The invasion of cuemakers...

[i210mfu]

Hi,

since cuemaking is always an issue in general here I would like to give my 2 cents worth.

I've been dealing with custom cues for over 12 years now and claim for myself to have some knowledge about cues. In the recent years I experienced that everybody able to handle a lathe claims himself to be a custom cue maker. Don't get me wrong, I not trying to beat upon the ones who sincerly try to learn how to build real custom cues in terms of quality and playability (so go on BigJohn and Willee). To me its more a question of what makes a custom cue a real custom cue. Herwith I do not mean if its made purely by hand or with the help of a CNC. To build a custom cue in my opinion it take a lot of experience patience and knowledge and creativity. What I experience more and more is that a lot of the new cuemakers copy styles and designs from already established ones. Furthermore a lot of the new build ones are poor in craftmanship but the guys ask the same prices for it like you would buy a Josswest, Bludworth or any other known and respected cuemaker. I recently bought a DB cue over Ebay. The style is a plain 6point players cue. The playability of the cue is great but the quality is poor. The finish is bad, when you "wipe" down the cue you can feel the unevenness. This is caused because the cue was build in a hurry and has not rested long enough in between the diffrent process stages. The prongs have ebony inlays which you can tell with your bare eyes are not centered right etc... and this counts for 8 out 10 of the new makers cues.

To me new cuemakers should be more carefull with the label custom and more down to earth in theire pricing. Not every painter is a Picasso or Rembrandt. Cuemaking to me is a trade that can not be accomplished in 1 or 2 years. It has to grow and so should the demands and claims of the new cuemakers.


Markus

 

[highsea]

What's a DB cue?

-CM

 

[i210mfu]

To highsea

DB stands for David Barber...

Markus

What's a DB cue?

-CM

 

[WilleeCue]

Hi,
since cuemaking is always an issue in general here I would like to give my 2 cents worth.
Markus

Markus that was a lot more than 2 cents worth ...
So let me give you some change.

There is a lot of skill and knowledge involved in making a really nice cue.
Like you said first and foremost it must be made with quality parts and good solid techniques.
Then it must play well and feel good in someone’s hands.
Lastly it must look good to someone’s eye.
Now the only thing here that is not subjective to the person judging the cue is the first part about quality.
The rest is in the eye and hands of the buyer.

I think there is a lot of new cuemakers now because of several things.
People have more free time and money to spend on things.
The equipment and knowledge has become available to anyone with the money to buy it.
Most people just like to be creative and I can think of now other endever that allows more diversified creativeness or satisfaction of accomplishment than cuemaking.

As far as copying designs … well everyone starts out by learning to do things the way others before them have done.
There are only so many things you can do with a diamond, a box, a triangle, and an oval.
Half spliced points are all just about all the same except for the number and color of the veneers.
The good cuemakers will move past that point and developed a unique style of their own.
I have been making one off cues for over four years and still don’t feel I have developed a real style yet.
I guess I am one of the slower ones but still I try not to make look alike cues.
Almost all my cues have something that makes them a bit different.

The large number of new cuemakers is a good thing.
The more people trying things ... the more new things will be discovered.
This can only be good for all of us.

Next time you look at a cue don’t think of who made it but let the cue stand of fall on its own merits. No one is perfect and even the best craftsmen will make mistakes. The better ones just make fewer of them <g>.

 

[Joseph Cues]

It's true there are a lot of new cuemakers out there.
75% of whom probably quit within 5 years.
Cue blanks are readily available. That makes it even easier to "make" cues.
Established cuemakers would gladly take thousands of dollars from interested students for cuemaking lessons. I bet they don't warn these wannabes before they take thousands of dollars from them that there is really not much money in cuemaking until you establish your name. Even then a regular job pays more and probably is more stable.
Now, flashback to ten years ago. Where were these makers, Eddie Prewitt, Skip Weston, Kerry Zeiler, Paul Fannelli, DZ, Ned Morris, Carter, David Barrenbrugge, Jeff Olney and Judd Fuller?
Now, their work are admired.
Ten years from now?

