Southwest Cues = No New Oders?!?

I just got a buzz that the folks at Southwest are no longer taking any orders for new cues. I also noticed that the prioce for decent SW cues on E-bay just went up considerably.

Anyone else hear of this??

RileysDad said:

I just got a buzz that the folks at Southwest are no longer taking any orders for new cues. I also noticed that the prioce for decent SW cues on E-bay just went up considerably.

Anyone else hear of this??

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I havent but you know the rumor mill but It wouldnt suprise me if this is true. I put yet another order in with them last year and Laurie said; "You know its a 7 year wait, right?". I laughed and replied; "I hope I live that long", HAHAHAHA !!

all the hype?

all the hype?

I just dont get all the hype over SW cues. They play well and are sought after however i think there is alot of other cues that play just as well and hold there value good too. Two thousand +++++is just a lil too much for a plain jain cues if you ask me.......................

bells said:

I just dont get all the hype over SW cues. They play well and are sought after however i think there is alot of other cues that play just as well and hold there value good too. Two thousand +++++is just a lil too much for a plain jain cues if you ask me.......................

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yea, I heard that!....I used to collect real expensive cues....for me anyway, and I would never take them off the wall for fear of dinging them! I still have a few nice ones, but my playing cue now is a Lucasi, and maybe I got lucky, but that cue hits just as well as my Black Boars, or Schon, Blacks...etc. Come to think of it, my 2 high runs in 14.1 (106/127)came with my $75 Cuetec jump break cue! after I lost the tip off my playing cue whhile gambling...in the same glorious week!

Gerry

Southwest Cue = Randall Knives?

Southwest Cue = Randall Knives?

Southwest has a great playing cue, no doubt about that. They have also built up a mystique around the cues that has people willing to wait 7+ years to get what they pay for. Randall Knives has a similar thing going. You order a randall now and it is 4+ years to get the knife. Solid knives with a serious mystique, but when it comes down to it, they are just production knives (hand made, but production knives nontheless) and SouthWest are the same.

Yes, Southwest has perhaps the best balance and they take extra pains when cutting the shafts. And yes, it is the legacy of Jerry Franklin. And yes they only make 300 cues a year. (lesssee 300 cues at $2000 each is $600,000 a year in revenue)

A problem is that they allocate most of their prodcution every year to standing orders (Like the guy in Las Vegas who ALWAYS has new cues on hand) which drives the secondary markey quite nicely and makes it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for anyone over the age of 30 to order a new cue and then play it. Hell, 9 years later you might not even be playing the game.

Is a Southwest worth $1500? Hell yes.

Is the Same cue Worth $2000, perhaps

Is the same cue worth $3000 from a "dealer" I don't think so.

Southwest may be putting itself out of the retail business entirely.

Great cue, questionable business practice.


RD

I agree...I think the secondary market is very inflated for SWs. But I have also noticed how it has trickled over to Bluegrass cues as well. They are getting $1000+ for plain janes on them now it seems. There is nothing fancy about them...just same joint thread and similar taper as a SW from what I hear. My point is, anybody can make you a cue with that same taper and joint pin, it's not THAT much of rocket science...but will it hit like a SW? In theory it should.

Me personally, I still prefer the hit of the old SS cues...solid and HARD.

Shorty

RileysDad said:

Southwest has a great playing cue, no doubt about that. They have also built up a mystique around the cues that has people willing to wait 7+ years to get what they pay for. Randall Knives has a similar thing going. You order a randall now and it is 4+ years to get the knife. Solid knives with a serious mystique, but when it comes down to it, they are just production knives (hand made, but production knives nontheless) and SouthWest are the same.

Yes, Southwest has perhaps the best balance and they take extra pains when cutting the shafts. And yes, it is the legacy of Jerry Franklin. And yes they only make 300 cues a year. (lesssee 300 cues at $2000 each is $600,000 a year in revenue)

A problem is that they allocate most of their prodcution every year to standing orders (Like the guy in Las Vegas who ALWAYS has new cues on hand) which drives the secondary markey quite nicely and makes it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for anyone over the age of 30 to order a new cue and then play it. Hell, 9 years later you might not even be playing the game.

