Gandy big G??

vgodley1

vgodley1

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hi all,

I have got a chance to pick up a 9' Gandy big G in very good condition for what I think is a very good deal. It has had home use only and it looks like the gold crown without the adjustable feet and it is black in finish. (Description is: 9' slate table all wood. It's covered in new Simonis cloth and comes with bar stools, cue rack, break stick, bridge, balls, rack, chalk and professional lighting).

What would you think this setup to be worth and is this a good table? I have been searching on-line and see that the big G is not made anymore.

Thanks in advance for the advice all. This is going to be the main family Christmas present.

Regards

Vee
 
Great table!

The Big G is a great table. It was Gandy's top of the line commercial table. I believe Gandy was a southern company, (Georgia?), so a lot of pool halls in the south used them. Too bad they aren't in business any more. One of the places I play has one, and it plays every bit as good as a Gold Crown. I don't know what you are looking at price wise, but the one in our private club cost $1500.00 delivered, setup, and reclothed with Simonis,(rails too), with accessories.:cool:

Good luck and good choice!:D
 
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Gandy was made in Macon, Georgia. I believe a major flood in 1994 or 1996 basically put them out of business. And here in Georgia they are easy to find.

They started making tables again called American Herloom or something like that. I like them even better than the old ones.

The Big G is an excellent table. They are built as well as a Gold Crown 3.

Set up on one should be the same cost as a set up on any other table which should be between 200-400 depending on the area. That is putting on the original cloth and them not picking it up and moving it for you.
 
Check the rails.
Make sure they are straight.
The ones at my old local pool hall, warped.
 
Buy It!

I bought one in 1999 for $1,800 set up. Put Simonis 860 on and am still loving it. Unused rails go bad like an unused tire. On the car it last 50 thousand miles over 5 years. Buy em new and stick em in the garage and they dry rot in 2 years. I am going to have mine recovered soon by an Az buddy. Best investment I ever made. My wife and I play everyday! She ain't to shaby either:cool either. ;)
Purdman
 
I have never played on a Gandy I liked. I think they are nowhere near a GC's standards and generally have rail problems.
 
livin in the big G

I have owned a big G or two. Not a bad table at all. I sold my last nine footer for $1800. Granted I put new cloth, cushions and pockets on it. Working on them is what I do for a living. It was aprox. 20 yrs old.
 
In the last few months I picked up a Gandy Big G. I got 4 high chairs, 4 sets of balls (Brunswick Centennials and Aramith pro's), stringer with beads, 4 bulb lamp, a wall rack, a floor rack and about 6 cheap cues.

I traded 3 cues for it that cost me about $1100.

I paid a very good mechanic about $385 to set up (i moved it myself), put on the new cloth and install new rubber. The original rubber was in horrible shape.

I purchased some Simonis 860 for $185.

Cash wise I was into it for less than $600 and a total of about $1700 if you include a fair value of the cues.

The table plays tight. No extra shims needed.

I say go for it, you will not be unhappy unless the table is in bad shape to begin with. The only Big G's that I didnt like where ones in poor condition, but that goes for any table.
 
Thanks!!!

Hi,

Thanks to all that commented. I am looking at $1500 for everything. I didn't think it was a bad deal and I think most of you have confirmed it!

I am looking at it tonight with the wife. If she gives me the nod,(not whipped, don't go there :))I am going to move it myself.......you guys that have moved them any quirky things I need to be aware of. FYI I have moved and set up other tables before mostly Brunswick's.

thanks

Vee
 
vgodley1 said:
Hi all,

I have got a chance to pick up a 9' Gandy big G in very good condition for what I think is a very good deal. It has had home use only and it looks like the gold crown without the adjustable feet and it is black in finish. (Description is: 9' slate table all wood. It's covered in new Simonis cloth and comes with bar stools, cue rack, break stick, bridge, balls, rack, chalk and professional lighting).

What would you think this setup to be worth and is this a good table? I have been searching on-line and see that the big G is not made anymore.

Thanks in advance for the advice all. This is going to be the main family Christmas present.

Regards

Vee
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Nice table IMO. I used to play on them at a room. One thing is you'll learn to shot soft. The shelf is real deep going into the pockets and it is real easy to rattle a hard shot.
 
