Open letter to bob meucci

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pro9dg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
AN OPEN LETTER TO BOB MEUCCI

Hello Bob
It is almost 25 years ago that we first met in the Hilton Hotel in Dusseldorf and I remember it as if it was yesterday.

Not many people in this world inspire a feeling of awe in me but you did that day. A Man Mountain dressed in Hawaiian Shirt and Bermuda Shorts, you truly were a sight to see.

I refereed World Team Billiards which you sponsored in those days and it set in motion the 9 Ball game in the UK. I started the UK Pro 9 Ball Tour and you were very generous with your support.

You gave me a plethora of cues which I gave to my players. All the top British players of the day - Steve Knight, Daryl Peach, Tommy Donlon, Andy Richardson, Ray Allard - all played with a Meucci.

We became good friends and you came to Brighton to support the first televised pool event that I did and you came to London with a cue for His Royal Highness, Prince Billah Crown Prince of Brunei.

Your knowledge of cue making (and of wood technology) is legend and you were always able to garner attentive audiences whenever you held court.

Over the years this charisma has not diminished and I saw evidence of this at the ill fated Galveston event. You were still the cuemaker that the other cuemakers congregated around.

The charisma may still be there but the product no longer matches up to it. I still have an original Gambler that you gave to me and it is still ramrod straight and it will have to be prised out of my dying clutches.

But I hear so many stories and have seen for myself how the standard and quality of the cues that bear your name has hit rock bottom.

I believe that you have delegated the business decisions to others but do you not care that the reputation as the first designer cue producer now lies in tatters.

What was once the most desirable piece of sports equipment in the world of cuesports is now a dud. Only people who had the pleasure of gazing at the cue you made for Jim Rempe - THE TAJ MAHAL with 27 elephants curling their way trunk-to-tail up the butt to this majestic Indian landmark
could understand what I mean. There were others too almost as beautiful
which few people aspire to emulate but Meucci designs were the NUTS!

How would it be possible to find a way back to those days where quality control was paramount and the Meucci name on your cue gave you status and probably the 5 Ball too.

I hope that you don't take this too personally (if you do read it) but it would be sad if your only legacy was as a manufacturer of these inferior products.

Sort it Big Man

Doug
 
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Meucci cues, even at their peak, were never higher quality than several other cues. They were all about the long thin taper and low deflection. The unique feel only Meucci cues have.

They have declined since the 1990's. Which is pretty bad being they were never a solid cue. What I mean by that is quality of construction. Meucci cues, I hate to say it, are junk. And that's nothing new.

Doesn't mean one can't play just fine with one or win tournaments. Many do and many more have.

Meucci has always been a sales pitch. They've used some of the cheapest materials available, and even convinced tens of thousands of customers that these materials were chosen because of their low-deflection properties or how they help add "power" to the cue for more spin/speed rather than the true reason which is that they are simply inexpensive materials.

They also had a massive sponsoring and advertising campaign. That's the only reason they were on top back in those days. Don't confuse that with quality. Those players were all paid to play with that cue. Players are still paid to play with cues today.

Meucci shafts aren't bad though. Or at least they didn't used to be. However, the butts are simply not structurally sound at all. It's a poor quality production cue.
 
Open letter to Bob Meucci

Hasn't this guy been beat on enough?
Nobody seems to know what happened but everyone has known these cues are not for everyone for the last 25 years.
Do you think at his age he is going to revamp his whole manufacturing process in this economy?
If he helped you that much and you post this, whether or not he ever sees this , you should send a letter of apology to him.
I certainly hope I never did anything nice for you, I don't think I could stand the heat.
 
How many league players are in the US? I would be willing to say that 90% of them either want a meucci or have one. True they may have went down hill but the name sells. So if you can build them cheaper and sell just as many well y not. As bad as it may sound thats good business. JMHO
 
I wouldnt sell my meucci original for anything,i play with it everyday for the last 20years,i would be lost trying to play without it!
 
After a several year (somewhere between 6 and 8) hiatus from selling Meuccis, I am considering adding them to the lineup again. I was hoping that they had gotten the message by now, and that with the new factory they would have made the necessary improvements. I noticed that Seyberts is selling them again, and I respect that retailer enough to assume they have done their due diligence and seen the improvements I hope to see. I know there are some new cues at lower price points and demand for them is still strong, so I think I'm going to give them a second chance.

-Mike
 
book collector said:
Hasn't this guy been beat on enough?
Nobody seems to know what happened but everyone has known these cues are not for everyone for the last 25 years.
Do you think at his age he is going to revamp his whole manufacturing process in this economy?
If he helped you that much and you post this, whether or not he ever sees this , you should send a letter of apology to him.
I certainly hope I never did anything nice for you, I don't think I could stand the heat.
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I think the post was well written, brought up a lot of valid points, and no apology is necessary, IMHO.
 
I still love my Meuccis, they all play great .



Even the 21st. Century 3, my latest Cue from Bob.

I Started Meucci playin 1988 and i never say a bad word about my
wonderful cues.

Greetings to other Meucci Players from Germany
with another pic.

 
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About ten years ago I bought a Meucci just to have one for my collection. It rarely gets played and looks great, when I purchased it I knew that the quality was not the best but this cue has no flaws and looks great. Even though this cue doesn't get played much I love simplicity of it.
 

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There never will be another Bob Meucci. Love him or not he is the father of all the "High End" theme cues that exist in the world.

The original post is well written, heartfelt and exactly what needed to be said.

Meucci haters can say what they want to say but no single brand has been used to win more events around the world than Meucci.

I have seen TOP pros lay down their sponsored cues and pick up their "old" Meuccis when gambling. Whether Meucci is right or wrong about how a cue should be made or how it should play there is NO DOUBT that A LOT of top pros bet their careers on Meucci cues and did all right with them.

Meuccis are much more than marketing hype. And there are a LOT of them still in existence which have survived 20-30 years and are dead straight with no issues.

I think that you won't find very many players in the 40-60 year old bracket who haven't owned a Meucci or two.

So I agree with the original poster and hope to see Bob get back in the game. It's a LOT tougher now than when he ruled the cue world but I predict he still has a lot of fight in him.
 
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My first "real" cue was a Meucci Hustler. It was a very, very nice cue that played very well. I wish I had not sold it!

bes
 
midstroke said:
How many league players are in the US? I would be willing to say that 90% of them either want a meucci or have one. True they may have went down hill but the name sells. So if you can build them cheaper and sell just as many well y not. As bad as it may sound thats good business. JMHO
Click to expand...

You've got action on the 90% estimate. Start counting and get back to me when you're done. Do it for $100?
 
League players

No one in my league plays with or owns one. They were decent enough cues in the day. But, the reputation is gone. I wouldn't stock them to sell, not when there are so many other respected, quality cue makers out there. Even the cheap imports have better quality control.
 
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