what do you expect from custom cue builders

[GoldCrown]

I
Drawings are the universal language of designing anything and everything. Get rid of all the verbal stuff, and back and forth emails. Put it all in a drawing.

End rant

You are 100%+ correct. But sometimes we deal with people that Don't or Can't read. Glad my pharmacist is usually awake & alert.

 

[LAlouie]

do you expect to get what you asked/payed/agreed for?

whether it be a design,
a wrap
a weight
a color
a dimensional spec, or several?
a shaft

how about all of the above in a single cue being wrong

is it too much to expect exactly what you ask for when the builder agrees to it?

because im striking out this yr, not 1 cue ive had built has come the way I asked it to be,

thoughts?

Straight, tight-grained, stabilized shaftwood.
We can figure out the rest

 

[Sealegs50]

Who are you dealing with?

Many of these stories describing poor experiences are from people who have dealt with someone with limited knowledge and oftentimes no business acumen.

Changes should be in writing and the costs involved fully discussed. .

My first custom experience was with a cuemaker who is now in the ACA HoF. The second was a full time cuemaker who seemed to be popular on AZB. He had lots of raffles and his customers usually wrote about their great experiences. There were no changes requested after our early agreements for either cue.

 

[tattoo]

My first custom experience was with a cuemaker who is now in the ACA HoF. The second was a full time cuemaker who seemed to be popular on AZB. He had lots of raffles and his customers usually wrote about their great experiences. There were no changes requested after our early agreements for either cue.

Number 2 was my first horrible experience..but he was a cue assembler..he didn't build his own blanks so picking venners was a crap shoot.l...I wish I would of known that..but making the wrong ring work just didn't make sense..o well lesson learned....

 

[DrGonzo]

Thankfully, I have had nothing but excellent experiences with dealing with custom cue makers. Everything I have ever ordered has arrived in the given time frame, for the quoted price, and all details were meticulously completed. Anything less shouldn't be accepted.

 

[deanoc]

Deal with Jerry Rauenzahn

you get what you asked for when it is promised

 

[Texas Carom Club]

I see your from Houston also....if it was a local maker....I can understand how it happend...I have a local cue maker. That has a cue of mine being held hostage over 4 years for a refinish only and it WAS PAID IN FULL UPFRONT...NOW THERE ARE A FEW GOOD ONES.,BUT SURE SEEMS THE BADS OUT WEIGHT THE GOOD....HE'LL IT COULD BE LONGER THAN 4 years so long I can't really remember....I guess he needed he money more than I needed the cue..

Who is it, so I don't ever make the mistake of dealing with them
I thought about this when considering who to look for for a new tip install

 

[Bavafongoul]

You Picked a Jerk Cue-Maker.....Doesn't Matter Whom It Was....

When you order a custom cue, you should get what your ordered or the cue-maker needs to be updating you during the construction your cue is going to turn out different and explain why and the options.

A few Azers know me to be a little fussy about cue builds.......My specs drove Bob Runde crazy back in 1985 and I rejected the first custom cue he built since it was different than what I specified.
He made the cue over and was a complete gentleman while I was just a total jerk-off. The 2nd cue was a great one & Bob nailed the 10 ring with my 2nd cue while the first cue was a 9.8.

My next cue-maker was Bob Owen and I designed my cue down to the tiniest of details and very tough specs too........Bob indulged my every whim and sent me progress photos and called me periodically
as well to let me know how the design was coming along........it was a challenging build and he really made me "exactly" what I sketched on paper for my cue design.

Then Jerry Rauenzahn........I had a specific design in mind for a Bushka......sent him photos of the cue I wanted to emulate.......we tinkered with the design and along the way the metal copper rings I wanted
was making the cue butt weight and the final cue weight heavier than I requested. Jerry consults with me and we mutually decided that the forearm design was fine but the rings had to change and the cue butt
sleeve design junked. I specified a cue weight of 18.25 to 18.5 and shafts weighing at least 4 ozs......sans any brass.......the design I originally asked for didn't comport with the cue & shaft weights I specified.
Jerry comes up with some ideas and we collaborate and he delivers me a gorgeous Bushka design, albeit with a copy of an Adams sleeve design but who cares besides my nemesis Azers.....Frankly, I think my
Bushka design turned out great and is one of the nicest versions Jerry's made.

