustration and disappointment. nowadays, that position is always abandoned and every few months, it is filled with new unsuspecting person that would eventually quit sooner or later. I would say that even an individual that is strapped for cash would be crazy enough to take that offer. they would rather mow the lawn for a better pay and less duties than stay in that hell-hole. we are not in that generation anymore that companies care for it's employees or give a fair minimum wage. it seems big, but in actually it is way less to support your own self.
boogieman
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that ping.
When I got my first "real" job with payroll and such minimum wage was $4.25/hr. The year was 1994 and I was 14 years old. $7.25 an hour now isn't even close to as good as I had it. I think gas was about $1.25. I could buy a "Big and Tasty" at McDonalds for $1, and 2 of them filled me up completely. Now an equivalent burger is like $6 and gas is what it is. This isn't even counting how much rent and the cost of buying a house has went up (not a concern for teenagers unless they are trying to save for rent/down payment).
I honestly think to be equivalent of my 90s dollars minimum wage would be about $15. Inflation is nuts, wages stay the same. I wouldn't work for minimum wage. Neither will today's teenagers. The current minimum wage was increased in 2009, that's 17 years ago. It would be like me working in 1994 for 1977 minimum wage, which was $2.30/hr. No thanks!
It's not really that difficult to figure out, it's not worth working for minimum wage and many kids of today are smarter than we were and won't work for minimum wage. It's also not as socially unacceptable to not work while in high school. I liked having spending money but entertainment is relatively cheaper now. Businesses have to pay more to get workers because the minimum wage is 17 years old and completely out of touch with reality/prices.
On topic, got a future build being finalized before work will begin in a few months. Just waiting for one more type of wood. My builder offered me that he could add some beautiful intricate design for the same cost as that of my dream build Merry widow. As much as the cue would really look awesome, I just don't like the cue being overly decorated. The most I want on a cue as far as design goes is a custom logo on the butt section of the cue and some abalone inlays/rings. Main decorations are the wood burl grains or swirls. Final wood selections are cocobolo, rosewood and olivewood. I'm still thinking or considering a break cue with ebony and rosewood but I might settle for that dream cue. Cost is within my budget.
LibraryFool77
Active member
If you’d by a Predator mass produced cue, not one built by a custom shop w s Predator shaft over a Southwest or other respected builder, you lost me. I in addition could care less for SW, but a stock Predator butt is junk.Speaking as someone under 40, I’m actually interested enough to know of many of those cues, especially Southwest, and plenty of other one-man-shop, handmade custom cues. That said, there’s no way I’m spending $5,000 - $8,000 on a custom cue, Southwest or not, hell not even $3,000.
Southwest was popular largely because a lot of pros used them back in the day, so fans saw them on TV and associated them with top-level play, they look nothing special. That exposure mattered. Today, most people simply don’t know these makers. Among my under-40 peers, there’s very little interest, no stories attached, no shared history, and nothing that really sparks conversation.
Ironically, I would absolutely buy a limited or special-edition Predator for $3,000. At least I know the brand, the tech, and that it’ll likely hold value. Also, half of the pool room are under 40 so I'm holding a head turning cue then
However, there is an exception: Asian market (China and Southeast Asian) - they would spend $10,000+ and wait 2+ years for a high-end custom cues. The re-sell market is huge other there too.
In late 2005, I liquidated all of my skydiving equipment because I wouldn't be jumping for at least a few years, and it would depreciate substantially over that time. With the money, I bought a new Bob Frey Cocobolo Sneaky Pete (single shaft), and I commissioned a custom four-point inlayed player with three shafts (third shaft ordered after initial cue delivery) from Bob Dzuricky. Together, they cost $1600-$1700. Adjusting for 64% inflation in the intervening years (https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator), that's about $2600-$2800 in 2026 dollars. Considering their excellent current condition, I suspect I could pull most of that value back out if I wanted to sell. I just don't want to sell. I love both cues aesthetically, as well as the feel of their respective hits.
Properly maintained and not abused, high-quality goods tend to maintain their value pretty well against inflation. It's true for musical instruments, guns, and knives; I don't see why it would be any different with pool cues. The great ones will retain their value.
Manufacturers have spent a lot of money hyping up low-deflection shafts and carbon fiber. Their problem is that they have to keep "innovating" to keep people buying. The next generation of carbon fiber shafts will reduce the value of the previous generation of CF shafts in the secondary market. Most production models are unlikely to hold their value against inflation in the long term.
Properly maintained and not abused, high-quality goods tend to maintain their value pretty well against inflation. It's true for musical instruments, guns, and knives; I don't see why it would be any different with pool cues. The great ones will retain their value.
Manufacturers have spent a lot of money hyping up low-deflection shafts and carbon fiber. Their problem is that they have to keep "innovating" to keep people buying. The next generation of carbon fiber shafts will reduce the value of the previous generation of CF shafts in the secondary market. Most production models are unlikely to hold their value against inflation in the long term.