If you aren't familiar with tables I wouldn't attempt to move a Big "G". Its worth it to pay someone to do it right. Where are you and the table located?
 
I always felt that a Big G was easy to move. Providing you have some muscle for the frame.

If the cap is done correctly you can lift it up and put it upside down and disconnect the end rails and end blinds from each other. I wouldn't bother with the side rails. Maybe tighten them to make sure they are secure.

Then take the slate off. After the slate is removed you can undo the frame from the legs by only unbolting where the brakets connect to the leg. Once you do that make sure you disconnect the leg stretcher.

For setting it up I do suggest having a profesoinal do it. If you are worried about messing it up while moving you you can often times do a setup from Storage which is just a little more than a setup for drivetime.

Oh. By Setup from Storage is where you knock it down yourself at your house then they pick it up and set it up.
 
A local pool room had several Big G's in it, and I'm not sure if it was a setup issue or a design issue, but the pocket linings were not flush with the pocket openings (if that makes any sense at all). Basically, it created a sitation where firmly struck balls would often be rejected when they should have gone in. The balls would be entering the pocket cleanly, but then they would hit the edge of the pocket lining, which protruded about 1/4" beyond where the rail terminated, and rattle out. The owner went so far as to run additional screws into the sides of the pocket linings in an attempt to pull them in flush, but even this was not entirely successful.

The room had a buch of Big G's and two GCII's in it, and the better players all gravitated to the GCII's. The Big G's seemed almost identical to the GCIII's, but I'm not sure which was the better table. I've heard far more negative opinions than positive ones on the GCIII's over the years, but I've never seen serious pocket issues like that on any GC. Other than that thing, which, as I said, may have been a setup issue, the Big G seemed like a pretty good table to me. I would just take a look at the pockets, if possible, before buying one.
 
vgodley1 said:
Hi,

Thanks to all that commented. I am looking at $1500 for everything. I didn't think it was a bad deal and I think most of you have confirmed it!

I am looking at it tonight with the wife. If she gives me the nod,(not whipped, don't go there :))I am going to move it myself.......you guys that have moved them any quirky things I need to be aware of. FYI I have moved and set up other tables before mostly Brunswick's.

thanks

Vee
Click to expand...

i know from personal experiance moving a commercial 9" by yourself is no easy task. each of the 3 peices of slate weigh several hundred pounds. plus you're going to have to hire people to disassemble it anyway(plz dont try this yourself whatever you do) then have those same people set it back up, you might as well have them move it for you too.

in the end, you are much better off paying the extra cash to have professionals move and install the table for you.
 
Like I said, I moved the table myself with the help of my father in law. Its actually quite easy.

Some tips I learned from moving mine.

1. If you have to disassemble the frame, it would be helpful to mark the pieces.

2. Buy all new screws. (The ones used to screw down the slate) I paid about $20 for 100 screws from Fastenal.

3. Put only the slate edges that go under the rail on the ground. So for example, the center piece should be stood up on the pocket side.

4. Move slowly and coordinated with all helpers. The slate is heavy.

Pay a professional to set it up. Its well worth the money to have a nice playing table.
 
My experience with the big G is either it played good or played absolutely terrible,i think its all on how and who sets it up,new rails and some good cloth for sure.
 
Fast Lenny said:
My experience with the big G is either it played good or played absolutely terrible,i think its all on how and who sets it up,new rails and some good cloth for sure.
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This is my experience with them as well.

I recall that they were an extremely good table in their early years. Was there something that happened that would have caused a quality issue?

IMO, Gandy furniture tables are among the elite of furniture table construction.

Fred
 
Cornerman said:
This is my experience with them as well.

I recall that they were an extremely good table in their early years. Was there something that happened that would have caused a quality issue?


Fred
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I was told by a dealer they used green woods for their rails in the early 90's.
Quality went down from there.
 
JoeyInCali said:
I was told by a dealer they used green woods for their rails in the early 90's.
Quality went down from there.
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Yes the woods were inferior to Brunswick and others,they werent very solid, look at Diamond tables,there table is super solid and that is quality.
 
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