So after I read your post, I was floored. Never accept less than what you ordered or what the cue-maker says he will deliver & you still have the final say. The cue-maker doesn't as long as you are not being a
jerk like I was with Mr. Runde. Deal with a reputable cue-maker and I recommend Bob Owen and Jerry Rauenzahn. There probably be some that might criticize my statements, or heaven forbid these two great
cue-makers. I hope you'll ignore such butt-holes. You know whom these types are on the Az Forum. No need to identify people by handle.Anyway, rest assured both Bob and Jerry are men of their word, produce
marvelous cues and the cue hit....the darn hit & feel is as good as my Prewitt & Scruggs cues and that's a mouthful. Bob & Jerry are so nice & their cues are so great to play with....Well, heck, I just ordered two
more cues from Bob and Jerry (Spring '16 Completion). I expect my new cues will be made exactly as I asked just like the other cues they've made for me. I don't toss my money around foolishly & these 4 cues
represent some significant coin. Not to appear redundant but I am very fussy about my cue designs and cue-makers. Based upon my experience, you can rely on Bob or Jerry to produce & deliver what you order/

beneath_the_sur.......it has to be extremely frustrating for you when everything seems to go awry with the cue order but you won't have that experience with either Bob or Jerry. Check with Deanoc about his Bushka
cue projects.......one is just starting up with Jerry and I jumped to the front of the line with my order and I think Dean also had a project underway with Bob as well if I am not mistaken......I don't want to steal Dean's
thunder about these projects but do consider touching base with him.......Of your own volition, you already were interested in both of these cue-makers and IMO, it tells me you're not a newbie by any stretch.....GL.

Matt B.

p.s. That's a photo of Bob holding my custom 6 pt cue.

 

[Texas Carom Club]

That's reassuring as I was contemplating Bob Owen recently for a build

 

[Texas Carom Club]

When you order a custom cue, you should get what your ordered or the cue-maker needs to be updating you during the construction your cue is going to turn out different and explain why and the options.

A few Azers know me to be a little fussy about cue builds.......My specs drove Bob Runde crazy back in 1985 and I rejected the first custom cue he built since it was different than what I specified.
He made the cue over and was a complete gentleman while I was just a total jerk-off. The 2nd cue was a great one & Bob nailed the 10 ring with my 2nd cue while the first cue was a 9.8.

My next cue-maker was Bob Owen and I designed my cue down to the tiniest of details and very tough specs too........Bob indulged my every whim and sent me progress photos and called me periodically
as well to let me know how the design was coming along........it was a challenging build and he really made me "exactly" what I sketched on paper for my cue design.

Then Jerry Rauenzahn........I had a specific design in mind for a Bushka......sent him photos of the cue I wanted to emulate.......we tinkered with the design and along the way the metal copper rings I wanted
was making the cue butt weight and the final cue weight heavier than I requested. Jerry consults with me and we mutually decided that the forearm design was fine but the rings had to change and the cue butt
sleeve design junked. I specified a cue weight of 18.25 to 18.5 and shafts weighing at least 4 ozs......sans any brass.......the design I originally asked for didn't comport with the cue & shaft weights I specified.
Jerry comes up with some ideas and we collaborate and he delivers me a gorgeous Bushka design, albeit with a copy of an Adams sleeve design but who cares besides my nemesis Azers.....Frankly, I think my
Bushka design turned out great and is one of the nicest versions Jerry's made.

So after I read your post, I was floored. Never accept less than what you ordered or what the cue-maker says he will deliver & you still have the final say. The cue-maker doesn't as long as you are not being a
jerk like I was with Mr. Runde. Deal with a reputable cue-maker and I recommend Bob Owen and Jerry Rauenzahn. There probably be some that might criticize my statements, or heaven forbid these two great
cue-makers. I hope you'll ignore such butt-holes. You know whom these types are on the Az Forum. No need to identify people by handle.Anyway, rest assured both Bob and Jerry are men of their word, produce
marvelous cues and the cue hit....the darn hit & feel is as good as my Prewitt & Scruggs cues and that's a mouthful. Bob & Jerry are so nice & their cues are so great to play with....Well, heck, I just ordered two
more cues from Bob and Jerry (Spring '16 Completion). I expect my new cues will be made exactly as I asked just like the other cues they've made for me. I don't toss my money around foolishly & these 4 cues
represent some significant coin. Not to appear redundant but I am very fussy about my cue designs and cue-makers. Based upon my experience, you can rely on Bob or Jerry to produce & deliver what you order/

beneath_the_sur.......it has to be extremely frustrating for you when everything seems to go awry with the cue order but you won't have that experience with either Bob or Jerry. Check with Deanoc about his Bushka
cue projects.......one is just starting up with Jerry and I jumped to the front of the line with my order and I think Dean also had a project underway with Bob as well if I am not mistaken......I don't want to steal Dean's
thunder about these projects but do consider touching base with him.......Of your own volition, you already were interested in both of these cue-makers and IMO, it tells me you're not a newbie by any stretch.....GL.

Matt B.

p.s. That's a photo of Bob holding my custom 6 pt cue.

Wow that's very pretty never saw these pics last time

And after reading kingpins thread I feel the need to out one of these that did me the worst
with what I asked for and what I was told I would get after paying extra I do believe your right and the maker is a jerk

Once more from the top

Cue spec dimensions given
Said no prob, didn't do it
Asked for a.carom shaft
Got 2 pool shafts
Specifically repeatedly make the cue exactly like the last
Hardly, snakewood in points that needed ebony, even when I pointed this out mid build he said he would be able to correct it
Wrap supposed to be black gator print, was brown lizard,
Asked for custom jp set to match the recut point work
Said it would be hard but would do it for an extra 100 bucks, I payed and got turned 1 piece ebony JP set
Asked for pics of completed cue
Said he didn't have time to snap pics due to delivery schedule
Was bugging me for money the whole time
Like he was dependent,money wise, on me
Was upset that I couldn't send it that week, said it was for his kids school or something, not my problem don't put your financial issues on me

Joel dadivas
Jd customs

Produced a hell of A pretty cue but not what I asked and payed for

 

[Shannon.spronk]

I can tell you that the last time I ordered a custom cue it went very well. I ordered in the beginning of the summer asking for delivery by labor day. It was delivered last week of August. He didn't ask for any money up front. He only asked for money when I asked for OB shafts and for him to order partials so they would match. It cost me the amount of the partial shafts. I asked for specific woods. He sent me photos of the wood to verify they were what I wanted. He sent me photos of everything before it went on the cue, including the rings to make sure they were right.

The only complaint that I might have is that for some things he had to ask me multiple times what I wanted. I guess he didn't have it all written down in one spot. What was nice is that instead of assuming what I wanted or trying to remember and maybe being wrong he would ask me to make sure. It was the perfect custom ordering experience.

 

[Pushout]

easy answer
YES
you should get what you agreed to
or at the least VERY CLOSE

ABSO-FREAKIN'-LUTELY!! These days, all depends on who you're dealing with. We've seen just about every excuse there is on this forum.

 

[timothysoong]

Straight grained shafts
Straight cue
Figured woods
Auto clear finish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bavafongoul]

Ordering a Custom Cue Can Be a Truly Great Experience.....

I posted some photos of my cue underway with Bob in the Cue Gallery........this is so much fun watching an idea come to life, so to speak, in wood form.
Doing business with Bob is like dealing with a close freind and it's the same way with Jerry. Both of these fellows are just so considerate, and talented
at the same time that having a custom cue built by either invites doing it again.

This is my second go round with Bob & Jerry and I can guarantee that if it were not for the recently enacted CA ivory ban taking effect in a few months,
I would have signed up for Deanoc's newest cue project with Bob (limited to 10 buyers) and already started working with Jerry on one of his dazzling full
splice, cues. Unfortunately, July 1st is just around the corner so these two cues underway will be my last ones.

Here's a peek of the sleeves underway........and I never have to call Bob or Jerry to ask how things are progressing or to ask for progress photos.......the
progress pics are sent without ever having to inquire. I am flabbergasted when I read about cue-makers mistreating customers and what is even worse,
some of those customers actually indulge and tolerate this abusive behavior. All I can state with certainty is you will not have that experience if you decide
to order a custom cue from Bob Owen and/or Jerry Rauenzahn. I'd own more than two cues from each cue-maker if the CA regulatory outlook was different.

Matt B.