New Varney with blk G10 Radial

[1pRoscoe]

So you know how practically all known cuemakers (and a large bunch you've never heard of) are in the Blue Book.... And how it usually prefaces their values with a bit of history. Anways, I was just curious as to the "portfolio" of said Mr. Varney, so I went to my stash of Blue Books and grabbed the first edition... V, ok, Va... Varn? No Varney? Hrmm.. Must be the second one... Nope, not there either, so he HAS to be in the third Blue Book. Not there either, huh?

Wow.... Guess you'd better call the press to issue a recall, there is a major flaw................ or is there?

To echo onto Pharaoh's statements, it is obvious that no one steps up when the ego has risen to it's highest point. Kinda reminds me of Ricky Bobby.. I'm the best there is. I wake up in the morning and piss excellence.

 

[pharaoh68]

He's telling the truth. He hit 3 or 4 balls with Brooklynjays used Varney sneaky that had a very used, very early TigerX shaft on it. So thats his sole Varney experience he's using to make his expert opinion. Hey at least he said it played "OK"...I hardly think that cue is worthy of comparision to some of the all time greats like SW & etc. But hey...its nice to be mentioned in the same breath with the greats...who knows...maybe one day if I work real hard and perfect my trade, I'll be worthy of his praise.

Howdy Kev! Its been a while huh?

You'll be pleased to know that I will be one day soon reviewing a Kevin Varney original. That's right. Not a stock blank purchased from Prather. Not a Tiger X shaft. A cue that is 100% yours (or so you say). And if it hits as good as Jay's sneaky did, I won't have anything negative to say about the way it plays. You forget Kevin- I liked the way Jay's sneaky played. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if I like the way one of your own cues plays. And here's the thing. I'm not above admitting my mistakes. I'm more than willing to start a thread on here admitting I was wrong (if it turns out that I am). So, until then, be well and keep churning them out. People on this site seem to love you and your work.

I, in turn, will be eagerly awaiting the day when I can take a 'real' Kevin Varney cue for a test drive to see just how good you really are. Maybe then I'll get to see what all the 'champions' are talking about.

Regards,
Brian

 

[Bishop]

First off, yes. I am the guy that questioned ydie's integrity and rightly so. She started a thread asking for the help of AZers and offered a reward. Then, when it was time for the reward to be claimed and the whole fiasco went downhill really quickly, Eydie threw up her hands and said "I'm having no part of this!!! I just posted a message for someone else!"

I think that's a bit different than this situation in which someone posted a cue in the 'CUE GALLERY' section. Now, the point of a gallery is to showcase people's work, and for what purpose?!?! For others to come and view and form their own opinions of said work. That was what I did here. And you as well as a whole slew of others objected to it.

Now, here's a question for you Bishop, seeing as how you seem to be the judge of what is acceptible and unacceptible behavior on these forums:

Why is it that when I offer my opinion of a cue, I am considered a pr!ck/a$$ hole/d!ck/whatever else you want to call me? Why is it that I'm the bad guy because I keep giving Kevin a hard time yet none of you seem to say ONE WORD when Kevin's ego unleashes and he claims that his cues are 'the best playing cues on the planet'. Not a single on of you says a damn thing when Kevin makes the claim that he does all the work for certain pro players and then that very pro steps forward and says 'Huh?!?! Really?!?!'.

No, you guys don't do that. You don't attack Kevin for his ways. You just jump down my throat for sharing my honest opinions with you. Make no mistake about it Bishop. I'm not the only one here whose actions reflect a bias. Your loyalty to Kevin is admirable but don't think for one second that you can even be considered a voice of reason in a debate like this. Because you turn a blind eye to Kevin and his hubris then look at someone like me and claim that I'm some sort of arrogant S.O.B.

And thanks for the kind words on my dog. 'He' is actually a 'she'. She's a female dog, also known as a b!tch. Ironically, her name is Bishop too.

