The Szamboti's of tomorrow: the future of cue making

Mike Johnson of Jensen cues

Mike Johnson of Jensen cues is currently very underappreciated by the market as a whole but many very good players and strong $ players respect his ability and craftsmanship.
 
Foolurself said:
Mike Johnson of Jensen cues is currently very underappreciated by the market as a whole but many very good players and strong $ players respect his ability and craftsmanship.
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You beat me to the punch.

Definitely Jensen. Has been making cues for ages. He is a player and knows what players are after. The cues are still very affordable but watch out when he retires.

Here is a good example that is listed here on AZ

http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=60738

Best of both a Jensen and a Titlist for a darn good price. Would jump on it but spend my cue allowance this year thanks to Bill (Cornerstone).
 
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Ed Young

Ed Young
Eric Crisp

Already there: Dennis Searing...just the top of the list in terms of raising the bar for precision and technique.
 
Buy up as many true made in the US sub $200 production cues as you can. Store them properly because i feel in ten years all US made cues will be $500 or more and only less expensive ones will come from Asia. And there you are sitting on cues you paid $200 for and can sell for $500 or more because they were made in the US and not availible anymore.
 
measureman said:
Buy up as many true made in the US sub $200 production cues as you can. Store them properly because i feel in ten years all US made cues will be $500 or more and only less expensive ones will come from Asia. And there you are sitting on cues you paid $200 for and can sell for $500 or more because they were made in the US and not availible anymore.
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That reminds me of a saying my pool room/restaurant owner buddy used to say:

"You know how to make a small fortune in the restaurant business? Start with a large one."

Just what sub $200 production is there that could ever possibly increase in value over 100% ? If it is $200 retail there are warehouses full of them at wholesale. The only possible example that could back this theory up is the old R-Series Schon's but no production company on earth is making anything like those for under $200 (or at any price IMO).

Besides anyone in the market for a $500 cue could probably care less where its made. Plus the fact that there are probably close to one hundred American based custom cue makers who would make some sort of cue for $500. All in all very bad "investment" advice IMO. But I have been wrong before. I would be glad to sell you all the $200 retail production cues you would like to buy.
 
basically there will be no Szambotis tomorrow
no one is selling cues for 500 dollars anymore anyway. you can't expect a 5k cue to appreciate too much more than that. the only way for prices to go is down
 
Wow great thread I really enjoyed the read thanks to Mason , Classiccues , Joey and Manwon and others who contributed to the thread. I have to agree the future of the cue maker is in the hands of the popularity of the game ... In my opinion it is the only way to support all the new up and coming cue makers of today ... It was nice not to see this thread turn into a popularity contest for the most part but a good honest discussion on cue making cuenmakers and where it is headed...
 
Cory Barnhart

I think he will be one of the makers whose cues will appreciate. His cues are a steal right now, his workmanship is excellent, and he comes up with some truly unique designs.
 
I have recently got my hands on a CAM Custom Cue and In my opinion he is definitely one to watch. The craftsmanship and playability is second to none. I plan on adding a few more of his cues to my collection. Along with his fantastic work he is an absolutely great guy that stands behide all of his work and has great communication which in my opinion is a big plus in todays market because to many builders today get your money and then forget about making sure that the consumer is taken care of properly and don't bother answering emails or phone messages unless they are going to get more money. But once again in my opinion you can't go wrong if you buy a CAM Custom Cue because they are amazing.
 
i don't agree that cues that already cost $5000 are not going to appreciate,I sold a Balabushka for $5000 only to see it sell over $100000,I sold a Gus box cue for $14,000 only to see it go for over $100.000 way over,I could go on and on.
It may just be my opinion but I believe that the cues selling high today will sell much higher down the line.My guess would be that any cues selling for $500 or so will never sell high,they may be great cues,but they are not collectible.

For example I would like to buy Will Prouts Searing and i will pay twice what he paid.Thats a cash offer, Will.I would also pay Dennis Glenn twice what he paid for each of the cues he paid $5000 for.
To strengthen my point Willie Mosconi offered me his Balabushka for $3000 and I didn't think it could double again.Well I guess that shows what my opinion is worth>

