EXACTLY, Kevin.
i have originals, and i know it. my people know it. and we all appreciate it. there IS a difference. and if i ever need to dump them, then - i'll at least break even (in this current economy).
meanwhile....MY SH1T will last TWO lifetimes. vs. 6 months Chinese (IKEA) imports!
(you get what you pay for, but still CYA via credit card deposit)
Yup. Thing is, once you know it, you know it and then you are stuck knowing it.
Always use a credit card. LOL. Always.
Cues are cool. Really close to the last of the great American folk artists. I guess there are still some musical instrument guys, and knife guys, and furniture guys, and of course there will always (hopefully) be painters, but all that crafty pridey thing is falling by the wayside.
You gotta love a guy like Barry Szam, doing it his Dad's way with basically his Dad's tools, materials and methods to keep the tradition alive. Not much of that left anymore.
And while I'm mentioning Barry's dad, the influence of Gus on the cue world is staggering. Even today, obviously every cue built by Barry is a tribute to his dad, but also to an extent, every Searing and every Showman. That's 3 of the big 5 (or 6) all building tributes to Gus. Balabushka, considered by many to be the grandmaster, his best cues and most valuable are from Gus blanks.
Gus.