What dictates the price of a standard sneaky?

SK Custom Cues

SK Custom Cues

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I understand TS sneakies are around 500+ and there are others who charge more, and some who charge less. Who would be considered to be in the higher range category, and who would not?

Could anyone shed light on this?
 
I think it would come down to whether or not the person making it is a builder or an assembler. A builder whom of which I would give an arm and a leg for a sneaky from them would be Tucker. Also you need to look and take note of what blank the builder is using. Some would be more just just by quality. I think in the end when it comes to a sneaky it needs to be sneaky.
 
SK Custom Cues said:
I understand TS sneakies are around 500+ and there are others who charge more, and some who charge less. Who would be considered to be in the higher range category, and who would not?

Could anyone shed light on this?
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Prices of ALL cues are a product of several things. If a cuemaker has a day time job & builds a limited number of cues as a hobby/business, he or she can afford to discount the work & not jeopardize his living. He may not even be paying taxes on this income. On the other hand if he IS paying taxes on the work & it is his ONLY income, then he must mark up his work, so that he can pay himself a working wage, health insurance, vacation money, utilities & possibly employee wages. THAT cue will cost you more. Add to that if the maker gains a reputation for his work. You will pay more , because there is more demand for HIS WORK...JER
 
SK Custom Cues said:
I understand TS sneakies are around 500+ and there are others who charge more, and some who charge less. Who would be considered to be in the higher range category, and who would not?

Could anyone shed light on this?
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First what is a standard Sneaky? Below is what comes to my mind.

No Rings!!

No Joint Collars!!

No Butt Cap!!

Made from a Purchased Blank or a House Cue.

In my opinion a cue like this should not cost more than $300, no matter who made the cue. There is only so much that can be done to a Bare Bones Sneaky, most of the work go's into the shaft not the butt, and very few Cue Makers use their best shaft wood for a Sneaky, including Tim Scruggs.

If you jazz it up a little and add some of the things outlined above the price should also increase. Everything comes down to man hour's and materials, for those who want to buy a name you always get what you have paid for, one way or another.
 
there's two different price spectrums you're looking at.

one directly from the cuemaker

the other from the cue collectors..

most cuemakers won't charge that much for a sneaky as most of them will use a blank to make the sneaky...but if you want a true full splice talk to mark bear, murray tucker, keith josey. Mark bear costs around $2k.


if you're talking about a cue collectors sneaky..than name all the most expensive cuemakers: david paul kersenbrock, gina cue, southwest, bill shick, dennis searing.

all the collectors have high price tags..but not just because they're nice hitting but more because they're rare.
 
In my opinion a cue like this should not cost more than $300, no matter who made the cue.
The flippers would be loving it if that were the selling price of a lot of big named sneakies out there.
I understand TS sneakies are around 500.
Because they hit great, are now not very easily found and that he stopped making them.
IF you could build a barebones sneaky that hits as good as the TS, it'll sell.
 
JoeyInCali said:
In my opinion a cue like this should not cost more than $300, no matter who made the cue.
The flippers would be loving it if that were the selling price of a lot of big named sneakies out there.
I understand TS sneakies are around 500.
Because they hit great, are now not very easily found and that he stopped making them.
IF you could build a barebones sneaky that hits as good as the TS, it'll sell.
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Thanks for your examination of my thoughts and words, I suspose the Sky is certainly Blue!:)
 
JoeyInCali said:
In my opinion a cue like this should not cost more than $300, no matter who made the cue.
The flippers would be loving it if that were the selling price of a lot of big named sneakies out there.
I understand TS sneakies are around 500.
Because they hit great, are now not very easily found and that he stopped making them.
IF you could build a barebones sneaky that hits as good as the TS, it'll sell.
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i think that he stopped making them is what really drove the price of those up.
 
poolplayer2093 said:
i think that he stopped making them is what really drove the price of those up.
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I think you are right on track it is supply and demand. I am certain that Scruggs make a good hitting Sneaky Pete, but they certainly are not an example of his best work. Like I said there is only so much you can do to a Bare Bones Sneaky Pete, but to many a name is very important.:)
 
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SK Custom Cues said:
I understand TS sneakies are around 500+ and there are others who charge more, and some who charge less. Who would be considered to be in the higher range category, and who would not?

Could anyone shed light on this?
Click to expand...

I would think the highest valued sneaky would be by Bill Schick. Next to that, Cantando. And there are a lot of other "high end" ones... such as Sugartree, Bluegrass, Rick Howard, and the like. Then there's super rare ones by makers like Kersenbrock that are worth a LOT.

There are tons of makers who make middle and lower priced conversions.
 
Charlie Edwards said:
I would think the highest valued sneaky would be by Bill Schick. Next to that, Cantando. And there are a lot of other "high end" ones... such as Sugartree, Bluegrass, Rick Howard, and the like. Then there's super rare ones by makers like Kersenbrock that are worth a LOT.

