rare high end Varney

[buddha162]

Guys, I gotta ask.

Why are you knocking his work if you've never seen, felt or used one?

I really don't think anyone is knocking his work. No one said a negative thing about that cue, certainly not me.

Either buy it or not, but the complaining about something you have no point of reference for is nuts.

I think there are plenty of reference points available for the discussion of his asking price, ie relative stature in the cuemaking world, relative retail prices from comparable and incomparable cuemakers, etc.

This is a cue being offered by the cuemaker himself. He's making all sorts of claims (and imo, boasts) about why his cue deserves a 1k pricetag, before anyone said anything about the price. To me, this opens up discussion for the reasoning behind the $ amount, and whether the cue is *worth* that much money.

Many of us buy and trade custom cues and keep up with the cue market in general. Plenty of asking prices in the for sale section has been discussed and debated. Just because Varney's item happens to be his own creation should not exempts him from this line of conversation.

-Roger

 

[8-ball Rat]

FWIW -

I didn't see anybody "knocking" his cue....quite the contrary, really. Plenty of folks have said that it was a sharp looking cue, and designed/executed very well.

I would have considered buying it myself, if I hadn't already hit my wrapless cue limit.

To me...the conversation over price was, and is, justified. Mr Varney is invovled in an incredibly competitive market, and for the money, there are ALOT of options out there. Just days ago, a cue was offered for the near-exact same price....that particular one being made by a cuemaker with a few DECADES of experience, reputation, and quality behind him.

It's not that the Varney cue isn't worth the money....it probably is, even if it plays HALF as well as advertised. Folks here, though, are a tough crowd to win over...and they (myself included) tend to stick to what they know (or reasonably believe) will bear dividends down the road...since there are as many collector/flippers out here as there are 1-cue or 2-cue players.

I wish Mr. Varney the best on the sale of this nice looking cue...regardless of the selling price.

 

[GADawg]

Guys, I gotta ask.

Why are you knocking his work if you've never seen, felt or used one?

The man is offering something that was created by his hand.
Either buy it or not, but the complaining about something you have no point of reference for is nuts.

You would not appreciate it if he did this to your thread, so stop it.

Agreed! Ridiculous to bash something you have never seen or touched.

 

[Hierovision]

Many of us buy and trade custom cues and keep up with the cue market in general. Plenty of asking prices in the for sale section has been discussed and debated. Just because Varney's item happens to be his own creation should not exempts him from this line of conversation.

-Roger

I agree with this to an extent, however you could start a topic in the main forum about what determines the value of a cue (edit: I started one JUST for you ). Personally I believe the value is determined by the opinions of those that have used the cues, the skill used in the process of creating the cue, and how much blood and sweat the maker put into it... in that order.

 

[Pinocchio]

What took you so long?

What took you so long Buddha your little buddy Pharoah he rollrdin almost a day ahead of you.Now you all that southern for you an your twin can crank up the wof machine an start squeaking. You guys are just to much.
Pinocchio

 

[charliel]

I have myself played with a one off Varney cue and it does play great and if it doesnt he would stand behind it. Just because he is not a old man doesnt mean he talent is less than perfect. Only the person who took the time and work should decide what its worth. Just my 2 cent.

 

[xidica]

If someone doesn't buy this I'm going to have to go on the road to get some change together. Watch out Louisiana!

I want the damn thing!

 

[MOJOE]

Normally, I am not a bacote fan, but I really like the looks of this cue. Very nice, clean job on this cue. I am sure it hits em very well. Good luck on the sale, I am sure it will make someone very happy.

JBK

 

[pharaoh68]

Guys, I gotta ask.

Why are you knocking his work if you've never seen, felt or used one?

The man is offering something that was created by his hand.
Either buy it or not, but the complaining about something you have no point of reference for is nuts.

You would not appreciate it if he did this to your thread, so stop it.

Dave-

While I will agree with that one cannot knock the playability of a cue having never owned, played, or even seen an example of said work, I will however have to restate my original point which is that there are other aspects of cuemaking that determine value.

For example, one would have to take into account the aesthetics of the cue. How does it look from both a design and an execution-of-design standpoint? Furthermore, what kind of prices is the cuemaker's name commanding in the market.

As I see it, with all due respect, the only person out there who seems to be dictating Varney's prices is Mr. Varney himself and that is not how business is done. I can't build a car tomorrow and tout it as the greatest car ever made, slap a pricetag of $500,000 on it, and expect it to sell. Could I?

Now, I'll admit as I have several times before that I've never played with or even seen a Varney up close and personal so I definitely can NOT comment on how they play. But what I can comment on is the fact that it is more than reasonable for a consumer to question the price being dictated by the manufacturer when the manufacturer has not yet established himself in the market.

JMO.

 

[MattRDavis]

I hope you don't take this the wrong way Lisa, but why, WHY, are you comparing the point/veneer work to a Skip? There is only a handful of people that achieves the kind of precision that Skip does in that department, and Kevin Varney is not one of them...not by a long shot.

If you're going to bring up qualifications what qualifies you to espouse this belief...? Have you worked for Skip? Have you worked for Varney? Have you seen anything other than pictures of Skips? Have you seen anything other than pictures of Varneys?

You strike me as the type of person who trolls around open houses eating the free cookies, dirtying the carpet with your shoes and *****ing about the asking price even though you clearly have no intention of buying.

 

[pharaoh68]

If you're going to bring up qualifications what qualifies you to espouse this belief...? Have you worked for Skip? Have you worked for Varney? Have you seen anything other than pictures of Skips? Have you seen anything other than pictures of Varneys?

You strike me as the type of person who trolls around open houses eating the free cookies, dirtying the carpet with your shoes and *****ing about the asking price even though you clearly have no intention of buying.

