Original vs. replica

Tarkus697

Tarkus697

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I inherited my grandfather's Frank Paradise cue (circa 1963). It's nothing fancy, appears to be a Titlist conversion with a leather wrap, brass piloted joint and ivory buttcap. No inlays or anything fancy about it. I had it refinished, had a new shaft manufactured for it and played with it a few times, but given the collectible and heirloom value of the cue, I'd rather not play with it much in the various halls I frequent.

In the eyes of AZBers, is it acceptable to have a cuemaker fashion me a replica of this cue for posterity, since I like the simple design of the cue, or should I the cue for it's given purpose, and that's play the damn game with it?

Thanks for the opinions.
 
Tarkus697 said:
I inherited my grandfather's Frank Paradise cue (circa 1963). It's nothing fancy, appears to be a Titlist conversion with a leather wrap, brass piloted joint and ivory buttcap. No inlays or anything fancy about it. I had it refinished, had a new shaft manufactured for it and played with it a few times, but given the collectible and heirloom value of the cue, I'd rather not play with it much in the various halls I frequent.

In the eyes of AZBers, is it acceptable to have a cuemaker fashion me a replica of this cue for posterity, since I like the simple design of the cue, or should I the cue for it's given purpose, and that's play the damn game with it?

Thanks for the opinions.
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I'm not much of a collector. I used to flip/trade baseball cards as a kid and currently own 4 Ricky Henderson Rookie cards that are completely beaten-up. I'm not big on autographs or newspaper clippings or anything of that sort. If it were me, I wouldn't even ask. I would either play with it or sell it.


Jude M. Rosenstock
 
Tarkus697 said:
I inherited my grandfather's Frank Paradise cue (circa 1963). It's nothing fancy, appears to be a Titlist conversion with a leather wrap, brass piloted joint and ivory buttcap. No inlays or anything fancy about it. I had it refinished, had a new shaft manufactured for it and played with it a few times, but given the collectible and heirloom value of the cue, I'd rather not play with it much in the various halls I frequent.

In the eyes of AZBers, is it acceptable to have a cuemaker fashion me a replica of this cue for posterity, since I like the simple design of the cue, or should I the cue for it's given purpose, and that's play the damn game with it?

Thanks for the opinions.
Click to expand...
If it's simply a Titlist conversion, then I think it's okay to get a Titlist Conversion today since you're just repeating what cuemakers of the time were doing. Best if you can get your hands on a TItlist, but personally I don't think it's necessary. If it's a special design by Paradise, (which it doesn't sound like), then I wouldn't consider replicating it.

You'll probably like the playability of a modern cuemaker. Frank's cues weren't exactly known for great play.

Fred
 
Tarkus697 said:
I inherited my grandfather's Frank Paradise cue (circa 1963). It's nothing fancy, appears to be a Titlist conversion with a leather wrap, brass piloted joint and ivory buttcap. No inlays or anything fancy about it. I had it refinished, had a new shaft manufactured for it and played with it a few times, but given the collectible and heirloom value of the cue, I'd rather not play with it much in the various halls I frequent.

In the eyes of AZBers, is it acceptable to have a cuemaker fashion me a replica of this cue for posterity, since I like the simple design of the cue, or should I the cue for it's given purpose, and that's play the damn game with it?

Thanks for the opinions.
Click to expand...

I disagree that Paradise's don't play well and obviously you think the same since you are considering it as your playing cue. The old Titlist splice is still among the most solid hits of them all. I think the old Paradise cues and Palmers (which are a close relative) played beautifully.

Would I use it?

A lot of us play with $3,000 plus cues. If you consider the cue an important family heirloom that you want to pass down, then it's irreplaceable. I sure wouldn't let the $$ value stop me but the significance is not something I would mess with.

As far as having it duplicated, sure - why not? Most modern cuemakers have built Titlist based customs - so this is something that's considered status quo in the cuemaking world. They can be fashioned from an old Titlist one piece or a Willie Hoppe cue (make sure it's not warped) . If you supply the Titlist you should be able to get it done reasonably enough.

Chris
 
It's only value is to you.

You have already ruined the collector resale value when you had it re-finished. At least that is what Danny Janes told me about my Balabushka years ago. He refused to re-finish it and I never have. (Thanks to Danny, The original brains & craftsmanship behind JOSS cues)
It is an heirloom, enjoy it.