You are considered a pr!ck when you offer your opinion because its rarely productive. You typically just take pot shots without putting any legitimate info on the table for people to feed on. Thats the problem bro. I have no problem with negative opinions but you simply flame to flame because you don't like him and really nothing more. You're hellbent on screwing with him because in the past you've gotten a rise out of him. Its childish and annoying. So be it if I have to be another one to stoop to your level to let you know how ridiculous it is.

I defend Varney not because I have a Varney because I don't. Not because I'm a friend of Varney because I don't know him. Its because of the way you attack him that makes me speak up. He could be anyone and I'd still strike back.

But to be quite honest I think you mistake Varney's pride with arrogance and mistake his passion for being pompous. Can't the man be proud of his craft and sell himself accordingly without you dicking it up because of a personal problem. Do you sit around the dealership bashing Kia's because they say they're the best in their class. Let the guy sell his stuff you're points been made over 100 times. We get it already he apologized for kicking your dog sometime last year......move on.


Now the Eydie thing is just plain wrong. You have no leg to stand on to single her out. I understand that she brought the stolen cue to our attention but she wasn't the one posting the reward. She never represented herself that way.

Let me tell a story for you...

A little girl turns up missing in a local neighborhood. The head of the homeowners association rally's the neighborhood up to help find this girl and drums up tremendous support for the grieving mother. They find out the mother actually beat and killed the little girl. Are you going to question the integrity of the head of the homeowners association for supporting a would be killer. Is she to blame for misrepresenting the situation.

The answer is no. Sometimes in life people help the wrong people. Eydie offered her support when in hindsite maybe she shouldn't have been such a nice person and drum up support for a loser. She's not to blame. Why is this so hard for you to understand?

 

[pharaoh68]

You are considered a pr!ck when you offer your opinion because its rarely productive. You typically just take pot shots without putting any legitimate info on the table for people to feed on. Thats the problem bro. I have no problem with negative opinions but you simply flame to flame because you don't like him and really nothing more. You're hellbent on screwing with him because in the past you've gotten a rise out of him. Its childish and annoying. So be it if I have to be another one to stoop to your level to let you know how ridiculous it is.

Bishop-
If a man repeatedly stands on a platform and shouts lies like "I am the best" and "All the pros agree" and things of that nature, perhaps his body of work should reflect that. When it so clearly does not, that man deserves to be called on it every time. I do not attack Kevin and his cues simply to get a rise out of him. I do so because he constantly touts himself and his work as being just about the best out there and personally, I think that's ridiculous.

My reasons for attacking KV's work is simple. If you're going to clami to be among the best out there, your body of work had better live up to that claim. If it doesn't, don't expect the world to just let you slip through the cracks.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Brian

 

[1pRoscoe]

Where the hell is my lamp?

 

[pharaoh68]

Where the hell is my lamp?

I am making sweet, sweet love to it.

 

[Bishop]

Bishop-
If a man repeatedly stands on a platform and shouts lies like "I am the best" and "All the pros agree" and things of that nature, perhaps his body of work should reflect that. When it so clearly does not, that man deserves to be called on it every time. I do not attack Kevin and his cues simply to get a rise out of him. I do so because he constantly touts himself and his work as being just about the best out there and personally, I think that's ridiculous.

My reasons for attacking KV's work is simple. If you're going to clami to be among the best out there, your body of work had better live up to that claim. If it doesn't, don't expect the world to just let you slip through the cracks.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,
Brian

I'm not saying there aren't any out there but I've never seen a dissatified Varney customer.

I don't doubt for a minute that a few pros have shot with his work and sung his praises. Its his job to maximize those words and echo them as loudly as possible.....the man is trying to make a living off his work. He's trying to make a name.

