ITS NOT A MARTIN......possibly a TAD, maybe
I hope someone will be able to identify this cue. Before I go further sorry for the crappy pics. I will try and get this outside tomorrow in some sun light and use my other camera and try and get some better pics.
I'm told its a Tad but however it does not have a stamp in the butt cap like my other Tad. Unsure of weight of cue and shaft sizes. Cue has 3 shafts with matching joint protectors. Ivory ferrels and Solid Ivory Joint. Not sure what butt cap is made from, I do not thinks it Ivory. Birdseye Maple forearm and sleeve. Cue is in Excellent condition and has been played with. It's honestly the best shooting cue I've ever had. It's NOT FOR SALE but I would love to know if it's what I'm told it is and whats it's value is.
Thanks
Breezy
I do not think this is a Harvey Martin cue.....here is why
The buttcap looks to opaque to be ivory.......and Martin cues generally had Ivory on the butt cap tho he did make them in white delrin also.....what he didn't do was make the buttcap long like what your showing "TAD" style
The second thing is the joint itself as I can't remember seeing a Martin cue with a piloted joint....FLAT FACED is what he used
Third I can remember seeing a Martin with no ring above the buttcap.....which Harvey didn't put long buttcaps on his cues anyway.
So I really don't believe this to be a Martin cue
I also don't beleive it to be a TAD either....butt cap length is looks right
Pin is incorrect to be a TAD (pretty sure that pin your showing is a 3/8 x 10 as he uses a 3/8 x 12 Pin now and used to use a 5/16 x 18 (meucci style pin)
Tho Martin did use a 3/8 x 10 pin but generally it was out of aluminum or brass and that looks like stainless to me.
There is a TAD similar to this on in the blue book but its his "martin style" cue and has rings above the buttcap.....
IF it is a TAD that hasn't been refinished wrong then it would be 1977 and before b/c before then he didn't have any markings.
I doubt that it would be a Scrager either as he doesn't like doing piloted ivory joints.....he uses piloted joints on his stainless steel jointed cues.
If it were a Martin it would be the newest looking martin on the planet.
If its not a knock off by some random cuemaker then I would lean most to TAD but I'm wondering WTF a 3/8x10 pin is doing in it? And if it were TAD's martinesque cue then it should have a shorter butt cap too.
I'd get in touch with Bert Schrager to get the best opinion on if its one of his or Harvey Martins cues.....as Bert made cues in harveys style for quite a while.
Then contact Tad Kohara and send him some pics and see what he says too.
My bet is that none of the 3 cuemakers Bert, Harvey, TAD made this cue.
It looks far too "new" to be a martin and if someone had it refinished like that they should be shot and skinned IMOP
Wrong pin for a TAD
Def the wrong buttcap for it to be a Schrager or Martin.
AND....Look at the BUMPER.....LOOKS BRAND SPANKING NEW?
There are way too many things with this cue that are setting alarms off in my head.
No doubt is a wonderful looking cue tho and I'm sure it does play very well.
Go straight to the source like I told ya.....don't BS it......if I'm wrong and it is a Martin then it would be worth basically double of whatever the TAD would have been which depending on the date the the cues from those two guys in that style are fetching up to a couple grand for a TAD and up to ohh I'd say 4k for a martin.
But if thats a Martin it may be worth more as its got alot of characteristics that are not common to his cues at all.
Hell I think Harvey's joint pin had more of a beveled tip as opposed to being more round like what yours is showing.
hope that helps best I could figure out,
-Grey Ghost-