Having said all this I still enjoy trying to find tomorrows best cues by young or at least undervalued cuemakers.Blackcreek,Bob Owens hand signed and of course Deano cues
 
masonh said:
I am the only one in the world who doesn't like Eric's(Sugartree)taper.I first want to compliment his cues they are beautiful and his wood choice is the best.Shaft wood is also great.I have had 2 of them and both hit about the same and "hit" very good.I hear lots of people say "the hit" is great and I think it is,but most every cue mad these days has a good "hit" with a good tip on it.I wished i could have kept my Sugartrees b/c they were beautiful,but i could not play with them.I felt like the taper was too long and the shafts give too much.The taper seems almost as long as a Meucci.i like the stiffer parabolic tapers for my playing cues so i may not be the best one to judge his cues.it seems odd that no one else has ever mentioned his somewhat weak(weak as in long) taper here at AZ.I thought about ordering one with a Kersenbrock type taper but i was told he will not change his taper,and as for having one changed it is tough or impossible b/c his is so long.I am not criticizing his cues.i love his cues.i just don't like the taper and was wondering if anyone else did nto like the taper and knew how to get a Sugartree to have a parabolic type taper.is it possible.to do with his shafts.thanks to anyone who answers
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I agree, I had a Sugartree cue and I thought it was a really nice cue but the hit was a little too soft for my every day playing taste. However, it was nice buying it for 450 and selling it for 1300 six months later when they were going crazy:eek::smile::thumbup:

-don
 
I have some very high end cues. Showman, Hercek, etc. I have had about everything below that tier as well. For the money I cant tell you enough about the craftsmanship and playability of CAM cues. I just received one of his cues and it is just awesome. He is a super nice guy and seems to truly care about your personal needs when building a cue for his customer.

Travis at Blackcreek cues is a phenomenal guy also. His work is top notch and up to par with anyone's in the country I feel.
 
I will agree that Barry,Hercek,Searing,The captain Bob,Searing are all there now. Look at the prices they command and they actually dont seem to sit around long even at the prices asked. Kikel,and Bender have designs and workmanship plus hit. I dont know they command the mystic that the others do but they arent cheap either and they play well. I think Blackcreek is a damn good cue and worth the money and will always retain value I dont know what Travis production numbers are. Last I heard Barry wasnt taking orders,and if the others are they are back logged years and i mean 4-7 years. It appears Blackcreek(Travis) cues are readily available and that keeps the price reasonable but doesnt make for a higher price. Of course when you are putting bread on the table its hard not to work. I will say the Blackcreek I have is a beauty and plays very well. It actually may become my main player at least in bars if not pool rooms. Its a numbers game I read that Gus made 1100 cues true or not I do not know.You look through these threads there are probably 100 cue makers out there that make a quality product. Of those maybe 10-15 command top dollar and they may make anywhere from 10-30 cues a year.
 
future hof cuemakers

Although they are not exactly 'new' I would say in the future their cues will continue to appreciate in value. Kikel and Lambros. Both are already sought after but you can still find their cues for a relatively good price.

Barnhart and Murrell are also 2 cuemakers that I'm continuously impressed by their work.
 
World Class Cues

I would say Jess and Tommy are TOP Cuemakers. The old Stuff from Bill McDaniel and we all know this Playabilty and Top Notch Work(flawless).
:p:p:ignore::yeah::yeah::woot:
Ralf:grin-devilish:
 
Lol

Retail1LO said:
There are...without a doubt a couple cue makers today whose works sets the standard. You know who they are. You can't touch their cues for under $3000...assuming you can even find one at all. The Szamboti's, Tad Kohara, Pete Tascarella, Black Boar, Joel Hercek, Cognoscenti, etc.

Who's the future? If you could get in on the ground floor with a builder who would you chose based on anticipated appreciation in value? Based on early works...who do you see as having a ton of potential?


I have a couple of cue makers who I'm overjoyed with...whom I feel the sky is the limit. I'm curious to see if my thoughts are mirrored by others.
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I have no idea who will be the Szam of tomorrow ...... but i think i guess who is the next Bushka ... or should i say Tascabushka :grin-angelic:

Berny
 
Doug Patrick!!

I just got my custom cue from Doug Patrick owner of partickcustomcues.com. I'm very happy with Doug's way he treated me through this whole experience. Can't say enough about his great customer service, communication skills and knowledge of his business. He has been a pleasure to deal with and did a excellent job for me. He constantly showed me the progress of the creation of my cue. The cue was designed by Doug and myself and I can't believe the outcome, playability and finish on the cue. It has beautiful jet black ebony. Everything white from the joint down is ivory. The flame veneers are very nice and sharp, with matching rings in all places. It's finished off with white & black ring tail lizard wrap that is a very nice touch. Cue goes together nicely, everything lines up smoothly. I have gotten alot of compliments about this cue even from my personal friends with their old and new Black Boars. They also used this cue and really liked it's play and finish. Over all I give Doug all the credit for everything this cue is. Thank you Doug Patrick.
http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=148409
 
Now this old thread has resurfaced, it will be interesting to see how and if people's opinions have changed over the last few years.

IMO pretty difficult to compare the creme-de-la-creme of today's cuemakers to yesteryear's Szam and Bushka....cuemaking has changed/advanced so much.
 
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