Gandy? How does it compare to GC?

sellingboe

Active member
Gandy appears to be a commercial table and favored by at least a few in this GC and Diamond loving domain called AZBilliards. Where does Gandy fall short? Is it quality of workmanship and durability? Design? What does new cloth and rubber not make up for? I am partial to GC, but I"m getting to the point where I might just compromise in order to just get a table. I need 8 or 8+.
 
Gandy appears to be a commercial table and favored by at least a few in this GC and Diamond loving domain called AZBilliards. Where does Gandy fall short? Is it quality of workmanship and durability? Design? What does new cloth and rubber not make up for? I am partial to GC, but I"m getting to the point where I might just compromise in order to just get a table. I need 8 or 8+.
The Big G was a decent table but nothing close to GC. Almost impossible to get parts for these days.
 
Gandy appears to be a commercial table and favored by at least a few in this GC and Diamond loving domain called AZBilliards. Where does Gandy fall short? Is it quality of workmanship and durability? Design? What does new cloth and rubber not make up for? I am partial to GC, but I"m getting to the point where I might just compromise in order to just get a table. I need 8 or 8+.
The Gandy is much lighter. The Gandy corner castings are lighter and smaller. The Gandy aprons are 1/2" particle board clad with vertical grade plastic laminate. The way the aprons mount to the underside of the rails is woefully lacking. The glue/mounting blocks are stapled through the particle board. They are easily broken. The GC aprons are glued up 3/4" solid poplar. They are bolted to the underside of the rails through glue/mounting blocks that are glued and screwed to the Poplar aprons. The Gandy rails are laminate clad Poplar, 4 1/4" width on face. The GC rails are laminate clad Poplar, 4 1/2" on face. The significant structural difference is the thickness of the main frame members. The GC main frame flat top member measures 1 3/4" x 9 1/8". The upright member measures 3" x 5 7/8". The Gandy members measure approximately 1 3/4" x 6" each. There truly is no viable comparison.
 
The Gandy is much lighter. The Gandy corner castings are lighter and smaller. The Gandy aprons are 1/2" particle board clad with vertical grade plastic laminate. The way the aprons mount to the underside of the rails is woefully lacking. The glue/mounting blocks are stapled through the particle board. They are easily broken. The GC aprons are glued up 3/4" solid poplar. They are bolted to the underside of the rails through glue/mounting blocks that are glued and screwed to the Poplar aprons. The Gandy rails are laminate clad Poplar, 4 1/4" width on face. The GC rails are laminate clad Poplar, 4 1/2" on face. The significant structural difference is the thickness of the main frame members. The GC main frame flat top member measures 1 3/4" x 9 1/8". The upright member measures 3" x 5 7/8". The Gandy members measure approximately 1 3/4" x 6" each. There truly is no viable comparison.
Thank you. Exactly the kind of specific data I was looking for. I guess I'll bide my time until the right GC, Anniversary or Centennial comes around for something other than an arm and a leg.
 
They were styled like a commercial table but that was where it ended. A number of rooms opened up with them because they were cheap.
The Big G was around $700.00. After a few years they were falling apart under public use. Most rooms once established would begin swapping them out a table at a time for usually GC's. I think Wennie Beanie had a bunch he got rid of.
 
There was a Denver room that had all Gandys, what happened in time was this.
Since this table did NOT have that center beam between the leg ends directly under the bed. When you leaned against em length wise, the whole table would move lengthwise up to an 1''. Never seen a table do that, but this room had ALLOT of play. This sub/ framework did/would NOT hold up well in a commercial environment.
 
You can often get GC's for $2500 or less. New cloth, rubber(if needed) and set up will add another grand or so. Still way less than a new Diamond or GC. Nice one in Phoenix: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2651720306...d=link&campid=5335988529&toolid=20001&mkevt=1
GC are great because they are so easy to restore or customize. The sides are nice grade plywood (no partial board). You can paint them to match your room.

I have one I painted a dark gray to match the fireplace. It was white and in the room looked like a behemoth but once it was painted it blended right in and looked great.

One of the knocks on the gold crown for home use has always been its commercial look a lot of women don't like them. But that can be remedied very easily even with custom pinstriping or whatever comes into your head.

I had a pool room once where I closed for 2 days we repainted the whole place including the ceiling and all of the tables. When I reopened the customers walked in they would open a door and stop in their tracks it's like they were in a brand new place.
 
There was a Denver room that had all Gandys, what happened in time was this.
Since this table did NOT have that center beam between the leg ends directly under the bed. When you leaned against em length wise, the whole table would move lengthwise up to an 1''. Never seen a table do that, but this room had ALLOT of play. This sub/ framework did/would NOT hold up well in a commercial environment.
I've set up a number of gold crowns, it's all you can do for one person to lift either leg piece and forget about the frame, takes four people to set the frame on the legs.
The tables are built like tanks that's why they're still around.