TRY & GL
 
Tarkus697 said:
I inherited my grandfather's Frank Paradise cue (circa 1963). It's nothing fancy, appears to be a Titlist conversion with a leather wrap, brass piloted joint and ivory buttcap. No inlays or anything fancy about it. I had it refinished, had a new shaft manufactured for it and played with it a few times, but given the collectible and heirloom value of the cue, I'd rather not play with it much in the various halls I frequent.

In the eyes of AZBers, is it acceptable to have a cuemaker fashion me a replica of this cue for posterity, since I like the simple design of the cue, or should I the cue for it's given purpose, and that's play the damn game with it?

Thanks for the opinions.
Click to expand...

Hey Tark.. do I know you? I play at Crown in Pompton Lakes and sometimes in Comet. Anyways who did the work on the Paradise? Your cue is only original once, but if its a cue you are going to play with you should protect it. It shouldn't be a big deal to make a copy.. but shhhhh don't say that to loud.. the CDA (Cue Duplication Authority) will be down on you in a second. :)

Joe
 
I think you should keep the cue as a piece of collectible. I agree with Fred that you will find a lot of the cues made in the modern days with better balance and playability.

It is not to be disrespectful to you, your grandfather, or Frank Paradise. In my humble opinion, cues made in the modern days are made with better balance, butt dimension, probably a better joint, simply because we have more knowledge and better technology today.

I would not have refinish the cue to begin with, may be just to clean it up, but not to remove the original finish and apply a new layer of finish on top of it. I hope by refinishing, you are referring to just a basic clean up.

I agree that the Titlist is a nice full spliced blank, but then again, they are usually very thick on the butt end, and butt heavy. I am not very fond of bronze metal joint--they never seem to feel tight for some reason. Of course, it is just my own impression.

I would look at this cue like an antique car: I may drive it once in a while, but I will not use it on a day to day basis. There are better new cars out there to get the job done.

If I were you, I will commission a cue maker to build a cue that looks like your Paradise.

The balance, dimensions, internal construction, shaft taper, joint...etc on this cue will be quite different from your original Paradise.

I will have the cue built from scratch. Some of the Titlist blanks were made overseas, most of them do not have even points, they are mostly made of rosewood; therefore, I would ask my favourite cue maker to build one from scratch with my favourite wood, with even points, and my choice of veneers with my favourite joint. I will not try to have an identical cue--but one which pays tribute to the old Paradise.

That is what I would have done.

Thank you.

Richard
 
nipponbilliards said:
I think you should keep the cue as a piece of collectible. I agree with Fred that you will find a lot of the cues made in the modern days with better balance and playability.

It is not to be disrespectful to you, your grandfather, or Frank Paradise. In my humble opinion, cues made in the modern days are made with better balance, butt dimension, probably a better joint, simply because we have more knowledge and better technology today.

I would not have refinish the cue to begin with, may be just to clean it up, but not to remove the original finish and apply a new layer of finish on top of it. I hope by refinishing, you are referring to just a basic clean up.

I agree that the Titlist is a nice full spliced blank, but then again, they are usually very thick on the butt end, and butt heavy. I am not very fond of bronze metal joint--they never seem to feel tight for some reason. Of course, it is just my own impression.

I would look at this cue like an antique car: I may drive it once in a while, but I will not use it on a day to day basis. There are better new cars out there to get the job done.

If I were you, I will commission a cue maker to build a cue that looks like your Paradise.

The balance, dimensions, internal construction, shaft taper, joint...etc on this cue will be quite different from your original Paradise.

I will have the cue built from scratch. Some of the Titlist blanks were made overseas, most of them do not have even points, they are mostly made of rosewood; therefore, I would ask my favourite cue maker to build one from scratch with my favourite wood, with even points, and my choice of veneers with my favourite joint. I will not try to have an identical cue--but one which pays tribute to the old Paradise.

That is what I would have done.

Thank you.

Richard
Click to expand...

When I say "refinished," I mean cleaned up. The joint was loose, so it was re-attached securely and was polished. The cue itself was polished, but the original finish was left alone, to my knowledge. The leather wrap was removed and re-dyed and the ivory buttcap was cleaned.

I had all the work, including the new shaft, done by Proficient Billiards out in PA.

That is what I'm probably going to do then, have a similar cue made by a modern cue maker and take the Paradise out for a drive once in a while.

That being said, what cue makers can you suggest that are reasonable in price and do good work? :D

Thanks for all the input!

classiccues,
You probably don't know me. I used to shoot in and around Montclair, and had been to Comet a few times. I'm living in New Rochelle, NY now and have been frequenting some of the places up here.
 
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