runscott said:
The 26 1/2 definitely had a variety of different veneer colors. I just picked up twin 26 1/2's circa 1925 that are being restored right now. One is ebony and one is rosewood. The ebony had what I think has a black, a red, green, and natural veneers - we'll see when it gets cleaned up. The other one has the titlist colors. When i get the cues back 'll take a close up of the decal and veneers.
I also have a 26 1/2 MOP wedge original brinswick from about 1910 that is a rosewood cue which I believe was the first example of the current titlist veneer colors. It is strange to see a cue like that but i believe it served as the model for the titlist some 30 years later...
I have not seen a cue that I knew for sure was a Willie Hoppe engraved Titlist that had different veneer colors than standard. I've seen cues that could have been other Brunswick models.
The reason why I asked Sore about the veneer colors is, I have a theroy that the ebony Willie Hoppe's Titlists were made from left-over blanks Brunswick used on other prior models, like the 26 1/2, then when those were gone there weren't any more made. I know the ebony was no longer available in the 1960's because Peter Balner said he couldn't get them from Brunswick.
Anyway, lacking more information, I was just kind of dogging down the trail that the ebony titlists were left over cues and I was hoping his veneer colors matched an ebony 26 1/2, and ran into a dead end.
Chris
PS, By the way, i have a WWII Willie Hoppe Titlist with the fiber joint - I don't know where I put it but I'll try to find it.