 

[classiccues]

It's true there are a lot of new cuemakers out there.
75% of whom probably quit within 5 years.
Cue blanks are readily available. That makes it even easier to "make" cues.
Established cuemakers would gladly take thousands of dollars from interested students for cuemaking lessons. I bet they don't warn these wannabes before they take thousands of dollars from them that there is really not much money in cuemaking until you establish your name. Even then a regular job pays more and probably is more stable.
Now, flashback to ten years ago. Where were these makers, Eddie Prewitt, Skip Weston, Kerry Zeiler, Paul Fannelli, DZ, Ned Morris, Carter, David Barrenbrugge, Jeff Olney and Judd Fuller?
Now, their work are admired.
Ten years from now?

Well 10 years ago Skip was in his 2cd or 3rd year of making cues. Using that criteria you could also count on that list, Lambros, Hercek, Carmeli, Mike Bender and on and on. I would venture to say, that after TCOM and pool's boom if you go back a little further to 1988-89 you could eliminate a large portion of the cuemaker list.
One good thing is now there are cues for everyone. If you like traditional cues, you have a lot of guys to choose from. If you want custom cues that look like Joss and Vikings there are plenty of CNC guys to choose from. The point is there is no limit on choices. What I think will happen is the cream will rise to the top and as the market is still in a downward slide, it will thin itself out.

Joe

ps: Pond scum also rises, so you have to be somewhat careful

 

[DawgAndy]

Cue Makers

My question is who is the next South West? 2 million in orders and what 6-8 year waiting list. Does a guy prospect and hope his cue builder will be considered a great someday? 10 years from now who will we be excited to get on their waiting list. That green cue of Willeecues puts him in the upper enchilot(sp?) right now. Personally I don't collect cues but 1 is not enough.lol

Andy

 

[WilleeCue]

That green cue of Willeecues puts him in the upper enchilot(sp?) right now. Personally I don't collect cues but 1 is not enough.lol
Andy

Andy ... that green cue is really ugly. I aint kidding.
Perhaps it can be used as a demo cue just to show basic cue construction.
I have made some from red and copper tinted acrylic and they were not bad as the joints were all hidden and looked nice.
I can post up a photo if you want to see the clear one.
The hit really solid as the acrylic is very dense.
Hard to make one under 20 oz. and that stuff makes a BIG mess.
I have cored a maple forearm with acrylic trying to get that feel in a wood cue. It is about ready for the finish and I will know in a week or so if that effort payed off.

 

[drivermaker]

Hey Willee...how about posting some pictures of cues that you've done which are the most ornate, complex, and your favorite works.

 

[WilleeCue]

Hey Willee...how about posting some pictures of cues that you've done which are the most ornate, complex, and your favorite works.

I havent done any real complex cues yet but here is a photo of a design I did last week. It has not made it into a cue yet.

Most of the cues and pens I have made can be seen at:

Http://www.willeecue.com
Http://home.earthlink.net/~willeecue

..

 

[cuemasterpieces]

nice look

Not bad man not bad ....
Love that Design ... what but you in there ??
Silver ??

Regards
Berny

 

[John Barton]

Actually Joe, pond scum just accumulates on the surface and suffocates a lot of other life.

It also takes a stagnant or slow moving pool to allow it to grow. So if we keep the information level high then the substandard cuemakers will be either forced to get better or give up.

 

[Jack Justis]

I havent done any real complex cues yet but here is a photo of a design I did last week. It has not made it into a cue yet.

Most of the cues and pens I have made can be seen at:

Http://www.willeecue.com
Http://home.earthlink.net/~willeecue

..

Hi William,
I would just like to say that William and I traded cue for case in 2002 and the cue is still in use and dead straight. I can honestly say, I am a proud owner of one of his early cues.

 

[classiccues]

Actually Joe, pond scum just accumulates on the surface and suffocates a lot of other life.

It also takes a stagnant or slow moving pool to allow it to grow. So if we keep the information level high then the substandard cuemakers will be either forced to get better or give up.

Agreed. But I have to agree with Markus in that you cannot come out of the gate charging $400-500 for a sneaky pete. I mean really, I would get one from Fanelli for a little less and know I am getting a great cue for that money.
Alot of cuemakers now, like I said in another thread, not all of them are getting AAA++++ shaft wood. I see guys in the cue gallery I wouldn't know if I tripped over them.

JV