Well, if I was a collector, I would make sure that my cue collection had at least ONE Frank Paradise cue. I will go over a few of his innovations and IMHO firsts, in a few lines. But everyone in a while a cue comes along that makes you realize how smart, or innovative a guy in 1963 had to be. He didn't have the machinery available today. Everything he did, including rotational inlay spotting was done by hand. (Explains a lot of his faux pas) But he made cues that had 100 inlays or better, with little help from his machinery.
From what I can gather, he was the first to use these guitar inlays in cues. He may have been the first to use mother of pearl inlays. (Not wedges for ID, ie Brunswick) He was the first we know of that used impregnating techniques for shaft hardening that included checmical compounds. You can go on and on.. he was probably first for a lot of things. He used blanks not only titlist, but would convert butterfly splices, heck he even converted a few Sampaio cues from Portugal.
Brings me to this cue. We have had the good fortune of having to own, or to see, many of Franks best work. Some of which we still have. He used Spains blanks, as well as his conversions. But this cue, has what many today would consider the "segmented" handle. Not Harvey Martin segmented ivory, but what appears to be phenolic, or plastic, or possibly ebony. This cue is only available in a photo. The person who supplied me the photo said the person that owned the cue has passed on, and the where abouts is unknown.
This cue is a reverse splice cue with what appears to be 20 inlays right under the joint. Probably 20 inlays in the first segment, and 16 in the second. Numerous rings that you would figure Frank to have used. But truely IMHO the first segmented handle custom cue.
JV
From what I can gather, he was the first to use these guitar inlays in cues. He may have been the first to use mother of pearl inlays. (Not wedges for ID, ie Brunswick) He was the first we know of that used impregnating techniques for shaft hardening that included checmical compounds. You can go on and on.. he was probably first for a lot of things. He used blanks not only titlist, but would convert butterfly splices, heck he even converted a few Sampaio cues from Portugal.
Brings me to this cue. We have had the good fortune of having to own, or to see, many of Franks best work. Some of which we still have. He used Spains blanks, as well as his conversions. But this cue, has what many today would consider the "segmented" handle. Not Harvey Martin segmented ivory, but what appears to be phenolic, or plastic, or possibly ebony. This cue is only available in a photo. The person who supplied me the photo said the person that owned the cue has passed on, and the where abouts is unknown.
This cue is a reverse splice cue with what appears to be 20 inlays right under the joint. Probably 20 inlays in the first segment, and 16 in the second. Numerous rings that you would figure Frank to have used. But truely IMHO the first segmented handle custom cue.
JV
