Old Schuler cue?
- Thread starter machbldr
- Start date
Old Schuler Cue? YES!
It definitely IS a Schuler cue. As far as age, check with the Schuler people. Also the pencil markings on the wood the collar surrounds denotes the kind/style/taper of the shaft. Schuler makes A LOT of different shaft. F.Y.I.
It definitely IS a Schuler cue. As far as age, check with the Schuler people. Also the pencil markings on the wood the collar surrounds denotes the kind/style/taper of the shaft. Schuler makes A LOT of different shaft. F.Y.I.
Thanks for the replys, The man I got the cue from stated that his father bought it over 30 years ago. Looking at the cue, I agree it is certainly 30 years old of more. Nice thing is, both shafts are perfectly straight. The only bad thing is that the butt cap is not original so I am seeking a replacement. I took it apart and it uses a brass washer sandwiched between two rubber Orings to keep it in place. The newer Schuler cues use the same type of rig so I am going to try to order one and see if it fits..
Im stoked, this cue plays excellent and has a very solid hit..
Im stoked, this cue plays excellent and has a very solid hit..
I sold Ray's cues back in the early 90s and currently own 4 of his cues, including an unsigned oak cue with the same joint collar as shown in your pic. He started signing all his cues around that time. Prior to that, only his prettier cues were signed. The 'merry widow' cues, such as yours, typically did not get signed. The writing on the shaft is the gram weight of the shaft.
Aside from the bumper and oddball washers, you should be able to find everything you need at a good hardware store. If you replace the O-rings, do not lubricate them with anything more synthetic than saliva.
Aside from the bumper and oddball washers, you should be able to find everything you need at a good hardware store. If you replace the O-rings, do not lubricate them with anything more synthetic than saliva.
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It's a Schuler for sure. I have an unsigned Schuler cue exactly like that. The butt is padauk and it has a stainless steel joint collar and a white Delrin butt plate. I bought mine in the mid-80's time frame for my uncle, and when he died I got it back. At the time Ray offered a "custom cue" line and a "standard cue" line, and that cue was from the standard line. Back then Ray signed only the customs.
I have an old Schuler brochure where that cue is identified as CR140, and $140 may have been the price for the cue with one shaft. I can't remember exactly but it was in that range. The brochure describes the standard line like this: "Many of the critical choices have been standarized for you. Select the model, weight range, and desired shaft taper. That's all there is to it."
I can't be sure from the picture but the white butt cap does look like the original. However, the rubber bumper looks bigger than the original one. The bumper on mine has a smaller diameter than the butt plate. The current Schuler bumper assembly with the washers and O-rings will fit your cue.
I still play with that cue for 3 cushion. It hits as good as the more expensive Schulers and IMHO that means it hits as good as any cue on the planet. The orange-ish padauk wood is very attractive. It's a very fine cue - congrats on your find!
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Congrats. Sounds like you made a helluva find there.
In 1990, an SC120 ,which was made of oak, was selling for $215.
It looks like Ray raised his prices. I'm not sure when I bought the cue but my best guess is late 1983. I'm fairly positive that it cost around $140 or $150 with one shaft. My own 4 point "custom" cost $300 with two shafts around 1982-83 and I'm sure about that price.
The brochure I have that shows the CR140 padauk cue also shows a plain oak cue without wrap as model CR100 and a plain oak with wrap as CR120. The top of the "standard" line in the brochure was CR200, a four point cue with veneers - it looks like a beauty. The brochure shows the phone number with a 312 area code and the address as 1007 N. Stratford Road in Arlington Heights.
My first Schuler was a variant of an SC 240. Mine has a black joint, 4 ebony points into grey stained birdseye with ebony but and 4 BEM windows. Darth Vader would be proud. It was $450 in 1991. At the time, the SC models went up to 300. There were no veneered point cues in the lineup at that point. Everything was pantographed unless special ordered.
When I met Ray, his shop was in...was in...I can't remember, but it was on Wolf Rd. Ahhh, Wheeling! That was 708 area by then.
When I met Ray, his shop was in...was in...I can't remember, but it was on Wolf Rd. Ahhh, Wheeling! That was 708 area by then.
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I bought a Schuler Cue from an old timer in Chris's in Chicago. He assured me that it was one of Ray's cues. But it has 'Jerico' engraved on the butt. So what's that all about.
I showed it to a collector in Tokyo and he offered me "
$1700 for it (about 6 times what I paid).
I showed it to a collector in Tokyo and he offered me "
$1700 for it (about 6 times what I paid).
As others said, that's definitely a Schuler. And it is an old one. The collar is aluminum. It might have been signed, but if it had a refinish, you lose the signature unless the refinish was done at the Schuler shop. I have one about the same age (1981 or so) and it has a signature... Mrs. Schuler's. I asked her to sign it when I visited years ago.
Take a photo of the whole bumper brass washer/ o-ring setup or at least weigh it. When the Schuler shop was still running, they had all the bumper assemblies pre-assembled by weight. This system is the most unique in the industry as the bumper is part of the balancing/weighting system combined with the shaft weight (which should be marked). The weights are designed to float so that the weight bolt doesn't significantly add any feel or noise to the hit.
Schuler was a genius when it came to taking as much noise out of the cue.
If you have any issue with at least getting an original bumper from a dealer or anyone else, shoot me a PM.
Freddie
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