Its going to take me a minute to get to the point but stick with me here....
Over the past few years I have gotten into custom knives. The parallels between the custom knife market and the custom cue market are many:
-They both are made up of mostly one man shops and a few larger ones.
-Both have tiers of makers with the top guys being almost impossible to get work from directly and when one does buy direct from a top maker they can usually flip for a profit immediately if they want.
-The huge difference between the two is that the top knifemakers seem to be much more active in the community both online and at shows.
The reason I bring this all up is that I have talked to a few cuemakers and asked why no one in cues does what the knife guys do in regards to doing one or two trade shows/expos a year. With knife makers even guys who have closed books and long wait lists will go to a show and bring a small number of knives to sell at the show.
Usually these are sold by raffle. You go to the makers table and there are three or four knives there with his price on them. Not the secondary market price but his direct price which almost always lower. You pick the knife you like and fill out a ticket. When its time a winner is pulled and gets to buy the knife. They also usually do a fancy knife and have it as an open bid. Highest bidder gets the knife.
The effect this has is huge. It generates buzz and excitement for the events. People know that no matter how small the chance they have a shot to get something they otherwise could not. Also there is the flipper aspect where if they want they can turn a win into cash. This buzz and excitement is also good for the makers who are not at the very top because they have more people with money in their pockets in the room. Not everyone is going to get a holy grail item but they are in the room with money in their pocket.
This is good for the event promoter because they can announce who is going to be there and that there will be a chance to get product from them. The makers post pics of the work they will be bringing sometimes to generate more interest. People get into it.
Its good for the cuemakers because they get to go to a couple events a year and make enough money to cover the trip and make a little cash over a weekend. It motivates them to attend events and participate in the community. They can also take chances by building things outside their normal work to try things. Its a win win situation for all.
Now there are only a handful of cue makers this would apply to in the pool world but I cant help but think how awesome the next Expo would be if South West, Searing, Showman, Tascarella, Hercek, Haley, Sugartree, Bluegrass and Szamboti announced they would have two to five cues each available at the show via whatever means they choose to sell them. I think the buzz would be huge.
You would have the makers at the show to talk to. They can connect with people without the pressure of having to come out of pocket to cover the expenses of the trip. Hell you could put three or four in a booth and let them spend a few hours a day in it of they want. The main point is to get the elite makers back in the wider community outside of just the hard core collector.
Now why I think this probably will not happen: Lists. Everyone is a prisoner to their list. Because they think people on the list will freak out most makers I bring this up to say it would never fly. I think thats terrible. If having a guy make and sell a few cues a year off the books is the cost of getting them out in the community sharing their knowledge and building excitement I think its ridiculous not to do it. This idea that a craftsman is an indentured servant to his list is crazy and I have seen it nowhere else outside of pool.
Now I know some will post cuemaker horror stories. I know they happen.But I would still rather have the makers, their knowledge and experience out there in the community without having to keep a low profile lest they set off someone on a list. A benefit to people on those lists could very well be that making a face to face to connection with a maker could smooth out the process.
So I just wanted to see what people think about the idea of makers coming to shows with a few off the books cues if thats what it takes to get them out and involved.
Over the past few years I have gotten into custom knives. The parallels between the custom knife market and the custom cue market are many:
-They both are made up of mostly one man shops and a few larger ones.
-Both have tiers of makers with the top guys being almost impossible to get work from directly and when one does buy direct from a top maker they can usually flip for a profit immediately if they want.
-The huge difference between the two is that the top knifemakers seem to be much more active in the community both online and at shows.
The reason I bring this all up is that I have talked to a few cuemakers and asked why no one in cues does what the knife guys do in regards to doing one or two trade shows/expos a year. With knife makers even guys who have closed books and long wait lists will go to a show and bring a small number of knives to sell at the show.
Usually these are sold by raffle. You go to the makers table and there are three or four knives there with his price on them. Not the secondary market price but his direct price which almost always lower. You pick the knife you like and fill out a ticket. When its time a winner is pulled and gets to buy the knife. They also usually do a fancy knife and have it as an open bid. Highest bidder gets the knife.
The effect this has is huge. It generates buzz and excitement for the events. People know that no matter how small the chance they have a shot to get something they otherwise could not. Also there is the flipper aspect where if they want they can turn a win into cash. This buzz and excitement is also good for the makers who are not at the very top because they have more people with money in their pockets in the room. Not everyone is going to get a holy grail item but they are in the room with money in their pocket.
This is good for the event promoter because they can announce who is going to be there and that there will be a chance to get product from them. The makers post pics of the work they will be bringing sometimes to generate more interest. People get into it.
Its good for the cuemakers because they get to go to a couple events a year and make enough money to cover the trip and make a little cash over a weekend. It motivates them to attend events and participate in the community. They can also take chances by building things outside their normal work to try things. Its a win win situation for all.
Now there are only a handful of cue makers this would apply to in the pool world but I cant help but think how awesome the next Expo would be if South West, Searing, Showman, Tascarella, Hercek, Haley, Sugartree, Bluegrass and Szamboti announced they would have two to five cues each available at the show via whatever means they choose to sell them. I think the buzz would be huge.
You would have the makers at the show to talk to. They can connect with people without the pressure of having to come out of pocket to cover the expenses of the trip. Hell you could put three or four in a booth and let them spend a few hours a day in it of they want. The main point is to get the elite makers back in the wider community outside of just the hard core collector.
Now why I think this probably will not happen: Lists. Everyone is a prisoner to their list. Because they think people on the list will freak out most makers I bring this up to say it would never fly. I think thats terrible. If having a guy make and sell a few cues a year off the books is the cost of getting them out in the community sharing their knowledge and building excitement I think its ridiculous not to do it. This idea that a craftsman is an indentured servant to his list is crazy and I have seen it nowhere else outside of pool.
Now I know some will post cuemaker horror stories. I know they happen.But I would still rather have the makers, their knowledge and experience out there in the community without having to keep a low profile lest they set off someone on a list. A benefit to people on those lists could very well be that making a face to face to connection with a maker could smooth out the process.
So I just wanted to see what people think about the idea of makers coming to shows with a few off the books cues if thats what it takes to get them out and involved.
