Your Mistake Was Using E-Mail
I've spoken with Richard Black by telephone and he still personally answers the phone too. He has always gone out of his way to help me and at his inconvenience I might add.
Your critique of the cue seems warranted and Richard had very high standards. In early June, I bought the Richard Black Bushka cue on Cornerstone Cues. First let me state what a great experience it was buying the cue from Bill Grassley. I spoke with Richard Black before buying the cue and he went out of his way to help me by looking up records and answering questions. He sent Bill an aluminum bolt free of charge so I might lighten the cue too.
Anyone looking for a gorgeous Richard Black Bushka cue that hits as sweet as my Scruggs & Mottey cues play, and by the way, the Richard Black Bushka on Cornerstone has a piloted ivory joint too. check out Cornerstone Cues ($2000-2499 price range). I jumped on it because it's the first ivory joint Bushka cue design I've seen by any cue-maker. All the Bushka designs are steel joints and usually 5/16x14. This is the most beautiful Bushka and the ivory joint makes it somewhat rare and unique in my estimation. Alas, Bill allowed me to return the cue because I wasn't able to lower the cue weigh as much as I had expected with the aluminum bolt Richard Black furnished. No questions whatsoever from Bill and he very graciously allowed me to return the cue for a refund. He's totally committed to customer satisfaction and I look forward to doing business again with him in the hopefully not too distant future.
Back to your e-mail to Richard Black, it's my experience that e-mail is the most impersonal method of communication, next to tweets and text messages. Richard is a legendary cue-maker and deservedly so but he can always error and make mistakes, or have a shitty day. He's not getting any younger and everyone has good days and bad days. I know his wife's health hasn't been good recently speaking and when you send an e-mail, it' subject to the reader's interpretation........ and the mood he might be in at the time it's read. You should have picked up the phone and just discussed the cue and shared your observations since you have the cue and he can't view it so he has to rely upon what you wrote without any confirmation. You could have nicely told him about you felt were flaws in the cue. The two of you could have discussed the matter in a more positive framework and I think he would have handled it differently. I don't know that to be true but I know e-mail was not the right way to contact him.
This isn't my hindsight observation about what happened. Make it a point to always look the other man or woman in the eye when you consummate or negotiate any deal or discuss important matters. If you are unable to look them directly in the eye, then always personally speak with that person and never substitute or rely upon e-mails, voice mails, texts, or tweets. That's fine for follow-up and confirmation purposes but not as a substitute for face to face discussions or personally speaking with the other person. E-mails are very cold,impersonal, a little cowardly and so easily misconstrued and misunderstood. For important matters, always rely upon personally speaking with the person. And calling after first sending an e-mail doesn't qualify as anything more than a foot in mouth guffaw.
The RB Bushka cue from Cornerstone Cues that I returned was in "exceptional, pristine condition" and there was nary a single flaw. If I owned your Bushka cue, I would be very unhappy with the cue but I would have tackled the problem differently......just my two cents.
. So many gems in the closet :wink:
