scruggs cues and ivory buttcaps...

ChrisOnline

ChrisOnline

4 8 15 16 23 42
Silver Member
Is it me or are more and more people selling scruggs cues with ivory buttcaps?

i do believe that many people dont realize it but i would say most of these cues being advertised as ivory buttcaps arent really real ivory..

i only say this because it happened to me once.. i bought a scruggs cue with a advertised as ivory buttcap and it turned out it wasnt real ivory.

of course this happened a couple years ago.. and i only found out it wasnt real ivory after a conversation with Mike Cocheran.. and even he said it looks so much like real ivory even he had trouble telling the difference...

but to me it just seems odd that so many people are making this mistake..

chris
 
ChrisOnline said:
Is it me or are more and more people selling scruggs cues with ivory buttcaps?

i do believe that many people dont realize it but i would say most of these cues being advertised as ivory buttcaps arent really real ivory..

i only say this because it happened to me once.. i bought a scruggs cue with a advertised as ivory buttcap and it turned out it wasnt real ivory.

of course this happened a couple years ago.. and i only found out it wasnt real ivory after a conversation with Mike Cocheran.. and even he said it looks so much like real ivory even he had trouble telling the difference...

but to me it just seems odd that so many people are making this mistake..

chris
Click to expand...

I had a fancy Scruggs I got off here from Bama....He said the buttcap was NOT ivory. I got the cue and would have bet my last dollar it WAS ivory.....Had grain and everything...I had a Gina 19a I ordered from Ernie....I would have also bet that butt cap was ivory and it wasnt. Its a mistake that can be made, and it doesnt even have to be intentional. It just sucks being the one who has the cue when you find out the truth:( Unless its the side where it really is ivory.:thumbup:
 
yes.. i completly understand what you are saying... especially when you pay extra thinking it was real.. because of course.. that a large piece of ivory like that will be a major upgrade...

i just think people should really really look at it closely to be sure..
 
Mike Cochran told me that the Ivory colored linen based butt caps he used had grain like Ivory and you could not tell the difference.
"country" Bob
 
bobco729 said:
Mike Cochran told me that the Ivory colored linen based butt caps he used had grain like Ivory and you could not tell the difference.
"country" Bob
Click to expand...

yes.. thats i am saying... they used it alot.. so i am willing to bet alot of people dont realize it..

i can understand an honest mistake.. it happened to me.. and the original seller took care of it..

below is a copy from the email i recieved a few years ago...
-------------------------------------------
Good morning Chris,
That cue was made 3 years ago, not 14 like you were told. Also , the butt cap is not ivory but a very good imitation.
I have a very hard time detecting it and I work with it every day.
It is a very nice cue with 1 of my all time favorite color combinations. Replacement cost today would be 2150.00.
Have a great weekend, Mike
---------------------------------------------
 
Ivory or not/ What is the best way to tell?

IMG_6864.jpg
 
it happened to me about 5 years ago. i bought a used tim scruggs cue and i was told it had an ivory joint and butt. some time afterward i put the cue on ebay and i was contacted by the original owner who informed me the joint was ivory and the butt was not. i contacted mike and he confirmed it. i was certainly fooled by the look, they used the best looking fake ivory, too good.

guy
 
a very bright flashlight...look for schreger lines

I would bet that it is not because ivory grain and splotchy color are not the same thing... too many people see color other than white and assume its ivory...
 
Some 10 years ago I began getting Ivory tusk for Tim,he in turn began making cues for me
Every one I got had ivory butt,joint and ferrules,and inlays as well
I must have received 25 or 30 such cues

I believe that Tim made many others for other people as well,so my guess is that most of the cues with ivory butt caps that you hear about ,actually do have ivory

This is not to say that I have never seen a cue that I couldn't tell if it was the other material.I recently had a Cochran that I wasn't sure if it was ivory or not

This is not peculiar to Scruggs,Tad almost never used Ivory,but sometimes he did.

