Feeler for a restored Rambow

BillPorter

BillPorter

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A friend of mine (Jack Jarvis) bought an old cue at a flea market a couple of months back. The woman who sold him the cue claimed it had belonged to her uncle and said the cue had been in a closet for about 60 years. Jack thought the cue was a Brunswick Willie Hoppe from about 1960 and bought it from the woman. He showed it to me and said he'd like to see what it would look like if it were properly restored. I recommended Scot Sherbine a Proficient Billiards.

When Scot got the cue, he called and said he thought it was a Rambow. Jack and I debated a bit about whether a restoration would improve or reduce the cue's value, but since we weren't really sure it was a Rambow, and since Jack still wanted to see how it would look if it were restored, we went ahead and had Scot to a complete restoration.

Here are some specs for the cue:

Butt - 15.68 oz.and 28.75 inches long
Shaft 1 - 4.20 oz. and 28.4 inches long
Shaft 2 - 4.29 oz. and 28.6 inches long
Shaft 3 - 4.50 oz. and 28.6 inches long

The diameter at the joint is .78 inches (19.77 mm)

The points are not quite even. The longest point extends 6 inches from the wrap area.

The deco ring on the butt was severely damaged and Scot replaced it with a linen based ring. The replacement ring is much lighter than the original reddish/brown deco ring, but Scot said the ring will darken with time and will become a pretty close match.

One additional point - when Mr. Jarvis first came into possession of the cue, you could make out a faint "Willie Hoppe" on the forearm. So it seems it was a Brunswick blank at some point. This is why Mr. Jarvis first thought this was a Brunswick Willie Hoppe Professional cue. When the cue was refinished, the "Willie Hoppe" signature disappeared.

I took some photos of the cue to send to a cue expert in order to find out for sure if it is a Rambow cue. The photos aren't great, just taken for the purpose of determining the authenticity of the cue.

I'd be interested in the opinion of any Rambow experts as to whether the cue is genuine.

I know that Jack will be selling the cue, so we are also interested in offers. (I know I'll probably need to produce some better pics and will do so if anyone has a serious interest in the cue.

Link to gallery with photos of the cue: http://billporter.smugmug.com/Sports/Rambow-Pool-Cue/12188850_tevmr#867739804_LNg5B
 
Bill, I'm no wood expert but looks to me like you at least have a Brazilian Rosewood titlist on your hands. Very nice.
 
Well, the joint diameter and Brunswick blank fit Rambow's MO. However, if it now has a new finish and a new wrap, you definitely haven't helped it's value if it is indeed a Rambow cue. One reason is that sanding the cue during the finishing process can destroy one of the means of authentication, which is the subtleties of the taper. Most Rambow collectors actually enjoy the patina that accumulates on these cues as they have been played over the years. At any rate, he has a beautiful cue, and should now enjoy it.

Was this cue found in the mid-west, and who is doing the authentication? If you're already having Dino or Paul look at it, there is really no need for others to speculate here.
Mr H
 
I'm not sure why Scott thought this might be a Rambow. There is little evidence of it being anymore than a Titlist. W/O a label it is also impossible to date the cue. However I will say this, since it has been restored...it is no more or less than a nice conversion. Can't say for sure if it is a Brazilian Rosewood or not as the pix are not that good. If it were a BZR it would be worth much more IMHO than an ordinary rosewood.
 
Mr Hoppe said:
Well, the joint diameter and Brunswick blank fit Rambow's MO. However, if it now has a new finish and a new wrap, you definitely haven't helped it's value if it is indeed a Rambow cue. One reason is that sanding the cue during the finishing process can destroy one of the means of authentication, which is the subtleties of the taper. Most Rambow collectors actually enjoy the patina that accumulates on these cues as they have been played over the years. At any rate, he has a beautiful cue, and should now enjoy it.

Was this cue found in the mid-west, and who is doing the authentication? If you're already having Dino or Paul look at it, there is really no need for others to speculate here.
Mr H
Click to expand...
The cue was found in the mid-west.
 
cfrandy said:
I'm not sure why Scott thought this might be a Rambow. There is little evidence of it being anymore than a Titlist. W/O a label it is also impossible to date the cue. However I will say this, since it has been restored...it is no more or less than a nice conversion. Can't say for sure if it is a Brazilian Rosewood or not as the pix are not that good. If it were a BZR it would be worth much more IMHO than an ordinary rosewood.
Click to expand...

I will take better pics tomorrow and hopefully they will be good enough for someone to tell if it is Brazilian Rosewood.
 