There are tons of makers who make middle and lower priced conversions.
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If i was going to buy a sneaky i'd get one from a lesser known cue maker. a sneaky made by a scruggs/kersenbrock would probably play really well but sneaky petes are a great way to get a feel for what a cue makers cue is going to play like.

i hear there's a cue maker that works out of hardtimes that makes a great hitting sneaky for under 300. i'm pretty sure the guys at Goldrush cues in hardtimes (sac town) could make a good hitting sneaky.

that's just me though. i shop at the corner market instead of a superstore. i try to keep most of my business local
 
imho....the laws of supply and demand, and whether the maker is of hall-of-fame status and/or the degree not.
 
I have actually given up trying to figure out 'pete' pricing. I get the whole supply and demand thing on certain makers, but then I see some newer/lesser known makers who are pricing them a bit high, IMHO.

I have no issue paying more when I know that either the maker crafted their own blank OR they at least supplied the blank maker with superior quality woods from their own stock.

I do have issue with a lesser known maker charging....oh let's say hypothetically...$500 for a pete they paid well under $100 for the blank for, and did little more than possible add a ring or two, when for the same kinda money, I can get a Josey where the added work is quite apparent.

I am not doggin' anyone here, and a maker will charge what he thinks his work will bring...and if it doesn't, well a price adjustment might be in order.

I know what I am willing to pay for a 'pete' from different makers...and for different reasons. It's not that I am 'tight' with my money or am trying to get something for less....I just know whose 'petes' have value to ME.

I feel that this magical $500 price-point should be a benchmark for many of the lesser known makers, and not a starting point....but again, that is just my opinion.

Lisa
 
ridewiththewind said:
I have actually given up trying to figure out 'pete' pricing. I get the whole supply and demand thing on certain makers, but then I see some newer/lesser known makers who are pricing them a bit high, IMHO.

I have no issue paying more when I know that either the maker crafted their own blank OR they at least supplied the blank maker with superior quality woods from their own stock.

I do have issue with a lesser known maker charging....oh let's say hypothetically...$500 for a pete they paid well under $100 for the blank for, and did little more than possible add a ring or two, when for the same kinda money, I can get a Josey where the added work is quite apparent.

I am not doggin' anyone here, and a maker will charge what he thinks his work will bring...and if it doesn't, well a price adjustment might be in order.

I know what I am willing to pay for a 'pete' from different makers...and for different reasons. It's not that I am 'tight' with my money or am trying to get something for less....I just know whose 'petes' have value to ME.

I feel that this magical $500 price-point should be a benchmark for many of the lesser known makers, and not a starting point....but again, that is just my opinion.

Lisa
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In a non-sucker environment the laws of "supply and demand" prevail. HOWEVER, in the cue building world, as in the rest of the world, salesmanship raises it's ugly head. A good salesman can expound on the exceptional qualities of his product that have attributes no others have a chance of attaining and as such, should demand a premium price. The suckers, who lap up these so called extraordinary attributes, then line up to pay out their hard earned shekels so as to be the first on the block with the latest rage.

Dick
 
I also dont see why these cost so much sometimes. I had a schick sneaky. It was a great cue but certainly not worth the market price IMO. The points werent even(or close to even), the shaft wasnt as good quality as his usual shafts, and there was nothing special about the wood or materials used. I have a scruggs(and another on the way) that is the same idea. With these you pay for the quality that the builder puts into his other cues.
 
I personally think it is ridiculous what some people are paying for sneakies. A sneaky should not cost more than the price of a good shaft plus $100-150. That is with nothing but collars. Some of the best hitting cues that I have owned are/where sneakies. I paid $200 for a sneaky once, but that was because the shaft played like $500.
 
I agree with you guys to a degree about the high prices. Any new one (imho) should not cost more than $350-$400 unless the blank is exceptional or was crafted by the builder. Even at that, it's still hard to justify over $500-$550 for a reasonably plain sneaky.

That being said, if anybody wants to unload an old beat up CP sneaky and gouge me in the process, I'll gladly pay $750 or more. :smile:
 
cueaddicts said:
I agree with you guys to a degree about the high prices. Any new one (imho) should not cost more than $350-$400 unless the blank is exceptional or was crafted by the builder. Even at that, it's still hard to justify over $500-$550 for a reasonably plain sneaky.

That being said, if anybody wants to unload an old beat up CP sneaky and gouge me in the process, I'll gladly pay $750 or more. :smile:
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Wow $750 for a sneeky?
I don't really like sneeky's. Well except for the one pictured below lol.
2116lw2.jpg

fmrh9t.jpg


It's a GB :thumbup:
 
cueaddicts said:
That being said, if anybody wants to unload an old beat up CP sneaky and gouge me in the process, I'll gladly pay $750 or more. :smile:
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there is a guy on ebay that sells them TS sneakies. if you call him im sure he has a few CP sneakies for cheap :rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao:
 
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