In his eyes and in his opinion he makes the best hitting stick on the market and he has every right to feel that way. He never said he was the most innovative or the most beautiful or the best anything tangible other than hit and feel and fit and finish. Other than yourself I have yet to see a sh!t review on the guy. I don't see him charging thousands over thousands for another cookie cutter cue. The guy is very reasonably priced for a custom hand made stick. I don't see that he's out of line at all.

My personal .02 on his work....

Its not flashy. I like that his finish isn't eye burning bright and its more subtle. I get the impression that they are players not shelf queens. So his cues aren't 40 points deep with ivory and gold inlays because thats not his style. I enjoy the way they look (almost retro or throwback to a simpler time) and thats just my opinion.

I've played with high end stuff before and didn't care for it. I've played with mid level stuff and didn't care for it. I've fallen in love with cue makers that you may not of even heard of. Everyone should say their work is the best because if they don't think what they are doing is better than the guy down the street then why bother. I wouldn't that persons work.

 

[pharaoh68]

I'm not saying there aren't any out there but I've never seen a dissatified Varney customer.

I don't doubt for a minute that a few pros have shot with his work and sung his praises. Its his job to maximize those words and echo them as loudly as possible.....the man is trying to make a living off his work. He's trying to make a name.

In his eyes and in his opinion he makes the best hitting stick on the market and he has every right to feel that way. He never said he was the most innovative or the most beautiful or the best anything tangible other than hit and feel and fit and finish. Other than yourself I have yet to see a sh!t review on the guy. I don't see him charging thousands over thousands for another cookie cutter cue. The guy is very reasonably priced for a custom hand made stick. I don't see that he's out of line at all.

My personal .02 on his work....

Its not flashy. I like that his finish isn't eye burning bright and its more subtle. I get the impression that they are players not shelf queens. So his cues aren't 40 points deep with ivory and gold inlays because thats not his style. I enjoy the way they look (almost retro or throwback to a simpler time) and thats just my opinion.

I've played with high end stuff before and didn't care for it. I've played with mid level stuff and didn't care for it. I've fallen in love with cue makers that you may not of even heard of. Everyone should say their work is the best because if they don't think what they are doing is better than the guy down the street then why bother. I wouldn't that persons work.

Bishop-

I see what it is that you're saying and to a degree, I agree with you. I think most cuemakers build cues the way they think a cue should look/play/etc. However, you don't see Ernie Gutierrez on AZ posting how his cues are ten times better than any other out there and how World Champion and 3 time Challenge of Champions winner Fong Pang Chao used to use nothing but Gina's. No. He lets his work speak for itself.

As well, you don't see other lesser known makers touting the fact that pros use their services and their services alone and then a few days later, have that pro question the verity of that statement. These are among the reasons that I object to KV's methods of advertising.

And while I do agree that Kevin's designs are more simple, its not the 'simple' factor that I dislike. Its his execution of those simple designs. That's where my gripe lies.

 

[Hierovision]

Varney is a good cuemaker and treats his customers top-notch. He's not among the best out there as far as I can tell but I don't have a 100% Varney piece of work to judge by. I have a sneaky with a predator shaft and his super-basic j/b. The pictures I have seen of his 100% custom work are pretty nice looking (especially this one) although I have to admit the ringwork seemed kind of boring and repetative. The veneers look sharp, even, and I can't really see any glue lines (I have between 20/15 and 20/10). I REALLY like the bocote, so it seems as though he has a nice stash of at least SOME high-quality woods. As far as price... You can ask Kevin, I paid what I thought was a fair price for both of my cues. He won't tell you what I paid I don't think, but it's pretty low for what his cues tend to go for on here.

Basically if you're a smart shopper you won't get hosed and your wallet won't suffer from hype. If someone wants to buy a wrapless 4 point 3 veneer from Kevin for $1000 I'm not going to question them. I'm going to offer what I think is fair if I even want it. If he posts something for sale then he will discover what the market is willing to pay, whether someone expresses their opinion about it or not.

