What does it take?
- Thread starter JimBo
- Start date
Cornerman said:
Probably not. Don't get me wrong, I recognize that quite a few cuemakers are widely respected, and there is in all likelihood a reason for that. However, without hitting a ball or two I wouldn't be qualified to make such statements. I would be more likely to say "I've heard so and so is a great cuemaker." I might even be willing to purchase a cue based on that reputation, but would reserve personal judgements, favorable or otherwise, until I've seen and played the cue myself. I wouldn't even offer the builder of my cue any feedback until after I had played with it for about eight hours.
I wasn't trying to be contrary in my reply. I'm just a fairly practical person. I can appreciate beauty, but the original purpose should be preserved, IMO.
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I think all of the things you mentioned are important, except for #6. I would also add,JimBo said:
#8 Location - Is there a large group of players available locally for the cuemaker to endear himself to? Players who can spread the word about great service.
#9 - Is the cuemaker lucky? Seriously, I believe luck has a good bit to do with it.
That is not to take away from the top cuemakers, but there are some very under-rated makers out there.
Tracy
Cornerman said:
The hit.
Having said that, I think there are three main reasons for buying a cue: to play with, to collect or to invest. The reasons can overlap.
For playing, I personally think very little matters beyond the hit.
For collecting, you should personally like the cue for your own reasons, whether they be wood type, fit and finish, or simply a particular cuemaker. Others' opinions shouldn't matter much.
For investment purposes, others' opinions are all that really matters. They are the market that will create the demand when you decide to liquidate.
Chris said:You asked a question; I answered it. I wasn't trying to "tear apart what [you] wrote." Sorry if you didn't like my answer, but you did ask for others' opinions. I offered mine. I claimed to speak for no one but myself.
I'm sorry you found my post hard to read, the question was what makes a Great cuemaker, I just reread your post and found the answer to that question no place. I never said I didn't like *your* answer, what I said was you never made an attempt to answer it.
I included the subjective quality of hit to make a point: being a great cuemaker is a very subjective thing. Everyone is not going to agree on which ones are the greatest. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is rarely a "best" way of doing things.
I'll have to disagree with this statement, there are many different opinions, but when asked the majority of knowledgeable people will list the same 10 or so people as the tops in the profession. A few people who have agendas will place someone who doesn't belong there for personal reasons, but still the same names will always come up. I will also disagree about your line that there is no best way to do things, there are always different ways but most times there is a best way.
Everyone collector and player are going to have their favorite cues and cuemakers. Often it will be for individual reasons. It's all subjective.
Now it's off to the pool room for me!
Again I'll apologize for my lack of typing skills or your lack of reading skills, no where did I ask about "favorite cues" I'm also not sure why you keep trying to differentiate between players and collectors. I hope you had a nice nite at the pool room.
Jim
Chris said:
I'm not sure you'll ever get the point Chris, but a cue makers job is to make a cue, if every aspect of that cue is done to perfection then that cue maker did a perfect job. Now just because the cue is perfect in every way will not insure that you will like the way it hits, yet I may love the way it hits. Neither one of our opinions about hit reflect on the way the cue was made or the work in the cue. The same can be said about looks, I may think the design is awesome, you may hate it, that doesn't matter if the ccue is constructed perfectly. The fact is it's not up to a cue maker to make a cue that *YOU* like the hit of, it's up to *YOU* to find the cuemaker who's cues hit they way you like, then it's up to one of my points consistancy. It's not Southwest's job to change the way each cue they make to fit the person buying it, but it is their job to make sure each Southwest hits close to the same. Does that make any sense to you??
Jim
JimBo said:
But.... but... I can distinctly recall you saying that not all Southwests hit the same. Does that mean that they don't do a good job?
Jimbo says and I quote... "As for why I play with a SW, To me it just fits my style of play, it feels like an extention of my arm, not SW cues, just the one I shoot with, I happen to own others that don't feel the same."
JimBo said:
I don't think there is any such thing as a perfectly executed cue, though some might be very close. I'm confident a flaw could be found in any cue, no matter how minor.
The structure of wood is not absolutely consistent. Wood tends to relax and move a bit between turns. Lathes are limited by bearing tolerances. Materials can move slightly with humidity and temperature changes. All these things can and do cause slight imperfections to even the most carefully crafted cues, before any human errors are made.
Some people have higher tolerances for imperfections than do others. Some people look at a pointed cue with a 1 mm difference in length between the longest and shortest points and see even points. Others will see points that vary in length. Some people consider a 4.00 oz shaft and a 4.05 oz shaft as weighing the same. Some will consider one shaft to be heavier than the other. Someone who customizes cars and thinks nothing of spending $5000 or more for a paint job will likely have different standards for a perfect cue finish than will someone who drives (by choice) a beater that gets washed every other year.
That is why I believe perfection to be just as subjective as hit. People have different standards of perfection.
Chris said:There's nothing wrong with my reading comprehension skills. I understood your question and answered it. Sorry you didn't like my answer. I'm not here to argue.
BTW, I had a great day at the pool room, thanks.
If you believe you answered the question then I guess there is something wrong with my reading skills, have a nice day.
Jim