One thing I know for sure,if Tim sold it as Ivory,it was ivory.Both Tim and Mike were and are the 2 of the most honest people that I have ever known
 
deanoc said:
Some 10 years ago I began getting Ivory tusk for Tim,he in turn began making cues for me
Every one I got had ivory butt,joint and ferrules,and inlays as well
I must have received 25 or 30 such cues

I believe that Tim made many others for other people as well,so my guess is that most of the cues with ivory butt caps that you hear about ,actually do have ivory

This is not to say that I have never seen a cue that I couldn't tell if it was the other material.I recently had a Cochran that I wasn't sure if it was ivory or not

This is not peculiar to Scruggs,Tad almost never used Ivory,but sometimes he did.

One thing I know for sure,if Tim sold it as Ivory,it was ivory.Both Tim and Mike were and are the 2 of the most honest people that I have ever known
Click to expand...


Dean.. i completley understand that.. i know Tim or mike would never mislead anybody.. i am not saying they would.. i am just saying, now that they are not around , i think people should be more carefull when buying/selling them...

i posted this with the feeling that alot of people cant tell the difference at a glance and they see the synthetic ones that were used and just assume its real..

i know the scruggs i had, i would have almost bet money on it.. that it was real ivory untill i talked to Mike and he informed me that it wasnt real..

in my opinion.. the only ppl who know for sure if its real is the original owner who had the cue made and the cuemaker himself.. and with Mike gone (god rest his soul) and Tim now retired.. i think its going to be more difficult for alot people to tell the difference...

chris
 
One way is to take the bumper off.
Heat up a pin.
Push it into the "ivory" inside the hole.
If it slides right in, it's plastic.
If it smells sorta like burning hair, Ivory.


chris G<------Not the greatest method, but foolproof
 
Ivory buttcaps

chrisonline said:
is it me or are more and more people selling scruggs cues with ivory buttcaps?

I do believe that many people dont realize it but i would say most of these cues being advertised as ivory buttcaps arent really real ivory..

I only say this because it happened to me once.. I bought a scruggs cue with a advertised as ivory buttcap and it turned out it wasnt real ivory.

Of course this happened a couple years ago.. And i only found out it wasnt real ivory after a conversation with mike cocheran.. And even he said it looks so much like real ivory even he had trouble telling the difference...

But to me it just seems odd that so many people are making this mistake..

Chris
Click to expand...
good post chris! I do not know what scruggs non-ivory buttcaps are made from, like josswest & gina. What happened to you also happened to me & many others. I wonder why the $$downturn in the market seems/appears to avoid consideration of real ivory parts in cues. It surely is very important to you and i and so many others,and always will be. But the price of ivory increases as the value of cues declines. Best regards, paul del giudice.
 
Ivory Buttcap was an option.

It was a $450.00 option along with the Ivory joint put a veneer cue at $2700.00. Before the last raise in pricing it was a $350.00 option and a veneer cue built like that was 2000.00.
If you bought the cue new you know what you have.
Heat a very small pin up and touch it to the inside of the Buttcap and hope it doesn't melt when you touch it with the pin. Or do like customs agents and use a UV or black light I forget which.
Nick :)
 
Don't be stickin' no hot pin in the butt cap, are you nutts? You already have a cue of great value, don't screw it up with that stupid cue trick.
Take the time necessary to have it identified by a competent person who knows what they are examining.
 
As far as i'm concerned if you can't tell if its ivory or not why worry about it.
You probably have a super nice cue regardless of the butt material.
 
Just for you

hangemhigh said:
Don't be stickin' no hot pin in the butt cap, are you nutts? You already have a cue of great value, don't screw it up with that stupid cue trick.
Take the time necessary to have it identified by a competent person who knows what they are examining.
Click to expand...

Timi and Mike both have suggested this method in the past to me personally.
Nick :)
 
King said:
After a really close look I have to say my TS butt cap is not ivory,:confused:
Click to expand...

im pretty sure it's ivory. if it werent ivory i dont see any reason for that black phenolic plate to be at the bottom of it as it would serve no purpose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top