Rambo

BillPorter said:
A friend of mine (Jack Jarvis) bought an old cue at a flea market a couple of months back. The woman who sold him the cue claimed it had belonged to her uncle and said the cue had been in a closet for about 60 years. Jack thought the cue was a Brunswick Willie Hoppe from about 1960 and bought it from the woman. He showed it to me and said he'd like to see what it would look like if it were properly restored. I recommended Scot Sherbine a Proficient Billiards.

When Scot got the cue, he called and said he thought it was a Rambow. Jack and I debated a bit about whether a restoration would improve or reduce the cue's value, but since we weren't really sure it was a Rambow, and since Jack still wanted to see how it would look if it were restored, we went ahead and had Scot to a complete restoration.

Here are some specs for the cue:

Butt - 15.68 oz.and 28.75 inches long
Shaft 1 - 4.20 oz. and 28.4 inches long
Shaft 2 - 4.29 oz. and 28.6 inches long
Shaft 3 - 4.50 oz. and 28.6 inches long

The diameter at the joint is .78 inches (19.77 mm)

The points are not quite even. The longest point extends 6 inches from the wrap area.

The deco ring on the butt was severely damaged and Scot replaced it with a linen based ring. The replacement ring is much lighter than the original reddish/brown deco ring, but Scot said the ring will darken with time and will become a pretty close match.

One additional point - when Mr. Jarvis first came into possession of the cue, you could make out a faint "Willie Hoppe" on the forearm. So it seems it was a Brunswick blank at some point. This is why Mr. Jarvis first thought this was a Brunswick Willie Hoppe Professional cue. When the cue was refinished, the "Willie Hoppe" signature disappeared.

I took some photos of the cue to send to a cue expert in order to find out for sure if it is a Rambow cue. The photos aren't great, just taken for the purpose of determining the authenticity of the cue.

I'd be interested in the opinion of any Rambow experts as to whether the cue is genuine.

I know that Jack will be selling the cue, so we are also interested in offers. (I know I'll probably need to produce some better pics and will do so if anyone has a serious interest in the cue.

Link to gallery with photos of the cue: http://billporter.smugmug.com/Sports/Rambow-Pool-Cue/12188850_tevmr#867739804_LNg5B
Click to expand...
Bill I now live in Florida but lived in the natti for many years, Vince Balcamino has a couple old Rambo cues probley still laying around his house in a closet, And Jack was the only guy I knew who would shoot a ball in a draw his rock 5 rails, Loved the slide show of the pics seen some pics of guys I knew when I was a kid in High school that where looking for action everyday brings back a lot of memories, I remember buying Clem Metts in a calcutta one saturday for 10.00 and won 360.00.Tell Jack Bob Collins said hello and good luck with offers on the cue, I have one similar but mine has a slightly different butt sleve with MOP dots and the rambo style butt plate.
Bob
 
Love your web site and your cue is not to shabby either.

Whatever it is and whoever made it, they did a great job. I like the short points, seems nowadays cue makers are only doing long points.

If you decide to sell this cue someone will get a great player, thats what Titlist have in their favor - nice solid hit with great feed back.

Thanks for sharing - Tommyd1
 
As Mr Hoppie said

The forearm is not shaped correctly. It is way off. There is nothing subtle about it. If it is a Rambo it has been altered to the point of not being recognisable to a serious collector.
I have owned a few and can say for sure the forearm is not right. To go into detail would not be prudent.
Nick :)
 
Well the cool thing is you brought back out of a dark closet an old cue to be played with again. Considering what you guys probably paid for it I would say whether it's a Ram or not and whether you should of had it refinished or not doesn't matter now. It's a sweet looking cue and I bet plays great. Enjoy it:thumbup:
 
If it was indeed a Rambow (and imho it's not), then it was probably devalued some unless it was falling apart. Otherwise, you probably increased the cue's value. Nice looking old Titlist for sure.

PS, Bill....sent you a PM and hope that info helps.

Sean
 
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The joint looks like a Rambo

It could be a altered Rambo. The points look a little long though. The buttcap also looks Rambo. Everything inbetween looks wrong. What is the joint dimater. Please PM it's size if you will.
I too can PM a couple specs if you wish. They can be helpful.
Nick :)
 
nick serdula said:
It could be a altered Rambo. The points look a little long though. The buttcap also looks Rambo. Everything inbetween looks wrong. What is the joint dimater. Please PM it's size if you will.
I too can PM a couple specs if you wish. They can be helpful.
Nick :)
Click to expand...

The joint diameter, as I put in the original post, is .78 inches or 19.77 mm. BTW, considering that Jack came into possession of the cue from a woman at a flea market who seemed to know very little about cues and who claimed it had been in a closet for 50+ years, it seems unlikely that it had been altered. But I must admit that my meager knowledge of cues doesn't entitle me to an opinion on that question.

I am about to try to make some better pics so that perhaps someone can identify the type of wood.

Thanks for your posts and your interest.
 
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