Essentially what I'm saying is... he may have an ego but either way the market says better than anyone what people are going to pay for his work. People have thin skin these days and any kind of perceived abbrasiveness on the subject can spark anything from a subtle retort to an outright death threat. Me, I might express myself in a hopefully non-insulting way if an asking price is completely outrageous and then let others develop their own opinions on value. It's easier that way and then you won't have people like Bishop hounding () you.

 

[Bishop]

I guess I feel there is a more productive way to get your point across without being a jerk about it.

I like what Hierovision said "Me, I might express myself in a hopefully non-insulting way if an asking price is completely outrageous and then let others develop their own opinions on value."

Continue to do what ever it is that you are comfortable with but I think being a decent human being should enter the equations somewhere.

 

[1pRoscoe]

I guess I feel there is a more productive way to get your point across without being a jerk about it.

I like what Hierovision said "Me, I might express myself in a hopefully non-insulting way if an asking price is completely outrageous and then let others develop their own opinions on value."

Continue to do what ever it is that you are comfortable with but I think being a decent human being should enter the equations somewhere.

Wow, are you being a bit more judgemental than he was being! How/where was Brian being a jerk about it? Was he personally insulting?

Based upon your last statement, Brian is not a decent human being. Is that was you are eluding to?

Just curious....

 

[Bishop]

NO....I don't know what kind of human being he is in preson but what I'm saying is that he doesn't act decent.

He is and has been insulting on numerous occasions and pretty much prides himself on it. I really don't feel like spending my time going back and looking at his posts to prove it but if I have to do that to get my point across I will.

 

[1pRoscoe]

NO....I don't know what kind of human being he is in preson but what I'm saying is that he doesn't act decent.

He is and has been insulting on numerous occasions and pretty much prides himself on it. I really don't feel like spending my time going back and looking at his posts to prove it but if I have to do that to get my point across I will.

So if he doens't conform to your standards, then it's wrong?

 

[Bishop]

Its not my personal standard. Its just a general standard of decency. Most people feel that since its a message board they can just be as rude and disrespectful as they please. I choose to treat each and every member as if I was dealing with them in person. I know most don't care about how they act here so I'm not suprised by anything. But if this guy showed up and badgered people on a daily basis like this I bet he'd get his tail kicked.

I'm sorry if you can't see the imaginary line of public decency.

 

[1pRoscoe]

Its not my personal standard. Its just a general standard of decency. Most people feel that since its a message board they can just be as rude and disrespectful as they please. I choose to treat each and every member as if I was dealing with them in person. I know most don't care about how they act here so I'm not suprised by anything. But if this guy showed up and badgered people on a daily basis like this I bet he'd get his tail kicked.

I'm sorry if you can't see the imaginary line of public decency.

I still haven't seen any disrespect, as blatant as you trying to point it out.

Now as for you saying you choose to treat each and every member as if you were dealing with them in person, I highly doubt you would repeatedly call someone a "jerk" and a "pr!ck", I'm quite certian that you would get your tailed kicked for that as well.

Practice what you are preaching... It's not too late to start.

 

[Bishop]

Why is it that when I offer my opinion of a cue, I am considered a pr!ck/a$$ hole/d!ck/whatever else you want to call me?

My god....I didn't call him a pr!ck it was in response to what he said about himself. I just repeated his own sentiment to make a point. Read back buddy I didn't call him anything.

I do however think he's being a jerk about this whole thing. We'll never see eye to eye. I don't think its right to act the way he's acting time and time again. He's already said how "everyone hates him" blah blah blah wellll I wonder why.

 

[pharaoh68]

Its not my personal standard. Its just a general standard of decency. Most people feel that since its a message board they can just be as rude and disrespectful as they please. I choose to treat each and every member as if I was dealing with them in person. I know most don't care about how they act here so I'm not suprised by anything. But if this guy showed up and badgered people on a daily basis like this I bet he'd get his tail kicked.

I'm sorry if you can't see the imaginary line of public decency.