One pool room I owned opened in 1959. It did move once since I sold it but all the tables are the same and there's been a million hours played on those GC's they still play great.
 
I paid $2200 for my GC4. I've seen 'like new' GC 1-4 for anywhere from $1000-6500.

A local pool hall has a ton of 9' Gandys and they are in rough shape. Time and patrons haven't been kind to them for sure. I feel alot of the tables demise is lack of care by owners. Combine that with a commercial environment and they seem to wear out quick.

When I moved my GC frame into its room, I leaned it up sideways, stepped into it and stood up with it on one shoulder. Then walked it 25' to the room. It would have been easier with a second set of hands, lol. It's quite a stout table when it's setup.
 
I now have a GClll prior to that I had a Brunswick Viscount in my last home, no comparison the GC is built much better.
Bought the GC for $2300 complete with delivery, installation and new 860 cloth. I did take it apart to refinish the aprons so it looks like new now.
 
GC are great because they are so easy to restore or customize. The sides are nice grade plywood (no partial board). You can paint them to match your room.

I have one I painted a dark gray to match the fireplace. It was white and in the room looked like a behemoth but once it was painted it blended right in and looked great.

One of the knocks on the gold crown for home use has always been its commercial look a lot of women don't like them. But that can be remedied very easily even with custom pinstriping or whatever comes into your head.

I had a pool room once where I closed for 2 days we repainted the whole place including the ceiling and all of the tables. When I reopened the customers walked in they would open a door and stop in their tracks it's like they were in a brand new place.
By sides Im assuming you mean the rail blinds, those are solid Maple on GC's. The only plywood that I can think of on a GC is the center of the legs which is mainly just filler and the stringer. The outer rounded portions of the legs are Poplar as is the ball box. Its pretty easy to tell the difference between the Poplar and Maple on the table when refinishing, Poplar sands easy and stains easy, Maple sands hard and stain does not soak in so easy.
 
I've set up a number of gold crowns, it's all you can do for one person to lift either leg piece and forget about the frame, takes four people to set the frame on the legs.
The tables are built like tanks that's why they're still around.

One pool room I owned opened in 1959. It did move once since I sold it but all the tables are the same and there's been a million hours played on those GC's they still play great.
BS. My buddy and I installed the frame on the legs and I carried the pedestals in and out of my garage several times without issue when I was priming and painting them. It's a stout table for sure but it can be installed by two able bodied men.
 
By sides Im assuming you mean the rail blinds, those are solid Maple on GC's. The only plywood that I can think of on a GC is the center of the legs which is mainly just filler and the stringer. The outer rounded portions of the legs are Poplar as is the ball box. Its pretty easy to tell the difference between the Poplar and Maple on the table when refinishing, Poplar sands easy and stains easy, Maple sands hard and stain does not soak in so easy.
I think there is plywood in the construction of the pedestals and from what I recall, the outer pieces of the pedestals are maple.
 
I think there is plywood in the construction of the pedestals and from what I recall, the outer pieces of the pedestals are maple.
Yeah, I called them legs, the center is definitely plywood, On my GCI the rounded portions of the legs most definitely were not Maple, I started trying to suck stain out because they turned dark so quickly when I stained them. :LOL::mad: I cant imagine what else they would (wood?) have been if not Poplar.
 
By sides Im assuming you mean the rail blinds, those are solid Maple on GC's. The only plywood that I can think of on a GC is the center of the legs which is mainly just filler and the stringer. The outer rounded portions of the legs are Poplar as is the ball box. Its pretty easy to tell the difference between the Poplar and Maple on the table when refinishing, Poplar sands easy and stains easy, Maple sands hard and stain does not soak in so easy.
It may be solid maple, its been a while back. In fact I am sure you are right.
 
I own a 20+ year old Gandy. I find the build quality to be decent and the rails play pretty good. It didn't get much use prior to me owning it so I can see a difference in the rails from when I first started and if I were to keep it I would get new rails. The table structure/frame has caused zero issues.

Would I buy another one, maybe. I was getting divorced when I bought this and had to replace my living room furniture so I bought the best priced 8' table I could find. If I had time to plan there is no doubt I would've waited for GC.
 
Gandy appears to be a commercial table and favored by at least a few in this GC and Diamond loving domain called AZBilliards. Where does Gandy fall short? Is it quality of workmanship and durability? Design? What does new cloth and rubber not make up for? I am partial to GC, but I"m getting to the point where I might just compromise in order to just get a table. I need 8 or 8+.

If I have time tonight I will try to get some pictures of the underside of my table.
 
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