Expert?
This guy sounds like a real expert , HUH . I think he's the only one thowing Tony under the Bus . Takes all kinds of experts .
MR. Baxter,
With all due respect to your opinion it is just that, your opinion. I did not bash MR. Bautista in my earlier post but I do have a story about the last cue that I purchased that was made by him. I will admit it has been several years since I have owned a cue from a maker in the PL, but my last one was a Tony Bautista. A gentleman I knew had 3 new Bautista cues and I bought one of them. This cue was made in 2011 if memory serves. Had never hit a ball. It looked good, felt good with a leather wrap, even had a pretty good hit with both shafts. Shafts were way over sized, pretty close to 14mm at the ferrule. Took it in to a local custom cue maker in the St. Louis area to have the shafts turned down about a mil, ferrules replaced and the rock hard tips changed out. He will remain nameless because he only did the work as a favor to me as he does not work on cues made outside of the U.S. Before the guy got the first shaft turned down it had warped, the second shaft had a tenon in the end of the shaft holding the ferrule. A tenon is okay if it an original part of the shaft, threads cut, etc, but a shaft with a hole drilled in the end of it to accept a tenon? Yup, it was just stuck in there with epoxy! That has bad player written all over it especially when the shaft was not even threaded on the inside to accept a tenon. This was an obvious repair due to someone trying to install the ferrule on an over sized tenon.
How MR. Baxter can you explain the workmanship of a cue maker that would ship a new cue with a tenon glued in place in the end of a shaft? Thus my earlier comment about spending $300.00 for new shafts.
I don't know, maybe it's just me and PL makers, but I have learned my lesson. I would rather play with a cut down bar cue made in the States by a reputable maker than take my chances with a maker on the other side of the planet and no warranty. But I don't sell parts to the man third party either. Hey...You called me out in a public forum, you had it coming.
Maybe MR. Bautista has brought his quality and workmanship up over the last few years. Just giving my EXPERT opinion on what my experience has been. If you choose not to agree with my opinion that is okay, just kindly keep it to yourself. I just may have an opinion about Jim Baxter's Joint Protector's.
I told the OP if he thought that is what he would want to go and buy it. After I spent a few hundred on the last one I had it played decent. Don't think there is going to be any type of resale value or warranty on it though. Even with a warranty I would have not wanted two more shafts from the maker of the cue. I played with mine for a year or so an ebay'ed it. I think I got roughly $200.00 for it which is two thirds of what I had in the shafts. I think if I could have named the maker of the custom shafts I could have gotten more for it, but you live and learn.
So in my opinion to the OP and MR. Baxter...You could not sell me a cue made by any PL maker. They are not built in the U.S. They are not built to the same quality control standards of most of the fine cue builders in the States. The warranties just plain suck. The resale value for investment purposes are not there in any form or fashion, and in my opinion the OP should just go buy a production cue if cost is an issue. At least there will be a warranty. If cost is not an issue find a Made In U.S.A. Maker to do your work for you as at least you will have some sort of guarantee that the maker will stand behind his work.
I think that is reasonable advise and a reasonable opinion!