Bishop-
Note that I highlighted two of your sentences above. The reason for doing this is simple: there is NO such thing as a "general standard of decency". Each individual on this forum and outside of this forum has their own set of values, morals, and ethics. As well, each has their own idea of what a decent code of conduct is.

For example, when Kevin posts a cue in the "Cue Gallery" section and a fellow AZer responds by saying: "Sweet cue. I'll give you $250 for it" (or words to that effect), MY idea of decency would not be to have Kevin laugh arrogantly and say "That wouldn't even buy one of the shafts!" but that has happened here before on at least one occassion. I would also say that my idea of decency would not be to lie and tell an entire online forum that you exclusively do all the work for a certain pro player, only to have that player jump in and say "Wait. What? I didn't know that".

My point is twofold:

One: Kevin has done quite a bit on these forums to warrant any and all responses he may get.

Two: don't think for one second that what you consider to be a general standard of decency is a standard that is accepted and recognized by the rest of the world.

You are right when you say that outside of this forum, you don't know me at all and I don't know you either. But I can tell that you and I have very different standards of what is considered decent conduct. Does that make me right? No. Does it make you right? No. If you don't like what I have to say, don't read it - ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!!!!!!!

 

[Varney Cues]

For example, when Kevin posts a cue in the "Cue Gallery" section and a fellow AZer responds by saying: "Sweet cue. I'll give you $250 for it" (or words to that effect), MY idea of decency would not be to have Kevin laugh arrogantly and say "That wouldn't even buy one of the shafts!" but that has happened here before on at least one occassion. I would also say that my idea of decency would not be to lie and tell an entire online forum that you exclusively do all the work for a certain pro player, only to have that player jump in and say "Wait. What? I didn't know that".

If you are going to play self appointed forum policeman then you need to get your facts straight!!!
First of all...if someone makes an offer so ridiculously low its a joke, then I can make a joke of their unserious offer. Sorry you find that so arrogant. Why don't you try using the ignore function so you don't have to see my arrogance...instead of following my every post with your childish harrassment as you so enjoy. I think I speak for many on this forum as we have all seen your crying game and have grown very tired of your continued antics.
Secondly...JUST STOP WITH THE LIES!!! Your above quoted statement serves as dribble to try and misinform any forum member who may not stalk every mention of my name such as yourself. The pro player you mention is Kristy Carter. I never said I did all her work...just some. She got on here and lied saying I did nothing for her...only to admit later in another thread that yes I had done several tips and ferrules for her & retapered a couple of shafts. The truth to the matter is I have said that for the past several years I have done all of Allison's work...she has never disputed that and even has in the past made mention of me doing her repair work on her website. I never made any such claim about Carter. She was simply a friend of Allison's who had been to my shop for a bit of repair work. Thats the truth and its there for the reading if anyone would care to dig up the threads and read them completely.
This is the last I reply to this very tired thread and I now will put you and your buddies back onto my ignore list. You have grown into such a joke on this forum...everyone is wise to you. Go back to your other forum, maybe someone respects your opinion there.

 

[bogey54311]

there is NO such thing as a "general standard of decency". Each individual on this forum and outside of this forum has their own set of values, morals, and ethics. As well, each has their own idea of what a decent code of conduct is.

i dissagree brian. there IS a general standard of decency here. (AZ). Mr. wilson and Mike make sure it is so. this is not a place where you can say ANYTHING. i like it that way, along with most. and it should be that way. they own it. it is a privilege to be here.
outside this forum, yes, i agree......do what you wish, as long as you don't harm anyone else.


chris G

 

[pooltableproCP]

cue review forthcoming...

I too will be receiving a Varney cue fairly soon, and will post my review of the finished product. So far though, I can tell you that the design, negotiation, communication and payment phases of the cue process have been top notch. No b.s. just facts, figures and timetables. Very professional in my opinion. I will update when I have the cue.

Chris