Phillippi. Plan on sending a Prather blank Rick's way in the near future.
The Best Affordable Cuemakers Today?
- Thread starter Stew boo
- Start date
1500 won’t even get an email reply from these guys
Buy a top production cue, hold more value on the secondary market and fast moving
Buy a top production cue, hold more value on the secondary market and fast moving
For a top name in cue making, your budget is $500 short of a player design cue made by one of those cue makers.
Personally, I’d only do business with a cue maker that’s earned praise from his peers & also very satisfied customers.
Cue makers have to earn their stripes before I’d entrust them with any of my hard earned cash. And the cue makers
I have used over the past 40 yrs. to build my cues, versus buying a cue in the resale market, have never disappointed.
Personally, I’d only do business with a cue maker that’s earned praise from his peers & also very satisfied customers.
Cue makers have to earn their stripes before I’d entrust them with any of my hard earned cash. And the cue makers
I have used over the past 40 yrs. to build my cues, versus buying a cue in the resale market, have never disappointed.
Questions: If you were a cue maker, how much is your hourly time worth? What is your billable rate? How much does overhead contribute to your adjusted hourly rate or markup? What is your desired final profit margin? How much do you mark up for your materials? How many hours does it take to build a custom player design cue from start to finish?
Those are some fundamental questions about why cues can cost so much. A few of my cues took a lot more time than the cue maker estimated for the build but the price of my cue never changed. Sometimes the best estimate of what is
involved can be wrong but the cue maker can’t come back and charge for any cost overrun. Speak with a cue maker
about the expenses he has to cope with & then you’ll better understand why custom cues are customarily expensive.
Those are some fundamental questions about why cues can cost so much. A few of my cues took a lot more time than the cue maker estimated for the build but the price of my cue never changed. Sometimes the best estimate of what is
involved can be wrong but the cue maker can’t come back and charge for any cost overrun. Speak with a cue maker
about the expenses he has to cope with & then you’ll better understand why custom cues are customarily expensive.
You are fortunate. By the time I could afford to have cues built, none of the cuemakers from whom I wanted cues would give me the time of day. I’ve owned 4 nicer custom cues and all were previously owned. I managed to get on one cuemaker’s list and it was William Gentry. Many of us recall that tragedy.
I never had issue with how much a cuemaker wanted. My problem was flippers who wanted an extra $1K or more depending on how many times the cue was resold. I would rather pay the extra thousand to the cuemaker.
shooter_Hans
Well-known member
Man may look into that.
xX-Wizard-Xx
Well-known member
I have owned several custom cues and realized I do just as good with a cheap cue butt (full splice) and a good shaft than spending 4k on a custom cue .... Honestly I think custom cues are kind of over priced for what it is.
I think you made a great point and for $1100-1200 you can come up with a combination that plays every bit as nice.
It isn’t going to have the sizzle that so many customs have but it is functionally equivalent and costs a whole lot less.
If you want something special, unique and plays so pleasingly for what you are looking for, then custom cues fit the bill.
There’s also the likelihood that getting a custom design from a top cue maker, when sold, you likely won’t lose money.
Every cue in my case is worth more than I paid for it. My last cues purchased came from Jerry R. and Bob Owen and
both arrived Memorial Day Weekend 2016. My Scruggs cue is from 2005, Prewitt cue is 2009, Runde Schon is 1985 and my other Jerry R. & Bob Owen cues are 2015. I frequently receive offers for more than what these cues cost me.
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Jerry is a personal friend of mine.
I would love to see some pictures of your cues of his…
I only have two cues from Jerry and after receiving the first one, I immediately ordered another cue.
The 2nd cue is a copy of a Scruggs cue design I was in love with. Jerry asked me to use different
veneers since he, just like Bob Owen, didn’t want to knowingly copy another cue maker’s exact design.
I’ll post photos of his cues on this very post. He and I became great pals and I hope he gets to fish a lot.
He was meticulous about his points and veneers and had expert knowledge I wish he had passed along.
We discussed cues & cue makers in depth and I should have gotten him to build me a 360 design cue.
The 2nd cue is a copy of a Scruggs cue design I was in love with. Jerry asked me to use different
veneers since he, just like Bob Owen, didn’t want to knowingly copy another cue maker’s exact design.
I’ll post photos of his cues on this very post. He and I became great pals and I hope he gets to fish a lot.
He was meticulous about his points and veneers and had expert knowledge I wish he had passed along.
We discussed cues & cue makers in depth and I should have gotten him to build me a 360 design cue.
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xX-Wizard-Xx
Well-known member
I have one of Jerry's 360s ... Really a nice cue ... 360 are amazing .... Don't really need it though
xX-Wizard-Xx
Well-known member
They are all nice cues but seems a waste to buy the same thing over again but just with different colors or a different thing indexed here or there.
Right now, I have four children and 2 grandkids. I’m anticipating there will be more grand children in the future too.
Everyone will inherit one of my pool cues after I reach room temperature. Every pool cue is different but some might
debate my cues look alike which I’d stoutly disagree with but that’s neither here nor there. The point is my kids and
grandkids will be getting a expensive pool cue, most of which are my personal designs. It is a memento that I hope
they’ll cherish and in turn pass along eventually to their heirs. In the final analysis, all pool cue are functionally the same.
The same could be said of automobiles and watches. But know what? I’d rather own a ‘78 Shelby Cobra Jet auto over a Chevette or Omega watch over Timex. When it comes to pool cues for me, it the same thing…..beauty and elegance.
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If you want a Cue Stick that looks nice & plays great, Call Guido Orlandi... His Conical Joint is the best playing & feeling Cue for sale...
Keith Josey in Savannah. Great customer service, and I've never heard a negative word about him.
tie19858
Registered
Hands down to Kevin and Christina McClain at Gold Rush Custom cues.
Gold Rush Custom Cues
Gold Rush Custom Cues, Cameron, Texas. 1,858 likes · 126 talking about this. Sports team
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JoeFlorida19
Member
Bill Lister down in Ft. Myers, FL.