Fact. $3K is not out of line. The rings are more complex & require more work, time, & expertise than ANY inlay designs I have yet from ANY builder. Case in point, inlays can & often are imitated, copied, borrowed, etc. Dave's rings are not. In fact, he's the only one in the world that is skilled enough to do and make it look right. Unlike inlays that can be touched up, tweaked, gaps filled with colored adhesive filler, Dave's rings have to be exactly perfect every time or else it won't look good. There's infinitely more room for error. The fact that even the best builders in the world cannot locate any of that error in his work is a testament to his skill. I have held his cues close to my face, searching for a screw up or short cut that get's him the results he gets. I know how he builds the rings, the techniques it requires & the exacting of making the billets all the way through to the alignment of individual pieces. I understand how he does it, but for the life of me cannot understand how a human being has that kind of tenacity, patience, & stubbornness to make them. The skill is nearly unfathomable and i'd predict that we'll never see anything like his work ever again. Most builders aren't even capable of cutting wood rings that thin. I am, and understand the delicacy of it, but to assemble that many in with utter alignment perfection is well beyond me.
The fact that the cues are nearly perfect and no aid from CNC make it truly worthy of the art & skill levels of the greatest artists in history. Best yet, they do play phenomenal. If I didn't build my own to my specific liking, i'd be playing with one of his. I plan to get one someday, anyway, because I truly believe he'll go through cue history as one of the most unique and skilled builders ever. The cue is easily worth $3G's. Like any "real" art, there's not really a limit to what it's worth. I doubt anybody will really ever understand the skill it takes to do those rings. He explained it to me and I still can't comprehend it. It inspires me, though.