Wow! Matt, you may just wanna do a little research before you go making statemments like this.

Has buddha ever seen anything other than pictures of Skips? Well, he's owned four that he bought directly from Skip and a fifth that he got from a cue dealer. He's been Skip's shop more times than Skip's wife! He's talked shop with the man on countless occassions. He's even talked about the man's talents and abilities with several of his very noteworthy and respectable friends (Joe Van Buren, Paul Fanelli, etc.). Does this qualify him to make statements about Skip's work? I think so.

Has he ever seen Kevin Varney in action? No. Seen one of his cues up close? No. Has he ever played with one? No. Has he ever held one in his hands? No. Has he ever discussed how remarkable Kevin's work is with other reputable dealers/cuemkaers, etc.? No. ....That's the point he and Roscoe and myself are trying to make!!! How can a man who has yet to make a name for himself other than his own word of mouth really see $1,000 for a pretty basic cue as a fair "bottom line"?

 

[JoeyInCali]

deleted .

 

[MattRDavis]

Wow! Matt, you may just wanna do a little research before you go making statemments like this.

Wow. How good've you to come to buddha's defense, I would've never seen that coming. Totally railroaded me. I'm agape.

Really, though, I'm not visiting this thread to be a part of this ruckus. I'm here because I like the cue and I like Kevin and because I think you and your parade of naysayers who follow his threads tossing around poorly veiled insults is an embarassment to this community.

If you don't like it, move on.

How can a man who has yet to make a name for himself other than his own word of mouth really see $1,000 for a pretty basic cue as a fair "bottom line"?

I think it's pretty simple, really. If he acquired the tools; bought the materials and sweated over the production I believe he has every right to put any pricetag he wants on it.

I won't respond further as I make every attempt to avoid entering battles of wits with those who are so clearly unarmed.

 

[Varney Cues]

Thank you but save your breath Matt. Everyone who owns a Varney knows whats up. Its clear to see how these trolls follow & attack me. They should mind there own business. I don't jump up & post when they sell something. Nor do I come to there work and limit there income.
Edited.

 

[Hierovision]

Everyone who owns a Varney knows whats up.

The end.

 

[zeeder]

Hey Kevin, why don't you post pictures of each pair of points so we can see how even they are. I don't know about anyone else but that makes a huge difference to me in this price range!

For the record, I've owned several Skips and a Varney, my Varney was a sneaky and the points were all over the place. That being said, I'm sure they are better on the half-splice cue.

 

[Fuji-whopper]

I'm still waiting for the answer to the "are the points yours or did someone like Prather do the forearm?" question. A lot of people don't like buying a cue that was assembled, they want a cue that was built from scratch by the man that signs his name on the cue.

I hope Varney did the splicing.

 

[ridewiththewind]

I hope you don't take this the wrong way Lisa, but why, WHY, are you comparing the point/veneer work to a Skip? There is only a handful of people that achieves the kind of precision that Skip does in that department, and Kevin Varney is not one of them...not by a long shot.

-Roger

Roger...no offense taken...Perhaps I did not convey what I wanted to in the correct manner, bit under the weather and thought processes are not functioning clearly...lol.

Because of having been exposed to Skip's work, as have you, we tend to have a very high expectation in regards to pointwork, both aesthetically and in execution. I was not trying to compare Kevin's pointwork to Skip's, as I do not believe the veneers are applied in the same manner? What I was trying to do was compliment him on some very nice clean and aesthetically pleasing pointwork. Veneers can be tricky business, and for the first cue I have seen from him with veneers, I think he did a wonderful job...from what I can see of the pics. Everything looks clean, and there are no apparent gluelines.

I like the cue, but I like Bacote too...what can I say?! I think it has a nice flow throughout. He put a lot of time into this cue to get it just right...and should be happy with the result.


On a side note: this is directed at no one in particular, but please let me remind everyone again:

It is poor form to comment publicly on a sellers pricing for any cues posted for sale here on the forum. I have seen it kill more sales, or at least make it very difficult to sell, when comments like these are made. If you do not like a posted price, don't buy it, but keep your comments to yourself, or PM the seller. The market will dictate whether the pricing is sound or not.

Lisa

 

[Varney Cues]

Hey Kevin, why don't you post pictures of each pair of points so we can see how even they are. I don't know about anyone else but that makes a huge difference to me in this price range!

For the record, I've owned several Skips and a Varney, my Varney was a sneaky and the points were all over the place. That being said, I'm sure they are better on the half-splice cue.

Yes Zeeder you had my lowest end cue (sold very cheaply), a sp that I made as a favor to you in 1 week if I remember correctly. It was made from a blank purchased through a supplier. Some blanks have perfect points...they go on the fancy hustlers & j/b's with ringwork and such. Some blanks have the points a bit off...they go on the bottom end stuff. None of your points were that bad...we can ask the new owner to measure. Less than 1/2" difference all the way around is acceptible on a low end budget cue.
I can not post pics for a few days as I've loaned out the camera. You can rest assured that on this cue the points are all dead nut even and extremely sharp. There is a huge difference between what goes into this cue and what goes into a buget sneaky.
In all fairness did you mention wanting perfect points when you ordered the cue? No. You just wanted it fast & cheap...to take to Europe. Had you mentioned that you wanted perfect points...that would of been no problem...just a bit more money for a premium blank.
The new owner is very happy with the cue...and has never mentioned the points. I think he's too happy with the way it plays to be concerned with a totally cosmetic issue on such a low end cue.
I understand you wanting perfect even points...thats why all my nicer cues have them absolutely even. On a low end budget cue...its not important and has zero affect on playability.

 

[the_saint_siwa]

Edited by me.