What Makes A Guy A Master Cuebuilder?

I can't even fathom the relevance or importance of being a master cue maker.

There are just SO many accomplished cue makers today. To call one a master and one not.... What's the point?

I mean...honestly.

Give me $3000...and lay before me a top notch Blackcreek, Sugartree, JMW, Tascarella, Hercek, Mottey, etc etc...and it really doesn't matter which one I pick. Rest assured I'm getting a phenomenal playing cue that lacks absolutely NOTHING from an aesthetic stand point. Look at those six names...and you'll see that each of them has been in the game for vastly different lengths of time...but they're all f'in amazing craftsmen.

That being said...I'd have to say longevity is the key. It would be hard to argue, in my humble opinion, that a man like Eric Crisp or James White...at this stage of their careers...are making cues on any lower a level than either Szamboti or Balabushka ever did.

The only thing the cue collecting masses will ever hold against them...is that they came along later in time. As such...their methods can't help but reflect he inspirations that came before them...whomever they may be.

I saw the folks at Carolina Custom Cues make a tribute cue of Gus Szambotis "Snap" cue. Is it the same cue? No. But the execution is tremendous nonetheless. In my opinion...if you can copy someone's work...do as they do...that's pretty goddamned masterful to ME.

When I see a list of Tascarella, Hercek, Searing, Szamboti, Balabuskha, Stroud, Petersen, Harvey, Kohara...etc... it says to me more to me "hall of fame", living or dead, than it does "Master Cue Maker."

It's the longevity. It's like a great rock band. Years after you're done...people still appreciate your work...and even do tributes.

Just my 25 cents. LOL
 
Select a cue with the proper weight,length,size of grip and general good feel for you

I haven't heard Ernie Martinez phillippi Danny Janes Gilbert I recently purchaced an over seas cue it hits a ton. The shaft wood i was told was 85 yrs old. wood from a bowling alley. It also has very hard Talisman bk tips. Danny at shooters in olathe has a few left i think. I also know a guy looking to sell 40+ M.Benders
 
Generally it is a title conferred by one's peers and used repsectfully by one's juniors.

In cue making it would generally go to those cuemakers whose products stand up to the highest scrutiny and whose work holds it's value.

There are many master cue makers in the world and only one that I know of who is self proclaimed as such.

Most people with a little experience know when they have a cue in their hands that is the work of a master.

A master cuemaker is one who brings both the hit and the decoration into harmony to create a seamless experience of visual appreciation and tactile enjoyment.
 
What makes a guy a master cuebuilder?

The internet. (---think about it

JV
 
We all obviously respect the art of cue building. The people on this thread especially, understand the time and effort it takes to build a great cue, often without huge financial rewards. Cue builders are in a unique category of artist and machinist. They can't go to cuemaking school and get a masters degree, or take a test like a master plumber.
 
If you have accomplised cuemakers consulting you, maybe you can be called a master cuebuilder.
If you put out cuemaking dvd's and YOU call yourself a MASTER cuebuilder, but nobody has seen any of your cues , you are full of yourself.
Now, if you have sold over a million dollars worth of cues you yourself made , go ahead, call yourself MASTER cuebuilder. Tad and Ernie are in that league. I believe Bill Stroud is too.
 
Dawgie said:
What are the criteria for entry into the American Cue Makers Association? Perhaps this makes one a Master Cue builder.
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One of the criteria is that you must be a full time cuemaker...no hobbyists allowed. Funny thing, some of my favorite cuemakers are just that...passionate hobbyists....well, according to the ACA anyways. :rolleyes:

Lisa
 
sammy1712 said:
What?s about oversea cuemakers, like Arthur or Vollmer. Do you think they belong meanwhile to the top?
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no-not yet, Arthur makes good cues but not great cues, in a few more years then perhaps they have a way to go. they are nice people commited to the profession of making cues and will improve over time. I dont know about Vollmer.
 
Apparently Skins is not online, as Keith Josey has not been added:) :) :) I'd also throw in Bob Manzino and Jerry McWorter.

Also, if you take a look at who revolutionized the art of production, would you consider Jim McDermott, Paul Huebler, Eugene Balner, and Bob Meucci on the list.

To Mr. Varney's comment regarding wait time, I think that might be one consideration, but in and of itself it wouldn't mean much. If a guy only makes 10 or so cues a year, it wouldn't take long to get a 5 year waiting list if he makes them on the side as opposed to the guy who does it for a living and possibly has others working in his shop. I would consider Ernie, Scruggs, etc. Masters, but they don't have that long a waiting period.
 
pathman said:
I just read a post where a guy chimed in and declared that a very well respected and all around great cue builder didn't meet his criteria for "master cue-bulder". That kind of got me thinking about the whole classification thing. I don't recall anybody ever using this term back in the 80s when I got into custom cues. Do most of you think this is just marketing? To me, master cue-builders are guys like Bushka,Szamboti, Harvey Martin, Rambow etc. Having said that, I have no problem calling guys like Bill Schick, Paul Mottey, Ernie Guiterrez master cue-builders either. I am just curious as to what criteria my fellow cue fanatics use when throwing this label on a guy.
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To me, a master cue builder is one who makes a product that is superior to 95% of all others out there in every facet of cuemaking: hit, playability, design, craftsmanship, construction, consistency, etc.

Jeff Duke is NO barometer for guaging whether or not someone is a master cuebuilder. Please don't let that other thread influence you at all.
 
Do You Have To Build Your Own Cues In Order To Achieve The Status Of Master Cuebuilder ?????????????????????????????????????
 
cueaddicts said:
Do You Have To Build Your Own Cues In Order To Achieve The Status Of Master Cuebuilder ?????????????????????????????????????
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Not if you can con other makers to make cues for you, steal their ideas, then get rid of them at will.
 
DawgAndy said:
I agree with this to a point. The next generation will tell us who the real masters of our generation were. I instantly dismiss anyone who claims their own mastership (Joe from CC & a couple others I can think of)

I would also add to the list : Thomas Wayne, Dave Barenbrugge & Paul Fanelli. Their artistry puts them at a different level. We are lucky to live in a time when so many great cues are being made from such a talented pool of cuemakers.

Andy
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Thomas Wayne is the master of the cnc. I honestly think are still only a handfull of people tht can even come close to the level of intricate inlaying that he has acomplished............... Barenbrugge is master of the butterfly splice..............................his ringwork is beyond original and amazing...............
 
I will only call one a master cue builder if and only if they have "MASTER CUE BUILDER" tattoed on their forehead. I would definitely have that puzzled look on my face while saying it too---probably what drove them to put that on their forehead......
 
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