Is a Southwest worth $1500? Hell yes.

Is the Same cue Worth $2000, perhaps

Is the same cue worth $3000 from a "dealer" I don't think so.

Southwest may be putting itself out of the retail business entirely.

Great cue, questionable business practice.


RD

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Well said i think you hit the nail on the head. I play with some yahoos that have spent close to $2000 for those cues and swear by them. I have hit with them they hit swell but not two grand swell.........lol. They should sell only to the public and not dealers.

The Cue Business

The Cue Business

I don't intend it as a knock against Laurie, Southwest makes a WONDERFUL cue and I am impressed by anyone who can create a brand like they have.

SouthWest Cues, Randall Knives, Triumph Motorcycles --0 all have a mystery that drives sales.

Heck, I'd also like to own a Cognoscenti -0- but paying a premium above retail just don't set will with this kid. Ah well, I'll continue to play with my SW until I fall in love with somehting else.....



RD

South West still takes orders

South West still takes orders

South West is still taking orders. I just got my call from Laurie last month after an eight year wait! I'm most impressed with the fact that they have not sold out. By that I mean that they have not sacrificed their production methods to meet demand and increase sales. I've played SW cues most of my life, but this will be the first one I've had made for me. It's sure to be worth the wait.

RileysDad said:

Southwest has a great playing cue, no doubt about that. They have also built up a mystique around the cues that has people willing to wait 7+ years to get what they pay for. Randall Knives has a similar thing going. You order a randall now and it is 4+ years to get the knife. Solid knives with a serious mystique, but when it comes down to it, they are just production knives (hand made, but production knives nontheless) and SouthWest are the same.

Yes, Southwest has perhaps the best balance and they take extra pains when cutting the shafts. And yes, it is the legacy of Jerry Franklin. And yes they only make 300 cues a year. (lesssee 300 cues at $2000 each is $600,000 a year in revenue)

A problem is that they allocate most of their prodcution every year to standing orders (Like the guy in Las Vegas who ALWAYS has new cues on hand) which drives the secondary markey quite nicely and makes it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for anyone over the age of 30 to order a new cue and then play it. Hell, 9 years later you might not even be playing the game.

Is a Southwest worth $1500? Hell yes.

Is the Same cue Worth $2000, perhaps

Is the same cue worth $3000 from a "dealer" I don't think so.

Southwest may be putting itself out of the retail business entirely.

Great cue, questionable business practice.


RD

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Southwest hasn't built a mystique around their cues - the market has. What Southwest consistently delivers are super solid, straight, no problems cues. They aren't "production" in the sense that you have an assembly line that spits them out. They are process cues, which means that they are all made to the same process. This is the process that Jerry Franklin developed to insure that each cue comes out technically perfect. Laurie Franklin has worked very hard to maintain that process.

Also, while your math is correct, your logic is not. SouthWest Cues does not receive $2000 a cue for their cues. They get whatever the price was at the time the cue was ordered. Which means effectively they are seven year's behind the curve when it comes to inflation and cost-of-living. They have however got an efficient operation that is probably paid for so they can survive with the backlog.

What other business do you know of that has a seven year wait for it's products, has no need to advertise and has next to zero customer complaints? I can't really name one.

Vince Tedesco has new ones for sale because he invested in the fledgling company way back when and his payback is that he always has access to cues. It's good to see a business relationship that lasts and appears to be win/win for both sides.

I waited seven years for mine. I made the mistake of telling a few friends that it was ready and I never got to see it. I sold it for $1800 before I picked it up. I sold it below market to a friend. Seems like a pretty good business model to me to have your products selling for up to 50% over their retail price. I'll bet you that well over 90% of businesses in America would love to have their business run as well as SouthWest cues.

Now, having said all that they could at least think about beefing up their "production" to cut the wait time to say 3 or 4 years

John