So the Diamond has been modified to bank exactly like a Gold Crown? That's pretty much the last thing needed to make the table perfect or at least silence the whiners. I've been of the opinion that the Diamond did not bank wrong or played significantly different. Sure, it didn't play like a Gold Crown - it's NOT a Gold Crown. It takes very little to adjust to a Diamond. I think the old timers are just whiners that get angry at the slightest things they are made to adapt to. I've heard the same whining and condemnation when there were changes in cloth and all sorts of other aspects of the game.
Ah, one other thing, the pockets putting marks on the balls. Not a big deal. Still better than the plastic pockets that put plastic impact spots on the balls. Those are a pain to clean off. Builds up and balls play real clingy. Pick your poison.
Gold Crown had always been my favorite table. I own one. But they have become cheaper and cheaper in quality. Diamond is solid, made in America, priced better than a new GC, and just a better table in every way. Who said Americans can't compete with the Chinese/Brazillians?
Really, for the quality of the GCV and the origin of manufacture, it should be about a $2,000ish table give or take a couple of hundred. Brunswick is riding the name recognition and GC reputation and charging what I consider and outrageous amount. They have no justification to charge more than Diamond. Yet they do. That's because of the name recognition and an uninformed consumer base that creates a market where Brunswick can get that kind of money for their GCV.
The ProAm is just so solid. Give that table a good hip check and it doesn't even vibrate. Other tables vibrate and some shake just a little. Worst of all were the Gandy Big G's. Bumping into those with the front of your thigh when reaching over the table for a long stretch shot would cause balls to wobble on the table. That's not a result of bad installation. Every Gandy I've played on was like that. Unless every single Gandy I've played on was assembled and set up by hacks? I doubt it.
Critics of Greg Sullivan state that his push to change rules and specifications was to increase sales and business for his tables. Perhaps, but I disagree. The reason being is, Diamond gets it right when it comes to their specifications. They do tight pockets right. Brunswicks don't play right when their pockets are tightened UNLESS done by an expert like RKC or someone of that caliber who will extend the subrail and correct the pocket angles.
It's boring to watch the top pros play on 5" buckets. Silly. More kicks, jump shots, long range power cuts, banks, combos and other types of shots go more easily. More run outs. More packages.
A great example of that was the short life of the IPT. Both the tournaments and the qualifiers. Having watched many players practice on Gold Crown IV's....many were putting together big packages with regularity. The consensus among them was that 8-ball on 5" pocket 9 footers is "stupid" ...They sought out any ProAm they could find to practice on. Then when on the ProAm....all that wide open shootout play and packages stopped. Table slowed many of these players down. Only the elite were putting packages together. Another good example is the old Florida Tour which became the wider Seminole Tour. Semipros and lesser pros were on near equal ground with elite players on buckets. Because many of these stops were held in pool rooms with tables that had bucket pockets. As a result, lesser known semipro players would advance further. On Diamonds, the weaknesses in their game are more of a factor and they can't keep up. The big dogs make the outs and the shots on the Diamonds more often and more consistently. There are tens out thousands of A+ players across the country that can put together packages on 5" pocket Gold Crowns. Even on buckets the best still prevail most often. But the weaker are empowered.
That is why I believe that Greg Sullivan was not solely motivated by profit or promotion of his tables. He seems genuinely interested in improving the quality of equipment and the conditions of pool.
Brunswick is way behind the curve. Only with the GCV have they finally felt the pressure to offer a 4.5" pocket version. And it's not default, it's a select version. Regular GCV is 5" pockets. There was the Metro. Brunswick's answer to the ProAm which didn't really match up as a lower cost, easy to set up tournament table.
My next table will be a Diamond if I move. But my GC isn't problematic or lacking to warrant the upgrade any time soon. I remind myself that I have a table that most people wish they had and to appreciate it.
I believe the GCIV was also offered in a tournament addition.
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